Samuel Sweeten
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Samuel is originally from Logan, Utah and graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. in Economics. He is currently a J.D. candidate at Penn State Law (’26). Outside of law, Samuel enjoys playing board games, podcasting, and spending time with his family.

Jose Rojas
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Jose is a first-generation law student who graduated as a first-generation undergraduate student at the University of Richmond with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History. He is currently a JD candidate at Penn State Law (2026), and is involved in Family Law Society and the Latino Law Student Association. In his free time, he enjoys puzzles, watching movies, and listening to podcasts.

Kole Zellers
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Kole Zellers is originally from Salem, Ohio and graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a B.A. in political science. At Penn State Law, Kole is involved with a number of organizations, including Phi Delta Phi and Phi Alpha Delta. Kole is also a Law Lion Ambassador for the school and has recently been selected as an Associate Editor for the Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs. In his free time, Kole enjoys weightlifting, playing tennis, and creating digital music.

Sergio Porras
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Sergio Porras is a Research Assistant at the Penn State Ag & Shale Law Center, with roots in West Texas, where his family’s involvement in cattle ranching and oil fields sparked his interest in agriculture and energy sectors. He is currently a J.D. Candidate at Penn State Law (‘25) and writes developments for the Shale Law Weekly Review, the Farmland Energy podcast, and other projects for the Center. Prior to attending Penn State Law, Sergio received a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from St. Mary’s University (San Antonio, Tx), and an MBA from the University of Texas at El Paso. His professional experience includes work in insurance and securities industry for Prudential Financial, and an externship in oil and gas law. Sergio is fluent in English and Spanish, with working proficiency in Portuguese. Beyond his professional aspirations, Sergio’s passions include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Texas barbecue, hiking, foraging, and chess.

Jasmine Gunning
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Jasmine is a Lancaster, South Carolina native who graduated from University of South Carolina Upstate with a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in criminal justice. She is currently a J.D. candidate here at Penn State Law (’25) where she is involved in several organizations, including the Human Rights Society and the Immigration Law Society. At the Center, Jasmine researches and writes for the Shale Law Weekly Review.

Avery McLean
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Avery grew up on a Full Fleckvieh Simmental farm in Pilot Mound, Manitoba, Canada and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a B.S. in Biology (Environmental Science). She is currently a J.D. Candidate at Penn State Law (‘24) and holds a variety of organizational positions such as Associate Editor for the Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs, Class Representative to the Student Bar Association, and Chair of the Mental Health & Wellness Committee. Outside of the law, Avery’s interests include bovine genetics, agricultural herbicide regulation, and college football on Saturdays (WE ARE!).

Dillon Lightfoot
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Dillon grew up in Longview, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Political Science. He is currently a joint J.D. Candidate with Penn State Law (’25) and M.I.A. Candidate with the Penn State School of International Affairs (’25). Dillon has been with the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law since the summer of 2022 where he works on a variety of projects including the Ag Law Weekly Review. Starting in the fall of 2023, Dillon will serve as an Associate Editor for the Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs. In his free time, Dillon enjoys running, watching the Dallas Mavericks, and spending time with his family.

Kendal Ashman
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Kendal grew up in a small town in south-central Pennsylvania and graduated from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA with a B.A. in political science. She is currently a J.D. Candidate for the Penn State Law class of 2024, and a member of several different organizations, including Phi Delta Phi and the military law caucus. She is currently employed by the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law as a research assistant, as well as an intern for the Maryland State Attorney’s Office for the summer of 2022. Kendal’s primary interest lies in the area of property law and how it relates to agricultural and shale law. (Kendal graduated from Penn State Law in 2024)

Al Jones
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Al Jones grew up in Moultrie, Georgia. He studied Business at Florida State University, graduating in 2015 and commissioning through the Army ROTC. He served as an active duty Armor Officer at: Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Hood, Texas; Camp Buehring, Kuwait; and Wilberforce, Ohio. His service included leading a platoon of M1 Abrams tanks and teaching in an ROTC department. During that time, he worked toward and later received a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisville. He then worked in a commercial software firm while drilling in the Ohio Army National Guard and served over 4 months on active duty with the Coronavirus Joint Task Force at the outbreak of the pandemic.

During law school, he worked in the Rural Economic Development Clinic, served as Vice President of the Military Law Caucus, and has been nominated to the Woolsack Society for academic achievement. He is the current Host of the Penn State Agricultural Law Podcast. He is married to Colleen. (Al graduated from Penn State Law in 2023)

Ethan Durand
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Ethan is a Garland, Texas native who graduated from Penn State Abington with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. Currently, he hosts the Agricultural Law Podcast and researches and writes for the Shale Law Weekly Review. He is a J.D. candidate for 2024 and a member of numerous student organizations such as APALSA. In his free time, he follows the NFL (Go Pack Go!), reads, watches anime, and plays tabletop board and card games.

Audry Thompson
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

A joint-degree student pursuing a J.D./Ph.D. in educational policy studies with Penn State Law and the Penn State College of Education, Audry researches and writes for the Agricultural Law Weekly Review and hosts the Agricultural Law Podcast. Audry loves food and researching food law, with a special interest in school lunch and nutrition programs. A former public school band director of seven years in Missouri’s rural “bootheel” region, Audry holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and a Bachelor of Music in music education. She relocated to Pennsylvania in 2016 to work as a graduate teaching assistant in the School of Music while earning a Master of Music in music performance. During the 2019–2020 school year, she served as a graduate research assistant with the Penn State College of Education, and currently holds an Associate Editor position with the Penn State Journal of Law and International Affairs. (Audry graduated from Penn State Law in 2022 and now works with the Center as a Staff Attorney)

Andrew Zerby
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Andrew is a member of the Penn State Law class of 2022. He grew up in rural central Pennsylvania, and attended Wilkes University where he studied finance. Andrew’s primary interest lies in the field of energy law and policy, particularly in the effects of the energy industry and policy on rural communities. In his free time Andrew enjoys fly fishing. (Andrew graduated from Penn State Law in 2022)

Matthew Nichol
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Matthew grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and graduated from Saint Francis University with a B.A. in political science. He is currently a JD candidate for 2022 at Penn State Law, is employed by the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, and is a member of several on campus organizations such as the Military Law Caucus. He spent several months studying abroad in rural France, and this helped develop a great interest in how other countries approach their agricultural and energy production and use, and how these lessons could be applied to US systems. Matthew researches current agricultural and shale news for the Center. (Matt graduated from Penn State Law in 2022)

Noah Gochnauer
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Noah’s interest in agriculture stem from his background, growing up on a family farm in rural Ohio. He is a second-year law student at Penn State who studied both mathematics and philosophy during his undergrad at the University of Kentucky. Noah’s interests primarily lie in environmental law and sustainability initiatives, and he hopes to pursue and facilitate the creation of policy that protects the environment without causing undue harm to working communities.

Ryan Dieken
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

RJ “Deke” Dieken is a member of the Penn State Law class of 2023. He was an oversize load truck driver for 14 years. He lived full time on the road for 11 of those 14 years, but considers Montana home. He has worked with the: oil, gas, wind power, agricultural, and forestry industries among others. Deke founded and has hosted the “Supreme Court decision syllabus” podcast for 3 years–a Supreme Court news podcast. At the Center, Deke assists in the daily research to find latest developments in shale law.

Dan Clarke
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Dan is a member of Penn State law class of 2022. Born in New York, he served in the military for several years before obtaining a bachelor’s degree in English from The College of New Jersey. Dan hopes to pursue a future promoting justice in the Appalachian region and preserving a sustainable future for the oil and gas communities therein. (Dan graduated from Penn State Law in 2022)

Rebecca Bryant
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Becky is a member of the Penn State Law class of 2023. Originally from Texas, she worked for six years in Washington State as a microbiology lab technician for a food processing company with regulatory oversight by the USDA. This experience and work with the Food Safety Inspection Service led to her interest in law, especially as it relates to science. Becky received a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioenvironmental Sciences from Texas A&M and worked in laboratories there, helping with research toward the medical application of bacteriophages that are (viral) pathogens of drug-resistant bacteria.

Kaela Gray
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Kaela Gray is originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and comes from a familial Oil and Gas background with her uncles, both her parents, and her younger sister working in the business. Kaela studied Communications and Philosophy at Willamette University in Oregon before coming to Penn State. Following her 1L year, Kaela spent the summer working as a Research Assistant at the Center, and continued to work at the Center throughout her 2L year, and into the summer. Kaela has completed a specialty in Energy Law, and her goal is to work with oil and gas and general property law after graduation. (Kaela graduated from Penn State Law in 2021)

Sara Jenkins
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Sara grew up in Syracuse, Utah, and graduated from Southern Utah University with a B.A. in criminal justice. She completed a joint-degree with Penn State Law and Penn State’s School of International Affairs. Sara enjoys learning about agricultural law on a global scale and is interested in how U.S. agriculture affects the rest of the world. While working at the Center, Sara has worked on various shale law research projects, including the Shale Law Weekly Review. (Sara graduated from Penn State Law in 2021)

Erin Lieberman
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Erin was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated from The State University of New York College at Geneseo with a B.A. in English Literature & History. Erin is interested in environmental law and agricultural law through the context of national security issues. This includes topics like climate security and food security. Erin researched agricultural legal updates for the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. Erin has assisted in projects regarding liability for agritourism operators, the effects of milk labeling laws, grain bonding statutes, and hemp regulation. Before law school, Erin has worked as an agricultural educator at a dairy farm, and has also worked with equine operations, and even an agritourism operation. (Erin graduated from Penn State Law in 2021)

Sarah Straub
RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Sarah grew up in Snyder County, Pennsylvania and graduated from Central Penn College with an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies and a B.S. in Legal Studies before attending Penn State Law. Sarah worked for the Center during her second and third year of law school completing various tasks including co-authoring the Shale Law Weekly Review and conducting in-depth research on topics within agricultural law. She has completed concentrations in Energy and Environmental Law, Constitutional Law, and Civil Rights and plans to continue working in Central Pennsylvania assisting farmers in various areas of agricultural law. Sarah hopes to begin work at Mette, Evans and Woodside in the fall of 2021. (Sarah graduated from Penn State Law in 2021)