Ellen Marie Athas

Who made significant contributions to the environmental policy of the Obama Administration as senior council of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and a woman of great intellect and generosity of spirit, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Ms. Athas, a 30-year resident of the District of Columbia, most recently served as senior counsel for the Office of Federal Activities of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and earlier served with the CEQ under President William Clinton as Associate Director for Oceans, Coasts, and Environmental Policy.

Ms. Athas was born in N.Y., N.Y., on July 6, 1954, the daughter of Louis and Joy Athas. Ms. Athas graduated from Colgate University and the Washington College of Law, American University, and began her environmental career at the Department of Justice, working for many years in the Environment and Natural Resources Division where she was an Assistant Chief in the General Litigation Section. Developing expertise in water and ocean policy, during her first tenure at CEQ she started as the Deputy General Counsel, and then served as a Policy Advisor on Oceans. During that time she played a major role in the development of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. Later, in a position with The Ocean Conservancy, she focused on both clean water and ecosystem protection.

Returning to CEQ in 2010, she worked closely with the Land and Water Team, and provided legal support to the National Ocean Council and on a number of issues including the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Corps of Engineers nationwide permits, liquid natural gas and coal terminals, Asian carp issues, and mountaintop mining. At CEQ, she also worked on numerous National Environmental Policy Act matters, including greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, hydraulic fracturing litigation, and genetically engineered organisms.

At CEQ and the EPA, Ms. Athas was known for her ability to negotiate controversial projects among federal and state agencies. Ellen’s contributions to her community included many years of teaching English as a Second Language and serving as a board member of the Rock Creek Conservancy. She took delight in Golden Retrievers, the music of Pete Seeger, museums and all things cultural, planning trips, baseball, and most of all, reading. Among family and friends, she was the go-to person for book recommendations and was an avid reader of fiction, non-fiction, drama, and the classics.

Ms. Athas is survived by her loving husband of 40 years, Albert Ferlo Jr.; devoted sons Matthew Ferlo of Seattle, Washington, and Andrew Ferlo of the District of Columbia; her mother, Joy J. Athas of Burlington, Vt.; her brothers, Robert Athas, Burlington, and William Athas of Chapel Hill, N.C.; many nieces, nephews and a wide circle of friends.

A memorial gathering will be held in the Lettie Pate Evans Multipurpose Room in Addison Hall at Virginia Theological Seminary, 3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, Va., on Sunday, March 19, at 3 p.m.

Contributions in Ellen’s memory may be made to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America by selecting “one-time gift” at (https://www.plannedparenthood.org).

Arrangements under the direction of Joseph Gawler's Sons LLC, Washington, DC.