Courtney received her JD with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland. As a law student, Courtney interned with Crag Law Center, the Office of Compliance and Enforcement at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and San Francisco Baykeeper. Before joining Crag, Courtney clerked for a district court judge in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Courtney joined the Crag Law Center in 2008 as a Staff Attorney. In November 2018, Courtney was promoted to Executive Director of Crag. Much of her work at Crag has focused on protecting the Oregon coast and fighting fossil fuel projects including the now-cancelled Jordan Cove gas export facility. She also worked with Oregon’s youth challenging the state to take action on climate change. Currently, Courtney represents the Nez Perce Tribe on the cleanup and restoration of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.
Courtney has been published on topics of climate change adaptation and marine spatial planning. She has served on the Board of Directors of Bark – the watchdog for Mt. Hood, and formerly chaired the Executive Committee of the Oregon State Bar Sustainable Future Section. When she is not working, Courtney enjoys spending time with her husband and dogs, hiking, skiing, and playing soccer.
I am doing the work I dreamed of when I entered law school. As much as the law school provided me with the legal education I needed to launch my career, it also provided me with a community and connection to the greater environmental movement of the Pacific Northwest.