Kai Hardy

Kai Hardy is Maryland Sea Grant's Maryland Law and Policy Fellow. He works on providing legal education to diverse stakeholders throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Maryland, including government agencies, industries, and coastal communities. Hardy focuses on legal issues concerning aquaculture and coastal resilience, specifically the installation of “living shorelines” in Maryland’s critical areas (i.e., areas within 1,000 feet of the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and tidal shorelines).

Hardy studied at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and earned a bachelor of science in natural resources and environmental sciences. During his undergraduate studies, Hardy took several courses in environmental law and policy, and gained field experience with wildlife. Specifically, his field projects involved conducting surveys of forest and grassland birds in Illinois and Texas. Hardy attended Vermont Law School and earned a juris doctor in May of 2023. While in law school, he took courses in environmental law, environmental justice, natural resources law, and water resources law. Hardy served as the environmental justice managing editor for the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing basketball, reading, playing guitar, and watching movies.