The Surfrider Foundation Announces
Jill Heaps, New Sr. Legal Director
SAN CLEMENTE, CA, October 7, 2024 — The Surfrider Foundation is excited to announce the addition of Jill Heaps to their legal department. Heaps has a lifetime of professional experience fighting for clean water across the country and will be taking the lead of Surfrider’s legal department as their new Senior Legal Director.
This announcement comes on the heels of Surfrider filing suit against Exxon for their alleged role in misleading the public about the viability of plastic recycling; a case that could be one of the most consequential in the organization’s history, which has included Supreme Court victories protecting the Clean Water Act and public beach access, and what was country’s second largest clean water settlement in U.S. history at the time in 1991 against two pulp mills in Humboldt, CA.
Most recently, Heaps was a Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, where her clients included groups such as NAACP, Sierra Club, Seneca Lake Guardian, PennFuture, and the Tonawanda Seneca Nation. She led cases and drafted legislation to protect clean water against industrial waste, PFAS, and even cryptocurrency mining. Prior to her tenure at Earthjustice, Heaps was the Director of the Environmental Law Clinic at Vermont Law School, Director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition at the National Wildlife Federation, and Waterkeeper at San Diego Coastkeeper.
“Surfrider is excited to welcome Jill Heaps as our new Senior Legal Director,” says Surfrider CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen. “Heaps comes to Surfrider with a powerful track record of defending clean water, enforcing our environmental laws, and working with communities to protect our health and natural resources. She also brings decades of experience working with Surfrider’s chapter network.”
To provide Surfrider’s network with an opportunity to get to know her better, Jill generously answered some questions about her motivation and inspiration heading into her new role with the Surfrider Foundation.
How do you most enjoy unplugging and reconnecting with nature?
I love any chance to get out on or in the water! My family bought kayaks during the lockdown and we’ve been enjoying exploring the waters of Western New York together. I also enjoy surfing, sailing, swimming, cycling, and running along the beach whenever I can. My family enjoys camping and we’ve been going at least once a year for the past 12 years, even when my son was only five months old!
Since we’ve moved to Western New York, I’ve been spending a lot of time hiking. A local organization puts together several hiking challenges each year that get me out to enjoy a variety of trails across the region. I even participate in the Winter Hiking Challenge, which sometimes involves snowshoeing!
How would you describe your relationship with the ocean? How has your relationship with the natural environment guided your professional development and why are you excited to be joining the team at Surfrider?
I love the ocean; it centers and grounds me. I grew up in Western New York and didn’t have much exposure to the ocean as a kid, but I loved the ocean and couldn’t wait to explore it. I was able to get SCUBA certified 20 years ago, taking my classes in New York City and then finishing my dives with Lahaina Divers in Maui, Hawai’i. That first trip to Hawai’i opened my eyes to the magic, wonder, and beauty of the ocean.
Then, when I lived in New Orleans, my second cousin, Kim, offered to teach me to surf. I was hooked! We would drive two hours down, from New Orleans to Grand Isle, with no idea if there would be surfable waves, other than our best guess based on the Surfline reports. If it turned out to be flat, we’d sit and watch the gulf and chat.
My cousin introduced me to surf culture and Surfrider. I was so impressed by Surfrider, its mission, and its model of change that I started a Gulf Coast chapter! The hope of getting to surf more often and a drive to focus more of my work on water and ocean issues led me to take a job at San Diego Coastkeeper. Being able to surf on a Monday morning before going into work was a dream! While in San Diego, I got to work closely with Surfrider staff and the local chapters. While I’ve moved around the country as I continued to grow my work protecting our waterways, the opportunity to finally work for Surfrider is a dream come true!
What aspect of Surfrider’s environmental mission are you most eager to focus your legal expertise on?
I can’t wait to work on all of the issues that are the focus of Surfrider’s mission and strategic plan. I’ve spent my career focusing on clean water issues and am excited to continue that work. Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time, and I’m looking forward to helping Surfrider move the needle to combat climate change, to protect our beaches, the ocean, and our coastal and inland communities.
Additionally, Surfrider’s focus on plastic pollution resonates with me on a deep level. The entire life cycle of plastic is a nightmare for communities and our environment. From extraction, transport, and refining to manufacturing and disposal, plastic is devastating to our most vulnerable communities and continues to wreak havoc on the environment for decades to come.
Whale watching off Quadra Island, British Columbia.
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The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s ocean, waves, and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over one million supporters, activists, and members, with more than 200 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 900 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.