This fall, two of Colorado Law鈥檚 esteemed research centers welcomed new executive directors: Brad Bernthal '01 became executive director of Silicon Flatirons, and Chris Winter was named executive director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment.
Professor Brad Bernthal '01 became Silicon Flatirons鈥� permanent executive director effective June 1. The move came 18 years after Bernthal first joined the center, in 2005, as a Silicon Flatirons Fellow. Bernthal is now an associate professor of law at Colorado Law with specialty in the fields of entrepreneurial law, early-stage finance, and innovation policy. He is the founder and director of Silicon Flatirons' Entrepreneurship Initiative, which supports entrepreneurship in the region and is a vital connector between the CU campus and the surrounding hightech entrepreneurial community. Bernthal was part of the small cadre that launched CU鈥檚 New Venture Challenge, which recently completed its 16th year.
Silicon Flatirons works to propel the future of law, policy, and entrepreneurship in the digital age, and as executive director, Bernthal is responsible for leading the center鈥檚 strategic direction and operations. Through its initiatives, events, publications, and student programs, he will continue to build on the center's work to catalyze critical conversations among diverse stakeholders and develop professionals ready to lead.
Bernthal received a BA from the University of Kansas and a JD from Colorado Law.
What鈥檚 been your proudest Silicon Flatirons moment to date?
It is special when Colorado Law alumni who were closely involved in Silicon Flatirons while in law school become expert professionals and return to bring along the next generation of Colorado Law students. Silicon Flatirons inspires a lot of this virtuous cycle. My colleague Blake Reid '10 once was a student in the Tech Law and Policy Clinic, and then he came back to do a superb job as the professor running the clinic. More recently,
Ariel Diamond West '17, now with DLA Piper, took on an outsized leadership role to plug current students into the D.C. technology policy scene. Similarly, Meredith Ashlock '14 and Bryan McCutcheon '11, each of whom were once students in the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, last year did a terrific job co-teaching the ELC. I could go on and on. Bottom line: it is amazing to see how individuals stay connected to Silicon Flatirons over time.
What are your top priorities for Silicon Flatirons?
My priority is to ensure that fabulous people鈥攊nitiative directors, staff, and those in our network鈥攚ant to be involved with Silicon Flatirons. In order to succeed, we must have leading technology policy thinkers, great innovators, and a terrific staff excited about Silicon Flatirons. Lorne Michaels, producer of Saturday Night Live, is a role model. Lorne continually identifies talent, provides a powerful platform, and is protective about the show鈥檚 brand. My job, similarly, is to find and support great talent associated with technology policy and entrepreneurship, get leading thinkers into the spotlight, protect the Silicon Flatirons鈥� brand, and otherwise get out of the way.
What are the most significant ways you鈥檝e seen the center change and evolve over the past 24 years?
Steven Wright has a great line: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a small world. But I wouldn鈥檛 want to have to paint it.鈥� This pretty much sums up technology policy today. When Silicon Flatirons launched in 1999, the focus was narrowly upon telecommunications, especially competition in the phone network and the transition to digital systems. Fast-forward to 2023, and technology policy issues are everywhere in society. Silicon Flatirons鈥� expertise, not surprisingly, reflects today鈥檚 ubiquity of technology issues. We now have deep expertise in artificial intelligence (Harry Surden), privacy (Margot Kaminski), spectrum (Dale Hatfield and Keith Gremben), technology platforms (Blake Reid), and entrepreneurship (which I lead).
Chris Winter Joins Getches-Wilkinson Center
With 25 years of experience in natural resources and environmental law, Chris Winter brings a remarkable track record in environmental advocacy, education, and policy development, making him an ideal leader for the renowned center named for two iconic figures in the law school鈥檚 environmental law history, former dean David Getches and Distinguished Professor Charles Wilkinson.
In 2001 Winter co-founded a nonprofit law center based in Portland, Oregon, that represents public interest clients in federal and state courts across the Pacific Northwest. He has won several challenging cases on behalf of grassroots organizations facing daunting odds and formidable opposition. Notably, Winter represented Alaska Native organizations in the U.S. Arctic, successfully protecting their subsistence activities from the impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration. He also served as lead counsel in Rosemere Neighborhood Ass'n v. U.S. E.P.A., a landmark case that shed light on the EPA's inadequate investigation of citizen complaints under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. His litigation record includes numerous victories on a wide range of issues in federal and state courts.
Most recently, Winter led a national advocacy organization working at the intersection of outdoor recreation and public land management. He spearheaded efforts to restore Bears Ears National Monument, promote human-powered outdoor recreation, and conserve public lands. Winter earned a BA from Cornell and a JD from the University of Michigan.
What excites you the most about joining the Getches-Wilkinson Center and Colorado Law?
The GWC and Colorado Law have been leading the field of natural resources and environmental law for 50 years, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to contribute to that legacy of excellence for this community. I am drawn to this position by the mission, the people, and the impact of the GWC, and I can鈥檛 wait to get started.
What are your top priorities for the GWC?
The American West is facing unprecedented challenges in managing our public resources as we confront the impacts of climate change, population growth, and the transition to a clean energy economy. I want to position
the GWC to lead the innovation of natural resources law and policy to meet this moment while preparing the next generation of professionals who will continue this critical work in the years to come.
You鈥檝e dedicated much of your career to public land management, environmental justice, and representing Indigenous communities. What drew you to these areas?
I grew up spending time with my maternal grandparents, who were Japanese immigrants and farmers in Utah. I believe these experiences opened my mind at a young age to different ways that people connect with the land around them, which eventually drew me to learn more about environmental justice. When I started working directly with Indigenous communities in northern Alaska, I was inspired by how they navigated the complex intersection of climate change, resource protection, and their subsistence traditions.
What are your favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors?
I鈥檝e always been drawn to the mountains, a gift I inherited from my father and grandfather. I love climbing, backcountry skiing, and exploring vertical terrain.