Elisa Massimino

Elisa Massimino was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Human Rights First in September 2008. Human RIghts First is one of the nation’s leading human rights advocacy organizations. Established in 1978, Human Rights First works in the United States and abroad to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law. Massimino joined Human Rights First as a staff attorney in 1991 to help establish the Washington office. From 1997 to 2008 she served as the organization’s Washington Director. Previously, Massimino was a litigator in private practice at the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson, where she was pro bono counsel in many human rights cases. Before joining the legal profession, she taught philosophy at several universities in Michigan. As Human Rights First’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Massimino provides overall leadership and strategic direction for the organization and manages a growing staff of more than 80 people in New York City, D.C. and Houston. Massimino has a distinguished record of human rights advocacy in Washington. As a national authority on human rights law and policy, she has testified before Congress dozens of times and writes frequently for mainstream publications and specialized journals. In 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012 the influential Washington newspaper The Hill named her one of the most effective punlic advocates in the country. The daughter of a nuclear submarine commander, Massimino was instrumental in the organization’s recent effort to assemble a group of retired generals and admirals to speak out publicly against policies authorizing the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody. This coalition of military leaders has played a pivotal role int he effort to restore compliance with the Geneva Conventions standard for treatment of prisoners. Massimino holds a law degree form the University of Michigan, a Master of Arts in philosophy form Johns Hopkins University, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Massimino serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she teaches human rights advocacy. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the bar of the United States Supreme Court.