Corina McKendry is a Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies & Science. She teaches courses on environmental politics, political economy, and urban studies including Environment & Society; Cities, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice; Subnational Climate Governance; Introduction to Urban Studies; and U.S. Environmental Politics & Policy. She also teaches an abroad course every year: Sustainable Development, Conservation, and Social Justice in Costa Rica.
Professor McKendry's research focuses primarily on subnational environment governance, with a particular emphasis on effectiveness, political legitimacy, and social justice in city climate policies.
Her most recent research began while serving as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar at the University of Costa Rica in the spring of 2025. This research examines how municipal governments in Costa Rica see their role in climate mitigation and adaptation; what their priorities are for equitable, sustainable urban development; and how national policies and international funding are shaping municipal environmental actions and intermunicipal collaboration.
Professor McKendry’s first book, Greening Post-Industrial Cities: Growth, Equity, and Environmental Governance, was published by Routledge Press in 2018. Studying three post-industrial cities of the global North (Chicago, IL; Birmingham, UK and Vancouver, BC), the book examines how city leaders negotiate the relationship between environmental protection, economic growth, and social equity, the oft-cited "three pillars" of sustainability. Her second book, Urban Cascadia and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice (University of Washington Press, 2021) is a co-edited volume that brings together political scientists, historians, geographers, urbanists, and others to critically examine the tensions between the progressive green urbanism of Cascadia (Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia) and the legacies of settler colonialism and environmental injustices that also shape the region. In addition to these two books, Dr. McKendry has published numerous book chapters and journal articles, including several articles co-authored with Colorado College students.
Professor McKendry earned her bachelor's degree in International Studies from Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) and her PhD from the Department of Politics at the University of California Santa Cruz. She began teaching at Colorado College in the fall of 2011.
