Staff
Sara K. Phillips, Executive Director
Dr. Sara K. Phillips is Executive Director of the Center for Science in Public Participation, where she oversees CSP2's organizational strategy, partnerships, institutional development, and public-interest work supporting communities affected by mining.
Dr. Phillips brings more than 15 years of experience in mining governance, environmental law, human rights, and community engagement. Her work examines how legal systems, technical evidence, and institutional decision-making shape mining conflicts and influence outcomes for communities, ecosystems, and public accountability... Continue Reading
Before joining CSP2, Dr. Phillips worked across academic, nonprofit, consulting, and policy settings on issues related to extractive industries, corporate accountability, environmental governance, environmental justice, investor-state dispute settlement, and community participation. She has contributed to interdisciplinary research and policy analysis connecting law, governance, social science, and sustainable mineral resource development.
At CSP2, Dr. Phillips brings an interdisciplinary approach to public-interest science, helping connect technical expertise with legal, policy, and community-centered analysis. Her work supports more equitable and accountable mineral resource development by strengthening the links between independent science, public participation, and institutional accountability.
Dr. Phillips' research and policy work have focused on mining governance in Southeast Asia, Africa, and North America
Education
PhD, International Development
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
JD, Vermont Law and Graduate School
Vermont, USA
LLM, Environment
McGill University, Quebec, Canada
BA, International Affairs
University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado, USA
BAR ADMISSION
New York
David M. Chambers, Founder and Chief Scientist
Dr. David M. Chambers is the Founder and Chief Scientist of the Center for Science in Public Participation. He brings more than 40 years of experience in mineral exploration, mine development, and the environmental review of mining projects, with a long-standing focus on providing independent technical assistance to public interest groups, Tribal governments, and communities affected by mining.
Before founding CSP2, Dr. Chambers spent 15 years in technical and management roles in the mineral exploration industry. For more than 25 years, he has advised organizations nationally and internationally on the environmental effects of proposed, operating, and abandoned mines. His work includes review of underground and open-pit mine design, tailings dam stability, waste rock facility design, water quality monitoring, water treatment, reclamation planning, financial assurance, acid mine drainage, metals leaching, and mine closure... Continue Reading
Dr. Chambers has supported public interest groups and Tribal governments in technical reviews, regulatory processes, and negotiations with mine owners, developers, and state and federal agencies. His work has contributed to alternative mine development plans, mining waste regulation, marine mine waste disposal research, and international efforts to define and assess responsible mining practices.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Environmental Planning
University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
Master of Science, Geophysics
University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
Professional Engineer, Physics
Colorado School of Mines, Colorado, USA
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Professional Geophysicist (Certificate #GP 972), California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists
Stuart M. Levit, Staff Scientist
Stu Levit is a Staff Scientist with the Center for Science in Public Participation. He brings extensive experience in mine reclamation, water quality protection, watershed restoration, Superfund cleanup, and public participation in environmental decision-making.
Stu has worked across state government, for Tribal nations, nonprofits, and in various public-interest settings, including roles with the Montana Department of State Lands, Abandoned Mine Reclamation Bureau, for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and American Wildlands... Continue Reading
His work has focused on hard rock mine reclamation, acid mine drainage prevention and treatment, water quality standards, Clean Water Act implementation, Superfund cleanup, TMDL processes, and natural resource protection. At CSP2, Stu combines scientific review, legal analysis, and public engagement to support communities and public-interest groups affected by mining and watershed degradation.
Education
JD, University of Montana School of Law
Montana, USA
Msc, Land Reclamation
Montana State University, Montana, USA
BA, English
Rutgers College, New Jersey, USA
BAR ADMISSION
Montana