Personal Statement
As a former student and current professor in the liberal arts classroom, I recognize, value, and remain committed to the liberal arts approach to learning. My teaching philosophy is rooted firmly in the idea that a well-rounded education teaches students not only how to think critically, but how to think for themselves. An interdisciplinary pedagogical experience provides students with the opportunity to explore an array of subject areas, be exposed to varying perspectives, and benefit from meaningful personal relationships with their peers and their professors. My liberal arts education shaped the person I am today, and I recognize how this background benefits every context of my personal and professional life. As a teacher my goal is to contribute to a similar experience for my students.
In every one of my classes I strive to highlight the multidimensional nature of environmental studies so that students consider how law, science, politics, economics, and a myriad of social factors all interact to form the environment in which we live and the ways in which we live in it. Once students attain a solid understanding of theoretical concepts of environmental problem-solving, I help them put the concepts into practice with case studies and class projects that link abstract concepts to real world experience. Teaching at GMC allows me to work with talented students to analyze our most pressing environmental challenges, and together we gain perspective that can help foster innovative, just, and practical law and policy solutions that support environmental, economic, and social progress.
Specific areas of interest include: Clean Water Act jurisdictional reach, agricultural impacts to water resources, the Endangered Species Act as a tool to address climate change, local land-use planning for resilience.
Education
Juris Doctor, Vermont Law School, 2010.
Masters of Environmental Law and Policy, magna cum laude, Vermont Law School, 2007.
B.A. History / Political Science, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, 2004.
Courses Taught
Undergraduate: Public Policy and the Environment, Land-Use Planning, Watershed Management and Policy, Climate Change Law and Policy, Environmental Studies Senior Seminar, The Environmental Professional, Voices of Community (writing seminar).
Masters: Land Use Regulation, Environmental Administrative Law, Environmental Law and Policy, History and Philosophy of the Environment
Recent Publications
Brooks, C. & Redick, Thomas P. (2016) “WOTUS Wars and Endangered Species – Where Will Farmers Find Their Legal High Ground?” Natural Resources & Environment, Vol. 31, Number 2, Fall 2016. American Bar Association.
Brooks, C. (2016) “Federalism Legacy of the Rehnquist Court: Limiting the Authority to Regulate to Protect the Environment”. American Bar Association, joint publication of Constitutional Law, Water Quality and Wetlands, and Water Resources Committees.
Brooks C. & Park J. (2016) “Local Flood Resiliency in an Era of Global Climate Change: Understanding the Multi-Sectoral Policy Dimensions” Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, Vol.17 Issue 2.
Brooks, C. (2015) “Will a New Approach Fly? FWS Considers Incorporating an Incidental Take Program under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act” Trends, ABA Section of Environment, Energy & Resources.
Brooks, C. (2015) “Ocean Acidification, the Gulf ‘Dead Zone’, and Cooperative Federalism under the Clean Water Act”. American Bar Association, Section on Environment Energy & Resources, Agricultural Management Committee, Vol. 19. No. 5.
Brooks, C. (2014) “Clean Water Act Confusion: Federal Courts Split on Application of the Rapanos Decision”. American Bar Association, Section on Environment Energy & Resources, Agricultural Management Committee, Vol. 18, No.4.
Professional Memberships
Admitted to the New Hampshire State Bar Association
Member, American Bar Association (Environmental and Natural Resources section)
Member, ABA Water Quality and Wetlands Committee
Associate, Environmental Law Institute
Other Experience
Associate for Environmental Policy and the New Economy, Vermont Law School, 2010–2012.
Course Developer, Distance Learning Program, Vermont Law School, 2012.
Pro Bono Attorney, Domestic Violence Emergency (DOVE) program in New Hampshire, 2011–present.
Legal Intern, Southern Environmental Law Center, Atlanta GA, 2009.
Clinician, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, South Royalton, VT, 2009.
Judicial Clerk, Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 2008.
Green Mountain College