Michelle D. Bernard is the president of the Independent Women's Forum. An attorney by training, Bernard concentrates on domestic and international legal, legislative and foreign policy matters pertaining to women and minorities. Known as IWF's "Renaissance woman," Bernard has an impressive resume and an uncanny ability to speak persuasively on an incredible range of topics. A native Washingtonian, Bernard learned the ins and outs of the nation's capital in a variety of high powered jobs including a stint in the 2000 Bush-Cheney Presidential Inaugural Committee, Inc., a partnership at the District of Columbia's Patton Boggs LLP, and chairmanship of the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency where she gained wide experience and recognition for negotiating the joint public-private financing and development deal which paved the way for the construction of the MCI Center, home of the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals. In January 1996, after negotiating $275 million in financing for the District's new sports arena, Bernard helped land a city bond offering on Wall Street, saving the District's taxpayers between $7 million and $11 million. In 1997, The Legal Times stated that in hiring Bernard, one of her client's had "tapped its own source of political prowess." As a political and legal analyst, Bernard has spoken on topics as varied as faith and foreign policy, the War in Iraq, the political participation and voting trends of African Americans and women, and advancing democracy, economic liberty, and the human rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities around the world. Bernard has been featured in several publications, including: Fast Company magazine, The Legal Times, The New York Daily News, The Washington Business Journal, The Washington City Paper, The Washington Lawyer, The Washington Post, The Washington Post Sunday Magazine, and The Washington Times. Additionally, Bernard has been prominently featured in the Observer and the Gleaner, two of Jamaica 's leading national newspapers. Her television and radio appearances include America's Black Forum, BBC Radio, CNBC's The Dennis Miller Show, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, Court TV's Catherine Crier Live, Good Morning Jamaica, MSNBC, PBS's Evening Exchange and To the Contrary, NPR's Tavis Smiley Show and KLAS FM 89 (Jamaica). Presently, Bernard is leading IWF's Iraqi women's democracy initiative and is the program officer of the Iraqi Women's Educational Institute (IWEI). IWEI is a joint project of IWF, the American Islamic Congress, and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Since joining IWF, Bernard has worked with the Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq, delegations of Iraqi women activists, and others to promote the full economic, social and political participation of Iraqi women as Iraq moves towards its January 2005 elections. Bernard has been a driving force in promoting the human rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities. She has assisted in the development and implementation of training programs on the pillars of democracy, women's rights and religious freedom, political activism in a democracy, issues of governance, free markets and micro-enterprise. Additionally, Bernard has assisted in the development and implementation of briefings for Iraqi women on the Economic Index of Freedom, literacy, and polling. Bernard also has experience in constitutional law, international human rights, international business law, and domestic and international legislative matters with an emphasis on matters pertaining to women, ethnic and religious minorities in emerging democracies. Bernard has worked on matters pertaining to or in the Caribbean and Latin America , the Middle East, southern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, Bernard has experience in defending complex federal and state litigation, concentrating on civil and criminal enforcement issues, election law litigation, and white collar criminal defense. She has extensive experience in matters involving the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the civil and criminal provisions of the U.S. False Claims Act. Bernard has authored numerous articles including: Qui Tam Litigation Under the Civil and Criminal False Claims Act, Complex Crimes Journal (Annual Update of the Complex Crimes Committee of the Litigations Section of the American Bar Association) (December 1994); RICO and the "Operation Management" Test: The Potential Chilling Effect on Criminal Prosecutions , 28 U. Rich. L. Rev. 669 (May 1994) (co-author, Ira H. Raphaelson); Financial Institution Fraud: Congress Still Struggles to Respond Consistently , 2 Bank Fraud (ABA White Collar Crime Committee, Section of Criminal Justice) (Summer-Fall 1993) (co-author, Eva Marie Shivers); and Maryland Environmental Law, Federal Publications (1990 & Supp 1991) (contributing author). Bernard holds a bachelor of arts in philosophy and political science from Howard University and a juris doctor from The Georgetown University Law Center. Bernard is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Maryland. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2013 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:22:21 GMT Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:22:21 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Elections matter. The 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama was historic. The 2010 Senate election of Scott Brown was less symbolic, but perhaps more substantive. President Obama should learn from last week's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2010/01/28/the_president_needs_to_learn_more_about_the_real_meaning_of_the_massachusetts_senate_election 0b3e4d2f-ca36-46f2-916f-1883238fadb7 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:22:21 GMT Senator Barack Obama will be our next president. He is the man of the hour, the focus of attention in America and around the world. Almost entirely forgotten is Senator John McCain. But Senator McCain, though the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2008/11/10/senator_john_mccain_continuing_to_serve_america_with_honor 4e7fe16f-9763-4a6f-96db-2069c53e98a6 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:15:09 GMT True workplace democracy, in which workers vote about whether to join a union, is at risk. Karen Mayhew, who works for Kaiser Permanente in Portland, found herself stuck in a union against her will. The Service... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2008/10/31/big_labor_versus_workplace_democracy 3f8dd260-5a80-4e90-8012-f004747e7290 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:17:47 GMT The 2008 primary was definitely a time of firsts. An African-American squared off against a woman in the race for the Democratic Party nomination, and a little known Republican woman nabs the vice-presidential slot... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2008/09/04/sarah_palin__an_everywoman_qualified_by_what_she's_done 0f1022b7-9838-47ee-9cf1-fa4b3b9d8b37 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:13:37 GMT The Democratic National Convention is upon us, and much of the press commentary revolves around "her." Hillary Clinton, that is, and whether she and her supporters will unite behind Barack Obama. Both campaigns are... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2008/08/27/the_shattered_glass_ceiling__women_voters_after_hillary_clinton's_run a79110a3-daa4-4497-b4bb-764ceb3f8eb2 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT Independence Day is the most significant of our political holidays. Without the 4th, there would be no President's Day or Memorial Day. As we enjoy comfortable lives in the world's dominant power, it is hard to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2008/07/03/another_glorious_fourth_what_would_the_founders_think 8651fd8e-b675-409b-9e58-45af2dd836e8 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:49:31 GMT The Democratic presidential race is coming to a close. The Democratic National Committee has attempted to resolve the controversy over the Florida and Michigan Democratic primaries by giving both state delegations ... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2008/06/04/candidate_clinton_sexism,_racism,_and_electoral_politics d56fbc38-938e-44b3-8f7e-a15a84a72400 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:19:28 GMT Who are we fighting in this War on Terror? For many Americans, the War on Terror remains a confusing concept. We are used to wars against countries, not against a group of people brought together by an ideology and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2008/01/24/the_path_to_democracy_and_stability_in_pakistan 8dd2eefe-4628-4f97-85f9-b0573b6ebfd3 Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:01:00 GMT Breast cancer is a weapon of mass destruction. Anyone involved in the battle to find a cure recognizes the importance of increasing awareness and of early detection. However, what is missing from this formula is the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2007/10/01/killing_time_in_the_battle_against_breast_cancer f77722bd-18e1-4ced-82b4-2643746a5236 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:42:57 GMT Like most of the American public, I have stood at the pump at my local filling station and cursed the cost of gasoline. Yet, after filling my tank I inevitably drive to Starbucks to stand in line with other women... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleBernard/2007/06/12/the_coffee_talk_on_gas_prices_that_isn't d59bdd62-2826-47c5-99bc-d1c690bca0bf Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:14:05 GMT