Kent Snyder, J.D.

Attorney at Law, Snyder & Associates

Kent Snyder is a sustainability consultant and attorney living in Portland, Oregon. Kent’s university studies focused on environmental and developmental biology. He then had a successful career as a bankruptcy lawyer before transitioning his focus back to his roots – the science, policy and paths to sustainability.

Following law school and a clerkship on the Oregon Court of Appeals, Kent founded the law firm of Snyder & Associates in 1981. For the ensuing years, he practiced exclusively in the areas of bankruptcy and workouts. As a nationally recognized consumer and small business bankruptcy expert, Kent served on the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute, was co-editor and author of Bankruptcy Law published by the Oregon State Bar, received certifications as a specialist in business and consumer bankruptcy law from the American Board of Certification, was a regular speaker on the bankruptcy law circuit, and served on numerous national and state boards and committees.

Since 1998, Kent has been intimately involved in the development and implementation of strategies for sustainability in the business, government, and non profit sectors. As a member of the Sustainable Development Commission for Portland/Multnomah County – including three years as co-chair and chairmanship of the Energy Committee and Economic Development Committee – Kent helped steer the launch of Portland’s Green Building Initiative, the City/County Sustainable Procurement Strategy and Policies, the Toxics Reduction Strategy, Climate Action initiatives, and the Sustainable Economic Development Plan.

With a fundamental belief that collaboration is required to solve the complex, often polarizing issues of our time, Kent shared increasing amounts of his business and finance expertise with sustainability focused non-profit organizations. In 2003 he joined the Board of Directors of ISDF. He also serves on the Board of Councilors of the China US Center for Sustainable Development where he is an active advisor to projects around green buildings, climate change and business partnerships.

In 2006 Kent was invited to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for EPEAT, Inc. Kent also chairs the national Board of Trustees of the American Leadership Forum, an organization whose mission is to join and strengthen collaborative networks of leaders to serve the public good.

Kent received his B.S. cum laude in Environmental and Developmental Biology from Kansas State University in 1975. He received his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1978 where he served as the Assistant Editor-in-Chief for Environmental Law and was inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society. During his time at law school he also served an internship in the Office the of General Counsel of the US EPA in Washington, D.C.

Kent resides in Portland with his wife Phyllis and their two children in a home they extensively remodeled incorporating passive solar space heating, rainwater harvesting, energy efficiency, and non-toxic materials.

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