I didn’t go to law school to be a lawyer,” says 35-year-old attorney Courtney Ann Coyle, “but to get into some kind of government work.”

An environmental law clinic at the University of San Diego changed her goal. “It exposed me to the wonderful natural and cultural resources we have in our region. The law took on a life of its own. I went on this other path, and it blossomed from there.”

Coyle credits two terms as president of the La Jolla Town Council for teaching her a lot about leadership. She is a 2002 LEAD graduate, recipient of the Sierra Club Environmental Law Award and the Wiley W. Manuel State Bar Pro Bono Award.

Coyle’s community involvement also includes serving on the county of San Diego Redistricting Advisory Board, Sandag’s Walkable Communities Advisory Committee, the board of Patrons of the Prado, as parliamentarian for the Riford La Jolla Community Fund Advisory Committee and on the La Jolla Historical Society Advisory Board.

Coyle represents the Quechuan Indian Tribe of Fort Yuma trying to protect its off-reservation cultural heritage and sacred sites — declared by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the country’s 11 most endangered historic places in 2002 — by obtaining the first denial of a large-scale, hard rock mine under federal law. She also is board counsel for the San Diego Archaeological Center.

In her free time, Coyle may be found kayaking with her husband on Baja California’s Sea of Cortez, hiking or camping in the California desert with one or both of their youngsters.

“I’m really blessed because I enjoy what I do for my work,” she says. “It’s very much in harmony with my personal values. I have clients who become friends. I really care what happens to them and the things they care about.”

— Charlene Baldridge