Speaker profile
Carolyn N. Rowan
Carolyn Nelson Rowan was appointed Chief Counsel of OEHHA by Governor Newsom in August 2022. As Chief Counsel, Carolyn advises the Director, other Executive Office members, and staff on all legal matters affecting OEHHA, including Proposition 65 implementation and preparation of regulations, among other issues. She also serves as liaison to the Attorney General’s Office for all lawsuits in which OEHHA is a party.
Prior to joining OEHHA, Carolyn was a Deputy Attorney General in the Natural Resources Law Section of the California Attorney General’s Office from 2013 to 2022, where she represented state agencies in complex litigation involving environmental issues related to water, air, and other natural resources, in state and federal court. Carolyn also served as an Assistant Professor of Legal Research Writing and Analysis at the University of San Francisco School of Law from 2010 to 2013, and an environmental and land use attorney at the law firm Miller Starr Regalia from 2005 to 2010. Carolyn received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2005, and her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, in 2000.