Josh’s research interests are centered around understanding and improving the ways in which we address complex environmental challenges like climate change. His research thus far has focused on clean energy transition, green innovation, implementation of federal/state climate mitigation and adaptation policy, implementation of constitutional environmental rights, intergenerational equity, environmental justice, and public participation in major environmental law and policy decision-making. Ash is currently a senior associate for the mitigation program at the Georgetown Climate Center, where his work focuses on providing legal and policy analysis, coordination, and other resources to states and other stakeholders engaged in reducing GHG emissions across all sectors (including the center’s work with the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and the Buy Clean programs). Josh has also provided support to a variety of federal climate policies or programs – e.g. the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) programs – while at USDOT’s Volpe Center and the RAND Corporation. Josh also has experience with the Government Accountability Office, the West Virginia Water Research Institute, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as having worked as a project attorney for two billion-dollar infrastructure projects while working for Walsh Construction.
Josh brings a multi-disciplinary set of skills, including legal research, program evaluation, qualitative and quantitative social science research methods, statutory interpretation, grant implementation, environmental permitting, project delivery of major transportation infrastructure projects, and policy drafting. His Josh is also an active member of the American Bar Association Section for Environment, Energy, and Resources (for which he serves as co-chair of the Membership Diversity Enhancement Program and formally served in the Leadership Development Program). Ash has also taught graduate courses in environmental policy and environmental law for Point Park University. Josh holds a J.D., a master’s degree in natural resource economics, and bachelor’s degrees in environmental geoscience, French, and international affairs from West Virginia University, as well as a PhD candidacy at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
