EUGENE, Ore. -- (Aug. 21, 2009) -University of Oregon law professor Adell Amos has been hired by the U.S. Department of the Interior for her expertise in water and land management.
Amos was appointed Deputy Solicitor - Land and Water and will begin on Sept. 8, in the Office of the Solicitor. The office provides general counsel services to the Department of the Interior and its bureaus on natural resource and American Indian issues and litigation.
Amos is a professor at the UO School of Law and director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program. She has received many academic and professional awards for her scholarly work in water, energy and climate topics. She recently earned the law faculty's highest teaching award -- the Orlando J. Hollis Award for Distinguished Teaching. Under her leadership, the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program enhanced its national reputation with five consecutive years as a top 10 program in the country, as ranked in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools.
"Adell is a superb scholar who is making a real difference nationally, especially in the critical area of water law and policy," said Margie Paris, Philip H. Knight Dean, UO School of Law. "As Deputy Solicitor, she will have a powerful impact on the future of resource management in this country. We will miss her terribly but look forward to her return."
The new job will be a bit like a homecoming for Amos who previously worked at the department.
From 2000 to 2005, Amos was an advisor to Interior's Office of the Solicitor, Division of Parks and Wildlife. In this capacity, she advised on state and federal water rights, water-related matters and negotiated settlements. She was also an Honors Program attorney from 1999 to 2000 when she provided legal advice on the interaction of water law with other environmental statutes including the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Federal Power Act and National Environmental Policy Act.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to work at the Interior Department on issues concerning the nation's land and water resources," said Amos. "It will be hard to be away from Oregon and the fantastic students and colleagues at the university, but I hope to bring new experiences and perspectives back to the classroom and my research."
Amos earned her Juris Doctor degree from the UO School of Law in 1998 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology/Environmental Studies from Drury College (Springfield, Mo.) in 1995.
The appointment does not require Senate confirmation.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Link: Adell Amos biography, http://www.law.uoregon.edu/faculty/aamos/
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