Heidi Gorovitz Robertson
Steven W. Percy Endowed Professor of Law and Urban Affairs
Bio
Prior to joining the law faculty in 1995, Professor Robertson practiced environmental law at Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman) in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Professor Robertson's research focuses on urban environmental issues and rights of access to land. In particular, she has written about the demographic distribution of environmental risk and about legislative and other efforts to redevelop urban brownfields land. Professor Robertson has also written about EPA's quest for a policy concerning the use of data from research on human subjects, specifically in pesticide toxicity studies. She has written about the development of the fields of environmental ethics and bioethics, and more recently, about public rights of access to privately owned lands for recreation. Her focus in this area has been on comparing these rights in Scandinavia, continental Europe, and elsewhere.
Most recently, Professor Robertson has been researching and presenting on issues concerning the Gulf Coast oil spill and the regulation of oil and gas production in Ohio. Professor Robertson has served as a Risk Analysis Fellow in CSU's Program of Excellence in Risk Analysis. From 1999 to 2007, she served on the Board of Trustees of the Clean Air Conservancy, an environmental non-profit. She was a member of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Balanced Growth. In addition to her appointment to the law faculty, Professor Robertson is a member of the Environmental Studies faculty at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. She served as Associate Dean for Academic Enrichment from 2009-2014.
Honors and Awards
- 2013 Wilson G. Stapleton Award for Faculty Excellence (C|M|LAW Alumni Association)
- 2013 McNair Scholars Mentor of the Year
- Fulbright Senior Specialist, Guest Lecturer/Researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden, Spring 2009
- Fulbright Senior Specialist candidate roster 2006-2011 (approved by CIES as eligible for Fulbright Senior Specialist placement)
- 2010 University Administrative Merit Recognition Award
- 2008 University Faculty Merit Recognition Award, for excellence in teaching, research, and service
- 2005 University Faculty Merit Recognition Award, for excellence in teaching, research, and service
- 1997 Teaching Enhancement Award, Center for Teaching Excellence, Cleveland State University
- 1996 Teaching Enhancement Award, Center for Teaching Excellence, Cleveland State University
Professional Affiliations
- Ohio, admitted November 5, 1997 (Active)
- Wisconsin, admitted June 18, 1990 (Inactive)
- California, admitted December 4, 1990 (Inactive)
- District of Columbia, admitted December 7, 1992 (Inactive)
- American Bar Association
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (Environmental Law Section)
- International Academic Association for Planning, Law, and Property Rights