Michelle D. Bernard

An attorney by training, Michelle D. Bernard is the president & CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy where she concentrates on domestic and foreign policy matters. Additionally, she is a political and policy analyst, media commentator, social critic, author, columnist, and public speaker, providing commentary on topics as varied as presidential politics, the 2016 path to the White House; various national campaigns and elections; the political participation and voting trends of African Americans, Latino’s, women and millennials, education reform and school choice, foreign policy and national security issues, and advancing democracy, economic liberty, and the human rights of women and ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East. She is a a contributor to The Huffington Post, and a columnist for Roll Call and U.S. News & World Report. Fiercely independent in her political views, Ms. Bernard, an advocate of transpartisanship, believes that American democracy is best served when the electorate votes for candidates and issues rather than on the basis of political ideology or party affiliation. Ms. Bernard is particularly interested in how national and local politics, policy, and elections affect matters of racial, social and gender justice, national security, terrorism and the military, and the advancement of democracy, economic liberty, and the human rights of women and ethnic and religious minorities globally. An outspoken advocate of the human rights of people of color and women globally, Ms. Bernard is, among other things, a passionate advocate of the significance of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and has assisted in the development and implementation of training programs built on the pillars of democracy, women’s rights and religious freedom, political activism in a democracy, issues of governance, free markets, and non-governmental organizations. In March 2016, Ms. Bernard was awarded a distinguished alumni achievement award from Howard University for outstanding post-graduate achievement in the fields of media, journalism and public policy. In 2015, she was awarded the Anvil of Freedom Award for journalism and democracy by the University of Denver’s Edward W. and Charlotte A. Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media. Later that year, the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University announced that Ms. Bernard was being honored on the University’s Plaza of Heroines which honors women role models who have made an impact on their families, communities and society. Ms. Bernard appears regularly as a contributor on CNN’s "Smerconish"; HBO’s "Real Time with Bill Maher"; MSNBC’s Election 2016 programming, "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and MSNBC "Live"; and TV One’s "NewsOne Now with Roland Martin." In 2009, Ms. Bernard co-created and hosted MSNBC’s education reform television special, "About Our Children." Ms. Bernard is the author of “Naming the Sin: Are Churches Helping to Stop Domestic Violence or Enabling It,” Sojourner’s (December 2013), "Moving America Toward Justice: The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 1963-2013," (2013), "Women’s Progress: How Women Are Wealthier, Healthier and More Independent Than Ever Before," (2007) and is a contributing author to the National Urban League’s "State of Black America 2009: Message to the President," (2009) and Lifetime Network’s "Secrets of Powerful Women: 25 Successful American Politicians Tell How They Got Where They Are – And What It’s Like" (2010). Additionally, Mrs. Bernard is the author of numerous opinion blog posts that appeared in The Washington Post’s "She The People" blog from its inception in 2012 as a platform for exploring the intersection of women and politics and culture, through its farewell in early January 2015. Ms. Bernard is a member of the journalism advisory board of The Seventy Four. Additionally, she is a member of the International Women’s Forum of Washington, D.C. and served as its Leadership Foundation Liaison from 2013 to 2015. She is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Hampton University. As a practicing lawyer, Ms. Bernard was a partner at the District of Columbia’s then, Patton Boggs LLP. Ms. Bernard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and political science from Howard University and a Juris Doctor degree from The Georgetown University Law Center.