Impact at CLIPI
Marcus served as a CLIPI fellow from 1984 to 1986.
During her tenure at CLIPI, Marcus contributed to environmental legal advocacy, notably becoming involved with the Coalition to Stop Dumping Sewage into the Ocean, which later evolved into the nonprofit organization Heal the Bay. Her foundational experience at CLIPI played a significant role in shaping her extensive career in environmental law and public service.
Following her time at CLIPI, Marcus held several prominent positions, including:
Director of Litigation at Public Counsel: a public interest law firm.
Associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson: a private law firm.
President of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works: overseeing city infrastructure projects.
Regional Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region IX: managing environmental programs in the Pacific Southwest.
Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board: leading the state’s water quality and rights policies.
Marcus is currently the William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West program, affiliated with the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. In this role, she engages in research, teaching, and policy advising on water management, climate adaptation, and environmental governance.
In addition to her position at Stanford, Marcus serves as a member of the Water Policy Group, an international network of current and former senior water officials dedicated to advising governments on sustainable water policy.
Marcus is also a board member of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, where she focuses on the intersection of water and energy systems, and she serves on the Commission on Environmental Cooperation’s Joint Public Advisory Committee.
Her recent work includes co-authoring reports on permitting innovation in the wastewater sector and exploring the integration of nature-based solutions into state climate policy.
