Steven A. Cohen (New York academic)

Steven A. Cohen (born in 1953 in Orange, New Jersey) is an American academic who has taught Public Management and Environmental Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs since 1981. He is currently the Director of the Master of Public Administration Program in Environmental Science and Policy as well as the Executive Director of the Earth Institute [http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/] at Columbia University. He served on the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator’s National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (2002 – 2004), and also serves on the Board of Homes for the Homeless - a New York City based nonprofit that delivers services to homeless families.

Biography

Professor Cohen graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York in 1970 & then attended Franklin College, in Franklin, Indiana where received his B.A. in political science in 1974. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from University at Buffalo, The State University of New York also in political science with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Public Policy.

He worked at the EPA in 1977 in the Office of Water and then in 1980-1981 in the Office of Hazardous Emergency Response and was responsible for developing and coordinating the implementation of public participation policy for the Agency’s hazardous waste clean-up Superfund Program.

In 1981 he began working at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs as an assistant professor of political science and became the Director of the Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration in 1985. He has served as both an Associate Dean for the School (1987-1998) and as Vice-Dean (1998-2001). He currently is the Director of the Master of Public Administration Program in Environmental Science and Policy [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mpaenvironment/index.html] and Director of the Environmental Policy Concentration.

Cohen has acted as a consultant to the EPA’s Superfund program, underground storage tank program and Region II management. Along with William Eimicke he has done management consulting and training for a number of government and nonprofit organizations.

Professor Cohen often comments on regional and national environmental policies, from Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC to waste-to-energy options for urban areas, from the aftermath of 9/11 to global warming and nuclear energy. He is frequently mentioned in publications such as the Daily News, "The New York Times", "USA Today", and "Financial Times" on regional politics. Professor Cohen has commented multiple times for both "Fox News" and "NY1" television on the New York City mayoral race and the upcoming presidential campaigns.

Selected publications

Books
* Understanding Environmental Policy (Columbia University Press, 2006) ISBN 978-0231135375
* Strategic Planning in Environmental Regulation: A Policy Approach That Works (With Sheldon Kamieniecki and Matthew A. Cahn), (MIT Press, 2005) ISBN 978-0262532754
* The Effective Public Manager (third edition) (With William Eimicke), (Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2002) ISBN 978-0787959388
* Tools for Innovators (With William Eimicke) (Josey-Bass 1998) ISBN 978-0787909536
* Total Quality Management in Government (With Ronald Brand) ISBN 978-1555425395

Articles
*"Managing Workfare:The Case of the Work Experience Program in the New York City Parks Department" [http://www.columbia.edu/~sc32/wep.html]
*"Managing Privatization: The Tools, Skills, Goals and Ethics of Contracting" (with William Eimicke) [http://www.columbia.edu/~sc32/managingprivataspa.pdf]
*"Environmental Policy at its Most Fundamental: The Case of New York City's Solid Waste Crisis" [http://www.columbia.edu/~sc32/aspa2003.pdf]
*"Public Participation and Shaping Urban Development: The Case of the Atlantic Yard and Nets Arena Project in Brooklyn" (with William Eimicke) [http://www.columbia.edu/~sc32/Public%20Participation%20and%20Shaping%20Urban%20Development.pdf]