Clifton Cottrell

BA, History and Political Science, University of the Ozarks, 2005
MPAff, Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, 2007
JD, Baylor University, 2012
PhD, Policy Studies, University of Maryland, 2021

I am a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and focus on policy and legal mechanisms to improve indigenous climate resilience and food security. I recently completed my PhD in Policy Studies at the University of Maryland where I researched the impact a tribe's recognition status has on its capacity to adapt to climate change. Through this research, I touched on issues of indigenous identity, disaster and resource planning, treaty rights, and environmental governance. I am very interested in holistic approaches to solving major policy issues, such as with the use of nexus thinking to integrate multiple systems into problem solving.

Climate policy, indigenous knowledge systems, food security, federal Indian policy, economic development

By Any Means: How One Federal Agency Is Turning Tribal Sovereignty On Its Head, Am. Indian L.J., Vol. 6:1 (Fall 2017)

The “Wetlands Adjacent to Non-Navigable Waters Less Traveled:” Clean Water Act Jurisdiction and the Fifth Circuit, Tex. Envt’l L.J. Vol. 43:1 (Fall 2012).

By Any Means: How One Federal Agency Is Turning Tribal Sovereignty On Its Head, Am. Indian L.J., Vol. 6:1 (Fall 2017)

The “Wetlands Adjacent to Non-Navigable Waters Less Traveled:” Clean Water Act Jurisdiction and the Fifth Circuit, Tex. Envt’l L.J. Vol. 43:1 (Fall 2012).

“Reimagining the Three Sisters: Finding Symbiosis in Tribal Food and Energy Sovereignty.” Native Business. Sept. 24, 2019.

“Feds Release the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Highlight Risk and Opportunity for Tribal Economies in the Face of Climate Change.” Native Business. Nov. 28, 2018.

“From Fear to Favor: Geothermal Energy’s Future on the Reservation.” Native Business. Oct. 26, 2018.

“Woven Together with the Land: The Role Climate Change Will Play in the Future of Tribal Energy.” Native Business. July 17, 2018.

“A Tribe Called Red Tape: The BIA’s Costly Energy Permitting Process.” Native Business. July 17, 2018.