Human Rights in Practice: Michael Posner

The Human Rights in Practice series is an ongoing program aimed to allow students to engage with international law and human rights practitioners in an informal setting to explore diverse career paths in the field. 

About our guest: 

Michael Posner is the Jerome Kohlberg professor of ethics and finance at NYU Stern School of Business and  Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights. Posner served in the Obama Administration from September 2009 until March 2013 as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Prior to that Posner was the longtime Executive Director and President of Human Rights First, a U.S.-based human rights advocacy organization. He was also a visiting lecturer at Yale and Columbia law schools. Posner has played a major role in shaping U.S. policy from inside and outside of government on issues ranging from refugee and asylum law and policy, to national security and human rights, to Internet freedom, and most recently on a range of business and human rights issues. Posner chairs the board of the Fair Labor Association, which addresses supply chain labor issues in the apparel, athletic footwear, and agriculture sectors.