Faculty Spotlight- Tracy Winsor

Briefly introduce yourself, your role, and your professional background

I grew up in California on the Monterey Peninsula and I was fortunate to spend lots of time outdoors exploring, tide pooling, and hiking. We spent part of our summers backpacking in Yosemite and winters in Tahoe skiing and playing in the snow. I completed my undergraduate studies at U.C. Davis, where I majored in International Relations with a German minor and participated in athletics including the ski team, inner tube water polo, and women's diving team. I also attended U.C. Davis School of Law, where I was a member of the Environmental Law Society and focused on environmental law coursework . While I was in law school, I completed an environmental law internship with the California Attorney General's Office. That internship led to my career of over 28.5 years with that office as an environmental lawyer. I am presently a Senior Assistant Attorney General for the California Attorney General's Office (AGO), Natural Resources Law Section. In that role, I supervise more than 75 attorneys and 5 paralegals statewide in representing numerous California natural resource agencies. I have also lectured at U.C. Davis since 2005.

What influenced you to pursue a career in environmental policy/law?

My experiences hiking, backpacking, and exploring the outdoors growing up gave me a deep appreciation for the mindfulness that flows from spending time in the natural world. This inspired me to pursue a career where I can play a role in protecting our ecosystems and the species that rely on them. I was fortunate to have talented professors and mentors at King Hall whose classes exposed me to environmental law as a potential career path and who steered me to the AGO for a third-year internship. At the AGO, I am fortunate to represent clients whose mission and regulatory programs involve planning, allocation, and protection of the State's natural resources. When I teach, I always explain that I am not speaking on behalf of the AGO and the views I express are my own; however, my views have been shaped by my experiences throughout my career as a state government lawyer.

What courses do you teach, and what do you enjoy most about them?

I teach Environmental Law for the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and the Environmental Policy and Management Program. I have also taught classes at King Hall, including Legal Writing and a Lawyering Process lab. I enjoy the creative process of developing course materials that combine hands-on skills exercises and analytical assignments and essays for the students, then sharing them forward and seeing the students gain mastery of the course material. It’s inspiring when students share that they are proud of the skills and knowledge they gained through the class or reach out later to tell me how they’ve used what they learned in their internships and careers.

What is your favorite thing about working at UC Davis?

I enjoy the campus culture. U.C. Davis is such a great, positive, and diverse community of students and faculty, and the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and Environmental Policy and Management Program have been incredibly supportive. I am particularly appreciative of the opportunity to introduce students from all backgrounds to environmental law as a possible career path. For many students, it is their first exposure to a law class, and it opens their minds to a possibility they have never considered. With my ties to King Hall and the local legal community, it puts me in a unique position to help them make connections and learn more about career opportunities. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity for so many years.

What unique perspective or approach do you bring to teaching and mentoring students?

In my teaching, I aim to set students up for success by being clear about goals and expectations for the course and creating a structured set of assignments that build on each other throughout the course. Environmental law is a dynamic, constantly evolving practice area. Specific controversies often involve novel and complex factual and legal issues. I attempt to present the content in a fun and engaging way as much as possible for the complex subject matter. I am always happy to meet with students about internships, career opportunities, papers, or thesis projects. I help the students brainstorm options and if the conversation suggests it would be useful, I connect students with people in my professional network for an informational interview. When I’ve been fortunate to supervise a student’s thesis project, I have enjoyed guiding them as they take a deep dive into a topic of mutual interest.

What do you think stands out about the EPM program?

The positive energy of the students and faculty. The students are a tight-knit, supportive group every cadre. In class, the students are committed to their own professional development and actively engaged in the course content to get the most out of it. Many of the EPM students have prior professional expertise they bring to our classroom community, enriching the experience for others. I also love that the smaller class size of the EPM program allows me to get to know the students. Outside of class, there is always a good turnout at EPM professional networking opportunities and less formal get-togethers.

In your spare time, what are some of your hobbies or interests?

In my down time I enjoy yoga, walking my dog, and hiking; in the winter, I enjoy snowshoeing. I love great food, whether it’s in a restaurant or home cooked. In the last couple years, I’ve enjoyed finding beautiful places to visit in California for a long weekend. I’m looking forward to some more extensive traveling in the coming years.