Carol M. Browner, who served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 1993 to 2001, will deliver the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program’s inaugural Distinguished Lecture on Climate Change Governance in Flynn Auditorium at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19.
Browner’s lecture is made possible by the Sally Shallenberger Brown EELU Program Fund, which was endowed in 2021 by Martin Shallenberger Brown ’92 in honor of his grandmother, a pioneering conservationist and ardent environmentalist.
Browner has nearly four decades of experience advising on environmental and energy policies affecting global energy, the environment and public health. She currently serves a senior of counsel attorney at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. Before joining C&B, she was a senior counselor in the sustainability practice of the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm.
Browner became the longest serving EPA administrator in U.S. history, heading the agency during both terms President Bill Clinton held office. As administrator, she adopted the most stringent air pollution standards in U.S. history, set the first fine-particle clean air standard, and spearheaded the reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Food Quality Protection Act.
Browner was known for working with environmentalists and industry leaders to set science-based public health protections while providing businesses important flexibilities in how to meet those standards. She worked across the agency to ensure a focus on protecting vulnerable populations and promote environmental equity.
She later served as assistant to President Barack Obama and director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, where she oversaw the coordination of environmental, energy, climate, transportation and related policy across the federal government. During her tenure, the White House secured the largest investment ever in clean energy and established the national car policy that included new automobile fuel efficiency standards and first-ever greenhouse gas reduction standards.
Browner currently serves on a number of boards of directors advising on environmental and energy issues, including as chair of the Board of the League of Conservation Voters and of the Sustainability Committee of the Board of Directors for Bunge Limited and on the board of Innovyze.