Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner
Return to COP26 Delegation
Attending Week 2
Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner, MPA is a Senior Lecturer in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University with additional collaborations as a Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability Faculty Fellow, Faculty Fellow in the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement, and Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies Faculty Associate. Rebecca is co-lead for the FEMA’s Higher Education Service-Learning and Leadership Special Interest Group. Rebecca teaches courses on environmental policy, environmental justice, vulnerability and resilience, disaster policy, project management, and consulting. Rebecca’s research and practice focus on translating values into practice and policy and working with communities to reduce vulnerability and build resilience. To do this, Rebecca collaborates with international and domestic partners to build innovative approaches that address and improve social and environmental conditions. Her current research and practice include managed retreat and equity, environmental justice, bridging policy with science, climate change education, and building disaster resilience with vulnerable communities.
CO-PI on Cornell Atkinson Grants:
- Co-PI for Atkinson partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) 2020-2022: Assessing Progress and Barriers to Ecological Restoration of State Property Buyout Programs. Research investigates managed flood retreat with personal focus on how equity and restoration intersect.
- Co-PI for Atkinson Innovation for Impact Fund. Partnership with Environmental Defense Fund 2022-2024: Cooperative Strategies for Just and Ecological Adaptation to Flooding in New York City. Collaboration with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Resilience and EDF to assess and understand flooding policy and the implications of buyouts with cooperative housing.
- Co-PI for Atkinson Academic Venture Fund: 2022: Blight2Right: A Novel Community-Based Project Focusing on Eliminating Illegal Dumping in Flint, Michigan.
Recent Publications:
- Shi, L., Fisher, A. Brenner, R.M., Safi, A., Shephard, C., Vanucchi, J. (2022). Equitable Buyouts? Learning from State, County, and Local Floodplain Management Programs. Climatic Change. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-022-03453-5
- Brenner, R.M. and Anthonisen, M. (2022). Overcoming Resistance to Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Areas Through Scalable Client-Based Service Learning. Journal of Security, Intelligence, and Resilience Education (JSIRE). Volume 14. No. 12. https://jsire.org/overcoming-resistance-to-climate-change-adaptation-in-rural-areas-through-scalable-client-based-service-learning/
- Velotti, L., Brenner, R.M., & Dunn, E. (Eds.). (2022). Service-learning for Disaster Resilience: Partnerships for Social Good. Abingdon: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Service-Learning-for-Disaster-Resilience-Partnerships-for-Social-Good/Velotti-Brenner-Dunn/p/book/9781032023434
Areas of Expertise: Environmental Policy, Environmental Justice, Climate Change
Associated SDGs: Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)