ALEI and the Hughes Center Welcome the 2026 Brinsfield Interns & UM Scholars
Together with the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, ALEI is pleased to welcome four interns for the upcoming Russell Brinsfield Internship Program. Founded in 2017, the Brinsfield Internship Program engages law students from the Francis King Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP).
Named in honor of Dr. Russell Brinsfield, who was a leader in agricultural science at the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Hughes Center, the program invites law and undergraduate students to work together to develop viable solutions to a variety of complex environmental, agricultural and forestry-related issues.
Phebe Frost, 2L UMB Carey Law School
My name is Phebe Frost, and I am a rising 2L at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. I went to Hood College for my undergraduate degree where I studied English and Integrated Marketing and Communications, and completed a certificate in Spanish. I found the Brinsfield Internship Program while investigating summer internship positions, and was immediately drawn to the environmental and agricultural focus as well as the public service aspect. From this experience, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the issues impacting farmers and agriculture in Maryland as well as be able to aid in advocating for sustainable and productive agriculture to benefit both farming and the food system as a whole. Thus far, I have met some incredible people working to ensure the continued sustainability, success and growth of Maryland agriculture, and I am very excited for the opportunity to contribute to this goal through the Brinsfield Internship.
Matthew Walters, Senior, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
My name is Matthew Walters, and I am a Criminal Justice Major and Honors student at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. I am actively involved on campus as a Resident Assistant, a member of the Criminal Justice Honors Society, and Vice President of the Pre-Law Society (2025-2026). I’ve gained experience through government internships and have presented research at the Academy of Criminal Justice Science conference. Through the Brinsfield internship, I hope to deepen my knowledge of Maryland agricultural systems while gaining hands-on experience with public policy. I am interested in learning how data and research can be used to address the problems agricultural producers and consumers face. I look forward to connecting with professionals and contributing to projects that will strengthen Maryland’s food system.
Andrew Dawsey, Junior, University of Maryland College Park
My name is Andrew Dawsey and I am a rising junior at the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in Geographical Sciences with a specialization in Geospatial Data Science and a minor in Demography. I am particularly interested in the intersection of human society and culture with physical geography and food systems. I’m very excited to be working as an intern with the Brinsfield internship program this summer and learning more about agricultural systems in Maryland. I am looking forward to building my skills in interviewing, researching, and networking along with developing a deeper understanding on the complexities of the various sectors of agriculture. I have lived in Maryland for my entire life so I am very invested in the state’s agricultural and economic future. Through this internship I will be able to deepen my understanding of how current legislation and actions will impact all of us as time progresses, and hopefully clearly see how the work that we do makes direct positive impacts throughout Maryland.
Sophie Sultenfuss, Sophomore, University of Maryland Baltimore County
My name is Sophie Sultenfuss and I am a sophomore at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, majoring in Political Science and English. As an aspiring environmental law and agricultural policy lawyer I hope to advocate for farmers in legislation, through a career at the University of Maryland Francis Carey School of Law. As someone who grew up on a family farm in Centreville MD, raising angus cattle, or helping harvest the crops I know the work that goes into having a farm, and the work, sweat, tears that produces a good product. From this background I have ties that bind me close to the farming community, that motivates me to stand-up, and represent farmers in policies that will impact them the most.In this internship I hope to get hands-on experience working and researching with policies that direct Maryland Ag policies. I also look forward to the communication skills that I will grow working with state agencies and their staff. As well as utilizing my expertise with the local farming community, terms, and practices to assist with research throughout the internship. Such skills will leave a step stool to help me in my future careers.
ALEI is also welcoming three additional interns this summer to work alongside the Brinsfield Interns on their projects as well as other individual projects. The MPower UM Scholars will assist with ongoing research on Identifying Legal Challenges to Participation in Maryland’s Farm to Institution Local Food Purchasing Program. Their work will be presented on September 2, 2026 at the Farm 2 Institution Research & Policy Symposium hosted at the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
Blossom Anyanwu, Senior University of Maryland College Park
Blossom Anyanwu is a Senior at UMCP studying Social Data Science and Survey Methodology. Originally from Montgomery County, Blossom is interested in the intersection of public interest technology, the legal field, and public policy.
“I chose to work on this project because I wanted an opportunity to strengthen my data analysis and policy research skills while exploring a field I did not have much exposure to like agriculture. I was interested in learning more about the legal field, specifically the agricultural laws and regulations that impact Maryland farmers and state institutions. Over the course of the summer, I am excited to gain a deeper understanding of the unique challenges that Maryland farmers face, while learning how research and data can inform effective policy solutions”
Teona Goderdzishvili, University of Maryland College Park
Teona Goderdzishvili is a PhD student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at UMD, College Park. She comes with a background in journalism and communications. As a communication specialist, her work often involved extracting meaningful information from data. To strengthen these skills, she has taken coding and data analysis classes at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This summer, she is bringing this exact skillset to the ALEI team to focus on data-driven storytelling, making complex agricultural and legal information accessible to the public.
“My goal this summer is to combine my academic experience with my journalism and communications background to strip away the complexity and deliver a clear, actionable report that Maryland’s agricultural community can truly use. Ultimately, I want to see how data-driven insights can help people on the ground. This internship is a great opportunity to get hands-on experience analyzing survey data and turning complex legal and agricultural research into clear communication that everyday readers can easily understand.”
Christopher Upham, 2L, UMB Carey Law School
Christopher Upham is a 1L J.D. candidate at University of Maryland Carey Law. His path to law school was circuitous, beginning with a double major in international relations and philosophy. He went on to study abroad and earn a Master’s in Middle Eastern studies and returned to complete a PhD in philosophy at Fordham University. Now, a decade into lead parenting, Christopher pivoted from academia into the literal field of regenerative farming. He spent five years learning permaculture practices, raising chickens, tending bees, and combatting invasive species in Southern Pennsylvania, while successfully keeping his four offspring alive. This laid the fertile groundwork for his interest in his current research post with the Agricultural Law Education Initiative.
“For years, I have been passionate about contributing to more holistic, sustainable agriculture practices. This summer position will allow me to make headway on real world change for both Maryland’s farming committee and sustainable state policy.”
University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower). A collaboration between the State of Maryland’s two most powerful public research institutions: UMB and UMCP, MPower seeks to strengthen and serve the State of Maryland and its citizens.
Save the Date: The Brinsfield Interns will present a summary of their summer research and activities in July 2026. If you’re interested in joining the Zoom presentation, you can reach out to Megan Todd (motodd@law.umaryland.edu) or Nancy Nunn (nnunn@umd.edu) to be added to the invitation list.
Picture: Interns in front of a red barn at Red Acres Farm
Front left to right:
Chris, Andrew, Matthew, Phebe, Sophie, Blossom
Interns at the Wye Research Center
Front left to right:
Teo, Phebe, Sophie, Andrew, Matthew, Chris
