معرفی
Heidi Gorovitz Robertson serves as the Steven W. Percy Endowed Professor of Law and Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University College of Law, where she has been a faculty member since 1995. She additionally holds a joint appointment with the Environmental Studies faculty at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, reflecting her interdisciplinary expertise in urban environmental governance.
Her educational credentials include a BA from Tufts University (1985), JD from University of Wisconsin (1990), LLM from Columbia University (1995), and JSD from Columbia University (2002). Prior to academia, she practiced environmental law at Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Professor Robertson's research centers on urban environmental justice, land access rights, and energy regulation, with particular focus on demographic disparities in environmental risk exposure, brownfields redevelopment, and hydraulic fracturing policy. Her scholarship critically examines municipal authority in environmental matters, comparing Scandinavian and European approaches to public land access while analyzing Ohio's regulatory framework for oil and gas development.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent engagement with local governance challenges in environmental regulation, particularly regarding shale development, pipeline routing, and municipal responses to state preemption. Her work demonstrates evolving focus from theoretical environmental ethics toward practical regulatory solutions for urban communities facing energy extraction conflicts.
Her distinguished recognition includes:
- 2013 Wilson G. Stapleton Award for Faculty Excellence
- 2013 McNair Scholars Mentor of the Year
- Fulbright Senior Specialist appointment at Uppsala University (2009)
- Multiple University Faculty Merit Recognition Awards (2005, 2008, 2010)
Professor Robertson has provided substantial institutional leadership as Associate Dean for Academic Enrichment (2009-2014) and through external service on the Clean Air Conservancy Board of Trustees (1999-2007) and Ohio Lake Erie Commission's Blue Ribbon Task Force. Her mentorship of McNair Scholars exemplifies commitment to undergraduate research development in environmental justice.
Her affiliation with the Levin College of Urban Affairs facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration on urban sustainability initiatives, connecting legal scholarship with practical urban planning challenges in Cleveland and beyond.
