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Michael Posner

Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics & Finance, Director of the Center for Business & Human Rights

NYU Stern School of Business

New York, NY, USA

Michael Posner

Matthew Ponsonby

Jennifer Prosek

Prosek Partners

Michael’s Biography

Michael Posner is the Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics and Finance at NYU’s Stern School of Business and the Director of its Center for Business and Human Rights. The Center for Business and Human Rights at the NYU Stern School of Business is the first-ever human rights center within a business school.

Previously, Michael served as Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the Obama Administration, and prior to that he was President of Human Rights First. Earlier in his career, Michael was a lawyer with Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. He an expert and leader in advancing a rights-based approach to national security, combating discrimination, challenging the practice of torture, and advocating for refugee protection. He is a frequent public commentator on these issues and has testified dozens of times before the United States Congress.

Michael's philanthropic work includes serving as a Board Member of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, an appointment that highlights his extensive work supporting human rights protections, in the information and... Michael Posner is the Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics and Finance at NYU’s Stern School of Business and the Director of its Center for Business and Human Rights. The Center for Business and Human Rights at the NYU Stern School of Business is the first-ever human rights center within a business school.

Previously, Michael served as Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the Obama Administration, and prior to that he was President of Human Rights First. Earlier in his career, Michael was a lawyer with Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. He an expert and leader in advancing a rights-based approach to national security, combating discrimination, challenging the practice of torture, and advocating for refugee protection. He is a frequent public commentator on these issues and has testified dozens of times before the United States Congress.

Michael's philanthropic work includes serving as a Board Member of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, an appointment that highlights his extensive work supporting human rights protections, in the information and communications technology sector and in global business operations supply chain. He helped found the Fair Labor Association, participated in the founding of the Global Network Initiative, and speaks widely in favor of internet freedom. Michael led the efforts of the U.S. Government to better enact the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights as well as played a central role in proposing and campaigning for the Torture Victim Protection Act and the first U.S. law that would provide political asylum.

Michael lectured at Yale Law School, at one time teaching with former Dean Harold Koh. At Columbia University Law School he was a visiting lecturer and he is a member of both the California and the Illinois Bar. more less

Michael’s Newsfeed

Forbes

Why Wealthy Nations Need to Preserve the Rights of Refugees

With anti-immigration movements rising across the globe, Michael Posner calls on wealthy nations to do their part in helping refugees fleeing war-torn nations and seeking asylum from persecution.

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U.S. News & World Report

How to Study Business With a Focus on Human Rights

"I think more and more companies are realizing whatever they're doing, there's a human rights component," says Michael Posner. "And business schools ought to be preparing the next generation of business leaders to tackle those issues in a smart way."

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Michael’s Background

NYU Stern School of Business

Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics & Finance, Director of the Center for Business & Human Rights

New York, NY, USA

New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business is one America's premier management education schools and research centers. NYU Stern offers a broad portfolio of academic programs at graduate and undergraduate levels.

Human Rights First

Founding Executive Director & President

New York, NY, USA

Human Rights First is nonpartisan, not-for-profit global human rights organization with offices in Washington, D.C. and New York, that focuses on a range of international and domestic human rights issues.

The White House

Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Obama Administration

2009 - 2013

Washington, DC, USA

As Assistant Secretary, Posner traveled extensively, representing the U.S. Government to foreign officials and representatives of civil society in countries of strategic importance to the United States, including China, Egypt, Russia, Burma, Bahrain, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Columbia Law School

Visiting Lecturer

1984 - 2008

New York, NY, USA

Columbia Law School is renowned for the intellectual rigor of its curriculum and the scholarship of its faculty which offers J.D., LL.M. and J.S.D. programs.

Yale Law School

Lecturer

1981 - 1984

New Haven, CT, USA

Yale Law School is one of the world’s premier law schools. It offers an unmatched environment of excellence & educational intimacy in a world renowned faculty, with small classes, opportunities for clinical training and strong encouragement of public service.

Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP

Lawyer

Chicago, IL, USA

Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP was an international law firm, founded in 1906, that held close to 800 lawyers and other professionals in Europe and the U.S., serving individuals, non-profits and businesses.

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Michael’s Gallery

Michael Posner speaks at the Concordia Conference

Michael Posner on a panel at the Concordia Conference

Michael Posner at a Human Rights exhibit

Michael Posner testifies before a Senate panel

Michael Posner speaks at the 2016 Concordia Conference

Other Business Interests

Global Network Initiative

Founding Member

Washington, DC, USA

Global Network Initiative was launched in 2008 to address how technology companies can best respect the rights of their users. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at promoting free expression and privacy rights on the Internet.

Philanthropy

RFK / Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Board of Directors

New York, NY, USA

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, founded in 1968, is led by human rights activist and lawyer Kerry Kennedy and advocates for a more just and peaceful world. The RFK team includes leading advocates, entrepreneurs, writers, and attorneys united by a commitment to social justice and work alongside activists on the local level to enact enduring positive change in corporations and governments.

Fair Labor Association

Co-Founder

Washington, DC, USA

As a member of the White House Apparel Industry Partnership Task Force, Michael helped found the Fair Labor Association (FLA), an organization that brings together corporations, local leaders, universities, and NGOs to promote corporate accountability for working conditions in the apparel industry.

Media

Applying Human Rights to the Business World

Podcast Interview

Jun 2020

Michael Posner, the Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics and Finance at NYU’s Stern School of Business, joins the Future of Work Pioneers Podcast to discuss a range of topics related to human rights and the business sector, including the ways that global business operations can support human rights protections.

Publications

To Unite As A Nation, We Need To Begin With The Truth

Author

Jan 2021

New York, NY, USA

To unite, Michael Posner says, the US needs to 'find the right balance between seeking meaningful accountability for past abuses and building a more inclusive democratic future.' The most important lesson we can learn from other societies that made this transition, he says, is the value of establishing the truth about past wrongdoing and gaining an acknowledgement of that truth by those in power.

Amid A Threat To Democracy, How Companies Can Rebuild Trust

Author

Jan 2021

New York, NY, USA

Citing an Edelman survey in which 2/3 of respondents say they want corporate CEOs to work to confront significant threats, Michael Posner says business leaders need to step up to enact change at three different levels: social media platforms; technology companies like Apple and Amazon; and ethical filter to guide political giving by corporations, notably a rethinking of the power and role of PACs.

How Business Can Boost Human Rights In 2021

Author

Dec 2020

New York, NY, USA

With a focus on the opportunities ahead in 2021, Michael Posner compiled a list of 10 areas where business executives have an opportunity to lead and where the incoming Biden Administration needs to play a significant role. The list includes :Addressing economic inequality; Reforming buyer-supplier relations in post-COVID supply chains; and Making racial and gender diversity a priority.

The Case for Human Rights in Business Education– A Tool Kit

Co-author

Nov 2020

This Tool Kit includes resources and information that explain human rights and their increasing relevance in business school contexts, as well as providing resources helpful to individuals in other business schools that are interested in becoming involved.

Forbes

Senior Contributor

New York, NY, USA

Michael writes on a range of topics, including human rights, economic inequality, human rights, and labor issues.

Why the Federal Government Needs to Lead on COVID-19

Opinion Piece

Mar 2020

New York, NY, USA

Michael Posner lays out three things that must be done by the federal government in the efforts to end the Coronavirus Pandemic: provide necessary financial resources for the delivery and production of essential items; Encourage the states to better coordinate and share their burdens; have the President invoke the Defense Production Act to mobilize the private sector to produce essential items.

"What’s Driving The New Push To Measure Companies On Social Performance"

Author

Feb 2020

New York, NY, USA

Michael Posner discusses developments at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, and looks at changing attitudes toward Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Development Goals. He focuses on the need for the WEF task force to “develop new metrics for “social” goals that recognize shifts in the modern workforce and help to define good management practices.

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Speaking Engagements

The First Amendment, Crisis Edition

Featured Speaker

Jan 2021

Titled the "Emergency legal briefing for journalists on social media bans, the meaning of ‘incitement’ and threats to free speech", this talk brings together three distinguished free speech experts who are versed in domestic and international aspects of incitement, social media bans, and censorship. They discuss these issues in the wake of the attack on the Capitol.

RFK Compass Investor Virtual Summit

Panel Member

Oct 2020

Michael Posner, Director, NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, took part in a Fireside Chat titled 'Corporate Purpose in 2020 with Business Roundtable' at the Fall RFK Human Rights Virtual Investor Summit. The RFK Compass program considers new approaches to investing, justice, good governance and the harnessing of the influence of the private sector to better guarantee human right.

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Bar Admissions

The State Bar of California

Member of the Bar

San Francisco, CA, USA

The State Bar's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.

Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar

Member of the Bar

Chicago, IL, USA

The Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar consists of seven members of the bar appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to oversee the administration of all aspects of bar admissions in the state

Michael’s Education

University of California, Berkeley

Juris Doctor

University of Michigan

BA, History (Distinction & Honors)