LARCHMONT, NY—David P. Ansel, an environmentalist and corporate attorney, has joined Save the Sound as its Regional Director of Water Protection. In his new role, based at Save the Sound’s Larchmont office, David will lead the organization’s Sound-wide healthy waters initiatives, working with the water quality team to restore rivers, lakes, and harbors in the Long Island Sound watershed. In that role, he will guide Save the Sound’s extensive bi-state, science-based watchdog, pollution testing, and solutions programs; work with the legal team to ensure strengthened and enforced laws to protect the Sound and the rivers that feed it; translate science into advocacy and results; and develop interactive, public-friendly communications products including the Sound Health Explorer, Long Island Sound Report Card, and Long Island Sound Beach Report. David will also serve as Save the Sound’s New York spokesperson, political liaison, and community engagement lead on issues of water quality.
David began his career as a clerk in the Environmental Civil Enforcement Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office before moving into corporate law. During a 30-year career at the law firms Thacher Proffitt & Wood and Loeb & Loeb, David focused on middle-market private equity transactions, including the representation of equity sponsor groups, real estate companies, and others involved in mergers and acquisitions; partnership agreements and joint ventures; private equity co-investments; corporate finance; governance; and general corporate and transactional matters. At Loeb & Loeb he co-chaired the firm’s Corporate Department and chaired its Knowledge Management and Dodd-Frank Committees.
In addition, David has served on the Sub-Committee for Environmental Law of the New York City Bar Association, the Board of Riverkeeper, and as a Trustee at Waterkeeper Alliance. He currently sits on the Board of the Westchester Land Trust. A native of greater New Haven now living in Harrison, New York, he has spent most of his life on, in, or near Long Island Sound, which fostered his passion for Save the Sound’s mission.
“I feel very strongly about the burden that we’re putting on Long Island Sound and the whole planet,” David said. “We’re at a critical tipping point. The work that Save the Sound does in Long Island Sound and the entire region has not only a local impact but is also part of a global solution.”
For more than 50 years, Save the Sound has been protecting clean water and restoring Long Island Sound ecosystems through hands-on science and community collaboration, legislative advocacy, and legal action. The mission of Save the Sound is to protect and improve the land, air, and water of the entire Long Island Sound region, including Connecticut, Westchester, New York City, and Long Island. That comprehensive emphasis is one of the reasons David is enthusiastic about becoming part of the team.
“This is a particularly strong organization. It has a great platform and a really strong track record, and I’m looking forward to working with the water quality team,” David said. “Save the Sound has a lot of strength in terms of the people who work here—top scientists, experienced lawyers, successful advocates—and I’m excited to become part of that group.”