Headshot of Stephen Mumme

Stephen Mumme

Nonresident Scholar

Biography

Stephen Mumme, Ph.D., is a nonresident scholar at the Baker Institute Claudio X. González Center for the United States and Mexico specializing in transboundary environmental and natural resources management along the U.S.-Mexico border. He is a leading authority on binational management of the transboundary rivers linking the two countries, the work of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), and the implementation of other binational and trinational environmental agreements between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.   

Mumme is a faculty member in the political science department at Colorado State University and an affiliated faculty member in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. He is the author or co-author of more than 140 journal articles, chapters, books and monographs, including “Statecraft, Domestic Politics, and Foreign Policy Making: The El Chamizal Dispute” (Westview, 1988). His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Denver Post and other national and regional press outlets. Mumme has given lectures to the IBWC, served as consultant to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and advised and consulted with various national and international environmental NGOs. He has also been a visiting professor at El Colegio de Sonora in Hermosillo (as a U.S. Fulbright senior scholar), El Colegio de San Luis Potosi, the American Graduate School of International Management and the University of Arizona’s Guadalajara Summer Program. 

Mumme is a former fellow at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the University of California, San Diego and past president of the Association for Borderlands Studies. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

Contact at [email protected] or 970-491-7428.

Explore More

Rio Grande river and landscape, New Mexico, US
Reliability Trumps Quantity in the Rio Grande Water Dispute
In November 2024, the United States and Mexico reached an agreement to address Mexico’s significant Rio Grande water debt. While this is a step forward, South Texas farmers and other local communities still need more support. In this brief, nonresident scholar Stephen Mumme argues that prioritizing water reliability — rather than quantity — is key to solving this issue, especially as climate dynamics continue to impact the Rio Grande water supply.
Stephen Mumme January 21, 2025
Rivers and banks
Rio Grande Water Sharing Needs Fixing
Mexico is in arrears delivering water from the Rio Grande River to the U.S. under an 80-year-old treaty. Drought, increased water demand, and lack of reliability are creating hardships on both sides. With the treaty terms coming up for renewal next year, now is the time to update the treaty and alleviate stresses on both countries.
Stephen Mumme September 17, 2024