Carol M. Browner, White House coordinator of energy and climate policy for the Obama administration, will present “The Courage Not To Look Away: Protecting Where and How We Live” during the convocation on March 3 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Browner, a lawyer, environmentalist and business woman advocates setting tough standards to protect the environment and public health while promoting innovation and U.S. competitiveness. As EPA administrator during President Clinton’s administration, Browner worked on environmental justice issues and on clean water, air and food protection acts.

Browner is a principal of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's global strategy firm, the Albright Group, that works on environmental protection, climate change and energy conservation and security. In 1996 Browner led a campaign to have Congress reauthorize the Safe Drinking Water Act and spearheaded the Food Quality Protection Act, which modernized standards that govern pesticide use, one of the first environmental laws to specifically protect children's health. From 1989-91 she served as Senator Al Gore's senior legislative aide before heading up the Department of Environmental Regulation in Florida. One of her greatest achievements involved settling a lawsuit the government had brought against Florida for environmental damage done to Everglades National Park and launching the largest ecological restoration project ever attempted in the U.S. to purify and restore the natural flow of water to the Everglades. After being appointed EPA administrator in 1993 Browner put forward a plan to improve the agency's decision making, conserve money and "restore its credibility.”

Born in Miami in 1955, Browner grew up hiking in Florida's Everglades and credits that experience with helping her develop a close connection to the natural world. She received a bachelor’s degree in English and a law degree from University of Florida in Gainesville.