Brian Ohm

Mr. Ohm’s teaching, research, and outreach focus on the legal and institutional framework for planning. Mr. Ohm joined the UW faculty in 1994, and he holds a joint appointment with the University of Wisconsin Extension where he is the state specialist in land use law, environmental regulation, and growth management. He also has affiliate appointments with UW’s Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies. Mr. Ohm served as chair of the Department of Urban & Regional Planning from 2008 – 2012. Prior to joining the faculty at UW, Mr. Ohm worked as an attorney for the Metropolitan Council, the regional governing body for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. While at the Council he was involved in numerous regional planning initiatives involving land use, affordable housing, natural resources, transportation, governance, and local public service delivery. Prior to that he worked as an attorney in private practice for the Minneapolis law firm then known as Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman, Ltd., where he specialized in litigation involving land use, eminent domain, and complex securities fraud. Mr. Ohm holds a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College with majors in History and Political Science.