Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner
Return to COP26 Delegation
Attending Week 2
Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University with additional collaborations as a Cornell Atkinson Sustainable Future Senior Faculty Fellow, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies Faculty Associate, and a Faculty Fellow in the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement and won the 2024 Kaplan Distinguished Faculty Fellowship. Rebecca is co-lead for the FEMA’s Higher Education Experiential Learning and Leadership Special Interest Group. Rebecca teaches courses on environmental policy, environmental justice, vulnerability and resilience, disaster policy, project management, and ethics. 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, bridging policy with science, innovative and inclusive approach to resilience hubs, and building disaster resilience with vulnerable communities. Please visit Rebecca’s webpage to access recent publications and research.
CO-PI on Cornell Atkinson Grants:
- Co-PI for 2024 Climate Solutions Fund grant from The 2030 Project: Multi-Hazard Resilience for Climate Justice to collaborate with existing organizations in a diverse range of communities across New York and with state agencies to operationalize resilience hubs.
- 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:
- Brenner, R. M., Arias, C., & Schmitt, A. (2025 April). Gender inclusive planning for disasters: Strategic planning to build adaptive capacity and resilience. Journal of Emergency Management, 23(2), 201-210.
- Brenner, R.M., Keleman, S., Hulbert, C., Schattman, R.E. (2024, December). From the Classroom to the Farm: A Collaborative Academic-Practitioner Disaster Resilience Program. Journal of Security, Intelligence, and Resilience Education (JSIRE). Volume 18. No. 9. https://jsire.org/no-9from-the-classroom-to-the-farm-a-collaborative-academic-practitioner-disaster-resilience-program/
- Shi, L., Boicourt, K., Ng, E., Santacruz, L., Carlin, D., Rotbert, J., Bhalla, A., Brenner, R.M., Bronin, S., Dumont Copero, M., Garg, A., Jones, S., Kann, E., Ru, Singh, R., Y., Spande, J., Spicer, J., Tindol, K.V. (2024 October). An Assessment of NYC Cooperative Housing’s Climate Vulnerability and Barriers to Adaptation. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University. https://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/wp-content/blogs.dir/52/files//CASA-report-Final.pdf
- Brenner, R.M., Mayberry, D., Kennedy, K., Anthonisen, M. (2024, August 19). Nations Among Nations: Strengthening Tribal Resilience and Disaster Response. In book: Current and Emerging Issues in International Disaster Management: University of Texas at Arlington Press. ISBN 978-1-64816-013-4 Note: Hard copy published in 2025. Online open access: https://uta.pressbooks.pub/trendsininternationaldisastermanagement/chapter/nations_among_nations/
- Brenner, R. M., D. L. Eiseman, and E. A. Dunn. (2024 May 3) Decision-Making Drivers for Pandemic Response for Institutions of Higher Education. Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 22, no. 3, May 2024, pp. 311-26, doi:10.5055/jem.0823. https://wmpllc.org/ojs/index.php/jem/article/view/3656
- Brenner, R.M., Patchen, A., Hayden, A., Hupert, N., Wickerson, G. (2024, April 2). A Comprehensive Strategy to Address Extreme Heat in Schools. Federation of American Scientists. Science Policy. Day One Project. https://fas.org/publication/extreme-heat-schools/
- Shi, L., Sylman, S., Hulet, C., Brenner, R.M., Safi, A., Corsi, P. (2023). Integrating Social and Ecological Considerations in Floodplain Relocation and Restoration Programs. Socio-Ecological Practice Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-023-00152-y
- 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)