Professor Seema Kakade from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law has been selected to serve as Senior Counsel in the White House Executive Office of the President, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The CEQ advises the President and develops policies on climate change, environmental justice, federal sustainability, public lands, oceans, and wildlife conservation, among other areas.
At Maryland Carey Law, Kakade directs the Environmental Law Clinic which centers its work on environmental justice. Her scholarship focuses on the implementation and enforcement of environmental law, particularly in the area of pollution control. Kakade will be taking a two-year leave of absence from the law school while she works for CEQ.
Before joining Maryland Carey Law, she served as an attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. She has also previously worked in private practice, and for the Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Environmental Law Institute.
Professor Kakade noted, “It is an absolute privilege to join the White House CEQ team, particularly to support the Administration’s efforts to address critical cross-cutting environmental issues across the entire government.” She added, “I am grateful to my University of Maryland colleagues for their support while I pursue this important work at CEQ.”
“Professor Kakade is a deeply valued member of the Maryland Carey Law family, and we are delighted that her profound talent is being recognized at the highest levels,” said Maryland Carey Law Dean Renée Hutchins. “We look forward to celebrating the great work she will do in this role and know she will bring back valuable insights and connections from this experience to share with our students.”