Pace University School of Law established the Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor in Environmental Law Lecture to expand the School’s programs of research, education, professional and scholarly activity and publications in environmental law, a field for which Pace has received national and international recognition. The Kerlin endowment funds also a named professorship at Pace in Environmental Law. Professor Nicholas A. Robinson, founder of the Law School's environmental programs, was named the Kerlin Professor in 1999. The first Kerlin Lecture entitled, “Selling the Common Heritage? Commerce, Property, and the Protection of the Environment” was given by Professor Carol Rose in 2000. 

Mr. Kerlin is a distinguished lawyer and is of counsel to Shearman & Sterling in New York City. He was a founder and chairman of the Riverdale Community Planning Association, an organization that spearheaded the rezoning of the entire West Bronx to preserve the greenbelt area of that section of the City of New York. Also, he has been a leader in protecting the natural environment of the Hudson River and its greenbelt area. Mr. Kerlin was the founding chairman of Wave Hill, the outstanding public garden and cultural institution in Riverdale, New York. Mrs. Kerlin, a long-time trustee of the Bank Street College of Education, is responsible for creating and supporting environmental and educational programs at Wave Hill for teachers and public school students.