HONORARY
CO-CHAIRS
The Honorable
Václav Havel is
a Czech writer and dramatist. He was the tenth and
last President of Czechoslovakia (1989-1992) and first President of
the Czech Republic (1992-2003). He has written more than 20 plays
and numerous works of non-fiction, many of which have received international
acclaim. Beginning in the 1960s, his work turned to focus on the politics
of Czechoslovakia. After the Prague Spring, he became increasingly active.
In 1977, his involvement with the human rights manifesto Charter 77
brought him international fame as the leader of the opposition in Czechoslovakia.
The communist regime sentenced him to four-and-a-half years imprisonment
for subversion of the Republic and he served as a prisoner of conscience
from 1979-1983. The 1989 "Velvet Revolution" launched Havel
into the presidency. In this role he led Czechoslovakia and later the
Czech Republic to capitalism and multi-party democracy.
The Most Reverend
Desmond
M. Tutu is a South African cleric and activist who rose
to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. In 1984,
Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tutu was elected and ordained the first black South African Anglican
Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa. He chaired the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of The
Elders. Tutu is vocal in his defense of human rights and uses his
high profile to campaign for the oppressed in such countries as Burma,
Sudan, and Zimbabwe. He also also campaigns to fight AIDS, poverty,
and racism.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jared
Genser is the President of Freedom Now and a partner in the
global government relations group of DLA Piper LLP (US). He is currently
a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania teaching a weekly seminar
entitled The UN Security Council in the 21st Century: Operations,
Impact, and Reform. He was a 2006-2007 Visiting Fellow with
the National Endowment for Democracy. His human rights clients have
included former Czech Republic President Václav Havel, former
Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and Nobel Peace Prize
Laureates Aung San Suu Kyi, Desmond Tutu, and Elie Wiesel. Previously,
Jared was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, the global
strategy consulting firm. Jared holds a B.S. from Cornell University,
a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University, where he was an Alumni Public Service Fellow,
and a J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School.
He has published op-eds on human rights topics in such publications
as the Washington
Post, Wall Street Journal Asia,
International Herald Tribune,
Washington Times, South
China Morning Post, The Independent (UK), The Nation
(Bangkok), and The Star (Johannesburg), among others.
He is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, Term Member
of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Fellow of the British American
Project.
Jeremy
Zucker is the Chair of Freedom Now and a partner in the international
trade group of Hogan & Hartson LLP in Washington, D.C. Prior
to joining Hogan & Hartson, Jeremy served as a law clerk at the
International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands. Jeremy
holds a B.A. in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University,
a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University, and a J.D. magna cum laude from New York
University Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the NYU Journal
of International Law and Politics and a Fellow of the Center for International
Studies. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Daniel
Silverberg is the Treasurer of Freedom Now and is Counsel to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Previously, he served as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel
in the U.S. Department of Defense with responsibilities related to counterterrorism
strategy and policy. Before that, Daniel practiced law with Orrick,
Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in San Francisco, where he focused on
commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense matters. Prior
to attending law school, Daniel was a consultant with Community Wealth
Ventures, a consulting firm that helps nonprofit organizations generate
revenue through business ventures and corporate partnerships. Daniel
holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and an A.B. in Comparative Study
of Religion from Harvard College. He is a Term Member of the Council
on Foreign Relations.
Haylie M.
Iseman is the Secretary of Freedom Now and an attorney at Michael
J. Eig & Associates in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where she practices
special education law. She has a background in child and disability-related
advocacy and previously served as a clerk for a Judge in Manhattan Family
Court. Haylie holds a B.S. in human development from Cornell University
and a J.D. from Cardozo Law School.
Hillary Brill
is on the Board of Freedom Now and Legislative Counsel for eBay in Washington,
D.C. Previously she served as Legislative Counsel for Congressman Rick
Boucher (D-VA). She is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown
University Law Center. Hillary has a background in international
humanitarianism, democratic development, and freedom of speech advocacy.
She holds a B.A. with honors in comparative government from Harvard
University and a J.D. with honors from Georgetown University Law Center.
Glenn Kaminsky
is on the Board of Freedom Now and an attorney in the Office of the
General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has
a background in international trade, economic sanctions, and law enforcement
matters. Glenn holds a B.A. in comparative politics from Pomona College
and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Micheline
Mendelsohn is on the Board of Freedom Now and is a public relations
consultant. Micheline has worked at the Embassy of Canada to the United
States, in the office of Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), and for various
non-profit organizations before opening her own public relations company
Mendelsohn and Associates. Micheline has coordinated special events,
handled media relations strategies for international and domestic organizations
on Capitol Hill and in the Washington, D.C. area. Most recently, she
was Director of Strategic Communications to help develop and oversee
a communications plan for a successful reverse merger of a private-held
company into a publicly-traded company. Micheline received her M.A.
in International Relations from the University of Chicago and her B.A.
in Journalism and Marketing from Indiana University.
STAFF
Maran Turner
is Executive Director of Freedom Now. Prior to joining
Freedom Now, she was a lawyer with the Southern Africa Litigation Centre
(SALC) in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she managed a team of lawyers
and worked with Southern African jurists on human rights litigation.
Prior to her position with SALC, she was an associate with DLA Piper
US LLP where she was honored as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for her
international human rights work representing notable human rights defenders
such as former Czech Republic President Václav Havel and Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu. Maran holds a B.A. from the
University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. cum laude from the
University of Miami.
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