I am thrilled to join California Coastkeeper Alliance as its new Policy Analyst. I grew up in Southern California where my love for the outdoors made it clear to me that too many beautiful places lacked the important environmental protections necessary to preserve such remarkable landscapes. I am determined to help right that wrong and excited to use my legal and scientific experience to protect this State’s beautiful waters.
I come from a scientific and technical background studying biology and geology. As an undergraduate, I focused my education on researching earthquakes in New Zealand and bumble bee behaviors in the Rocky Mountains. These experiences sharpened my understanding of the natural world and my love for beautiful places.
After college, I focused on seeing and enjoying America’s spectacular landscapes. I volunteered as a naturalist guide in Fort Collins, Colorado to teach elementary school students about the Rocky Mountains. From there, I moved to Alaska and worked as a naturalist guide in Denali National Park, sharing my passion for geology and biology with the Park’s guests. Each year my naturalist skills allowed me to live in different beautiful corners of the country, ranging from the Everglades in Florida to Yosemite in California. I even hiked over 2,000 miles North on the Pacific Crest Trial. These experiences led me to law school to gain the skill set I needed to truly make a difference using the environmental legal system.
During law school, I focused my education on becoming an environmental advocate and dedicated my studies to natural resources, energy, and America Indian law. I took on leadership responsibilities as the Managing Editor of the Colorado Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Review and as a student attorney with the Natural Resources Clinic. As a member of the Environmental Law Society, I organized a science speaker series to bring ecology-focused Ph.D students from the university to speak to law students about their research. I also organized a comment party to teach students about the federal commenting processes and how they could voice their concerns to the federal government in response to environmentally harmful amendments to the National Environmental Policy Act regulations.
I am excited to work towards cleaner water for California by using my technical and legal background to help California Coastkeeper Alliance attain fishable, swimmable, and drinkable waters for all Californians.
Staff Attorney Cody Phillips advocates for statewide policies that protect water quality and access to clean water throughout California.
