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{{short description|American human rights advocate}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox person
[[File:Suzanne 2 - preferred.jpg|thumb|Suzanne Nossel in 2014]]
| name = Suzanne Nossel
| image =
| birth_place = [[Westchester County, New York]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
'''Suzanne F. Nossel''' is a former government official, human rights advocate, author, and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of [[PEN America]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/72335-pw-notables-of-the-year-suzanne-nossel.html|title=PW Notables of the Year: Suzanne Nossel|website=PublishersWeekly.com|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> She has served in a variety of leadership roles in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors and has led PEN America since 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pen.org/press-release/pen-american-center-names-suzanne-nossel-as-executive-director/|title=PEN American Center Names Suzanne Nossel as Executive Director|date=January 16, 2013|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> A [[Harvard College]] and [[Harvard Law School]] graduate, her book is ''Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All'' (2020).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/dare-to-speak-suzanne-nossel|title=Dare to Speak|website=HarperCollins|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>


==Early life and education==
'''Suzanne Nossel''' is the executive director of [[PEN American Center]],<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=[[PEN American Center]]|author=Connolly, Emma|url=http://www.pen.org/press-release/2013/01/16/pen-american-center-names-suzanne-nossel-executive-director|title=PEN American Center Names Suzanne Nossel as Executive Director|date=January 16, 2013|accessdate=February 6, 2013}}</ref> the largest of the 144 centers that form a loose federation that comprise [[PEN International]]. Her career has spanned government service and leadership roles in the corporate and non-profit sectors.


Nossel was born in [[Westchester, New York]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scarsdalealumni.org/da|title=Distinguished Alumni|website=Scarsdale Alumni Association|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> the daughter of South African parents and granddaughter of refugees from Nazi Germany who fled to South Africa during the 1930s.<ref name="JBI">{{cite web|url=http://www.jbi-humanrights.org/jacob-blaustein-institute/2012/01/suzanne-nossel-on-un-human-rights-council-at-jbi-meeting.html|title=Suzanne Nossel on UN Human Rights Council -- at JBI Meeting|publisher=}}</ref> Nossel graduated from [[Harvard College]] in 1991 and [[Harvard Law School]] in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2001 |title=Radcliffe honors alums |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2001/05/radcliffe-honors-alums/ |accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
Previously, she served as Executive Director of [[Amnesty International USA]], from January 2, 2012 to January 11, 2013.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=[[Amnesty International USA]]|author=Fitzgerald, Gwen|url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-usa-announces-leadership-transition-suzanne-nossel-selected-as-new-executive-d|title=Amnesty International USA Announces Leadership Transition: Suzanne Nossel Selected as New Executive Director of Human Rights Organization|date=November 17, 2011|accessdate=March 22, 2012}}</ref> Her work there led to the successful passage of the Afghan Women and Girls Security and Promotion Act of 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/afghan-women-and-girls-security-promotion-act-of-2012-will-help-ensure-the-protection-of-afghan-wome|title=Afghan Women and Girls Security Promotion Act of 2012 Will Help Ensure the Protection of Afghan Women|work=Amnesty International USA}}</ref> and drew attention to the case of imprisoned punk band [[Pussy Riot]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}


==Background==
==Early career==


⚫
In 1997 Nossel was awarded a Kauffman Fellowship for showing exceptional promise for a career in [[public interest law]]. Shortly thereafter she began to work as a [[Skadden Fellowship|Skadden Fellow]] at Children's Rights, a public interest advocacy organization in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kauffmanfellows.org/about|title=About|website=Kauffman Fellows|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
⚫
Prior to her tenure at Amnesty International, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the [[Bureau of International Organization Affairs]] in 2009, where she was responsible for multilateral human rights, humanitarian affairs, women’s issues, public diplomacy, press, and congressional relations. At the State Department, Nossel played a leading role in U.S. engagement at the [[U.N. Human Rights Council]], including the initiation of groundbreaking human rights resolutions on Iran, Syria, Libya, Côte d'Ivoire, freedom of association, freedom of expression, and the first U.N. resolution on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/06/17/un.lgbt.rights/|title=U.N. council passes gay rights resolution}}</ref>


==Career==
From 1999 to 2001 she served as Deputy to the Ambassador for U.N. Management and Reform at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations <ref>http://usun.state.gov/about/un_reform/</ref> under [[Richard C. Holbrooke]], where she was the lead U.S. representative to the U.N. General Assembly negotiating a deal to settle the U.S. arrears to the world body.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
===Private sector===


Early in her career, Nossel was an associate in consumer and media practice at the consulting firm [[McKinsey & Company|McKinsey and Company]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://reinvent.net/innovator/suzanne-nossel/|title=Suzanne Nossel|date=December 2015}}</ref> She later worked as Vice President of U.S. Business Development for [[Bertelsmann]] Media and vice president of strategy and operations for the ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://trumancenter.org/team-view/suzanne-nossel/|title=Suzanne Nossel|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
She is also a former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of [[Human Rights Watch]] and a former Vice President of Strategy and Operations for the [[Wall Street Journal]] from 2005–07.


===Government===
She has served as a senior fellow at the [[Century Foundation]], the [[Center for American Progress]] and the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]. She was also a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has worked to curb political violence in South Africa, and has monitored elections and documented human rights in Bosnia and Kosovo.


⚫
Nossel served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the [[Bureau of International Organization Affairs]] in 2009, where she was responsible for multilateral human rights, humanitarian affairs, women's issues, public diplomacy, press, and congressional relations. At the State Department, she played a leading role in U.S. engagement at the [[U.N. Human Rights Council]], including the initiation of groundbreaking human rights resolutions on Iran, Syria, Libya, [[Ivory Coast|Côte d'Ivoire]], freedom of association, freedom of expression, and the first [[United Nations resolution|U.N. resolution]] on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/06/17/un.lgbt.rights/|title=U.N. council passes gay rights resolution|website=[[CNN]]|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
In the private sector, she worked as vice-president of U.S. Business Development for [[Bertelsmann]] Media (2001–05) and earlier in her career, was an associate in consumer and media practice at [[McKinsey and Company]].


From 1999 to 2001, Nossel served as Deputy to the Ambassador for U.N. Management and Reform at the [[United States Mission to the United Nations|U.S. Mission to the United Nations]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usun.usmission.gov/|title=United States Mission to the United Nations|website=United States Mission to the United Nations|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref> under [[Richard C. Holbrooke]]. She was the lead U.S. negotiator in settling U.S. arrears to the United Nations through a landmark consensus agreement reached by the UN's [[United Nations General Assembly|General Assembly]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fp4america.org/suzanne-nossel|title=Suzanne Nossel|website=Foreign Policy for America|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
In 2013, Nossel joined [[Tides Foundation]]'s Board of Trustees.


Nossel served as a [[law clerk]] on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]] Circuit for Judge [[Judith W. Rogers]].
In 2015, Nossel moderated a discussion on the Fear of Art hosted by the New School.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://new.livestream.com/TheNewSchool/the-fear-of-art|title=The Fear of Art: 32nd Social Research Conference on Livestream|work=The New Livestream}}</ref>


===Nonprofits===
==Awards and Recognition==
Nossel served as [[Executive director|Executive Director]] of [[Amnesty International USA]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amnesty International USA Announces Leadership Transition: Suzanne Nossel Selected as New Executive Director of Human Rights Organization |url=https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/amnesty-international-usa-announces-leadership-transition-suzanne-nossel-selected-as-new-executive-director-of-human-rights-organization/ |accessdate=November 25, 2020 |website=Amnesty International USA}}</ref> from January 2012<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 16, 2011 |title=Amnesty International USA Announces Leadership Transition: Suzanne Nossel Selected as New Executive Director of Human Rights Organization |url=https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/amnesty-international-usa-announces-leadership-transition-suzanne-nossel-selected-as-new-executive-director-of-human-rights-organization/ |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=Amnesty International USA}}</ref> to January 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 9, 2013 |title=Suzanne Nossel resigns as Amnesty International USA Executive Director |url=https://humanrightsinvestigations.org/2013/01/09/suzanne-nossel-resigns-amnesty-international-usa-executive-director/ |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=Human Rights Investigations}}</ref> She was chief operating officer at [[Human Rights Watch]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suzanne Nossel |url=https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/about/experts/suzanne-nossel/ |accessdate=November 25, 2020 |website=Global Freedom of Expression}}</ref> She has also served as a Board Member of [[Tides Foundation]], beginning in 2013, and still serving as of 2019.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20191001211915/https://www.tides.org/about/board/ Board of Directors, Tides Foundation, archived 1 Oct 2019]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Board of Directors |url=http://www.tides.org/about/board/ |accessdate=November 25, 2020 |website=Tides Foundation}}</ref>


Nossel currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the literary and human rights organization [[PEN America]]. She oversaw the unification of PEN America with Los Angeles-based PEN Center USA,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/75768-pen-america-pen-center-usa-to-merge.html|title=PEN America, PEN Center USA to Merge|website=PublishersWeekly.com}}</ref> the establishment of a Washington, D.C. office to drive policy advocacy, and the creation of a network of PEN America chapters across the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/81474-pen-america-launches-six-regional-chapters.html|title=PEN America Launches Six Regional Chapters|website=PublishersWeekly.com}}</ref> Under Nossel's leadership, the organization has advocated for free expression in Hong Kong and China, [[Myanmar]], [[Eurasia]], and the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-china-saudi-arabia-turkey-are-worlds-worst-jailers-of-writers/|title=PEN America: China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey Are World's Worst Jailers of Writers|date=May 19, 2020|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> PEN America has also developed programs focused on campus free speech, online harassment, artistic freedom, writing for justice and a range of other issues. PEN America has also expanded its literary programming,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/books/pen-world-voices-festival.html|title=15 Years Later, PEN World Voices Festival Is Still Trying to Unify the World (Published 2019)|first=Concepción de|last=León|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 2, 2019|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> reimagining the PEN America Literary Awards,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/pen-literary-awards-2020|title=Seth Meyers Hosted the PEN America Literary Awards|first=Kaitlyn|last=Wylde|website=Vogue|date=March 4, 2020|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> expanding the PEN World Voices Festival outside New York City, and through writing programs dedicated to amplifying lesser heard voices, including incarcerated writers and [[DREAM Act|DREAMer]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-dreamers-pen-america-1-34373575/|title=DREAMers in New York City break their silence in PEN America workshop|first=Allegra|last=Hobbs|website=amNewYork|date=August 15, 2019|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/mome/industries/dreamers-anthology.page|title=Pen America Publishes Anthology of Essays, Memoir, Stories and Poems by Immigrant 'Dreamers' - MOME|website=www1.nyc.gov|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
⚫
In 1997 Suzanne Nossel was awarded a Kauffman Fellowship for showing exceptional promise for a career in public interest law. Shortly thereafter she began to work as a Skadden Fellow at Children's Rights, a public interest advocacy organization in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kauffmanfellows.org/about/|title=About the Program}}</ref>


== Controversies ==
In 2001, Nossel received Radcliffe’s Jane Rainie Opel '50 Young Alumna Award for an alumna in the 10th reunion class who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of women, to her profession, or to the Institute <ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2001/05.31/12-radcliffe.html|title=Harvard Gazette: Radcliffe honors alums|author=Harvard News Office}}</ref>
Nossel resigned from her role at [[Amnesty International USA]] after criticism by human rights organizations that she was using her role at the nonprofit to advocate for the use of war to cement U.S. military dominance in Afghanistan, [[Libya]], and elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 9, 2013 |title=Suzanne Nossel resigns as Amnesty International USA Executive Director |url=https://humanrightsinvestigations.org/2013/01/09/suzanne-nossel-resigns-amnesty-international-usa-executive-director/ |access-date=March 21, 2023 |website=Human Rights Investigations}}</ref>


Nossel's tenure at PEN has also been marked by controversy, including the resignation of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist [[Chris Hedges]] from PEN America in 2013 in protest of Nossel's appointment, who said: "PEN American Center, by appointing Nossel, has unwittingly highlighted its own failure to defend and speak out for our [[dissident]]s, especially Bradley Manning (see [[Chelsea Manning]])."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hedges |first=Chris |date=April 4, 2013 |title=Chris Hedges: Why I Resigned from PEN |url=https://therealnews.com/chedgespenn0404 |work=The Real News Network}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Scheer |first=Peter Z. |date=April 2, 2013 |title=Chris Hedges Resigns From Human Rights Organization PEN |url=https://www.truthdig.com/articles/chris-hedges-resigns-from-human-rights-organization-pen/ |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=Truth Dig}}</ref> In January 2024, writers [[Angela Flournoy]] and [[Kathleen Alcott]] withdrew from a PEN New Year event in Los Angeles to oppose the organization’s sponsorship of a separate gathering featuring [[Mayim Bialik]], an author, actor and vocal supporter of Israel's attack on the [[Gaza Strip]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Ryan |date=December 18, 2023 |title=Mayim Bialik Faces Fresh Backlash |url=https://www.newsweek.com/mayim-bialik-noa-tishby-antisemitism-israel-hamas-palestinian-conflict-instagram-1853342 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sheehan |first=Dan |date=January 31, 2024 |title=Two novelists have cut ties with PEN over its Mayim Bialik event and Gaza silence. |url=https://lithub.com/two-novelists-have-cut-ties-with-pen-over-its-mayim-bialik-event-and-gaza-silence/ |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=Literary Hub}}</ref> In February 2024, writers including [[Roxane Gay]], Maaza Mengiste and [[Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah]] condemned PEN America for its silence regarding Palestinian journalists, writers, and poets killed by the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)]] beyond “press releases buried on its website”.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Creamer |first=Ella |date=February 12, 2024 |title=Open letter criticising PEN America's stance on Israel-Gaza war reaches 500 signatories |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/12/open-letter-criticising-pen-americas-stance-on-israel-gaza-war-reaches-500-signatories |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In March 2024, more than a dozen writers, including [[Lorrie Moore]], [[Naomi Klein]], [[Michelle Alexander]], [[Hisham Matar]] and [[Isabella Hammad]], signed a letter withdrawing from PEN America's World Voices Festival, condemning the organization for its stance on the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict|Israel-Palestine Conflict]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Luscombe |first=Richard |date=March 15, 2024 |title=Authors withdraw from PEN America festival in protest over Israel-Gaza war |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/15/pen-america-festival-authors-withdraw-israel-gaza-war-protest |access-date=March 21, 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>
In December 2014, Nossel was honored the Special Award for the Use of Diplomacy by the [[United Nations Association]] of the national Capital Area <ref>{{cite web|url=http://unanca.org/news-events/upcoming/352-save-the-date-human-rights-awards-reception-|title=Human Rights Awards Reception}}</ref>


==Publications==
==Publications==


Nossel is the author of ''Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All'' in 2020, a set of principles to chart a course for free speech that also promotes equity and inclusion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pen.org/daretospeak/|title=Dare to Speak|date=January 29, 2020|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> Excerpts from the book have appeared in ''LitHub'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lithub.com/has-free-speech-become-an-even-more-partisan-issue-under-the-trump-administration/|title=Has Free Speech Become an Even More Partisan Issue Under the Trump Administration?|date=July 15, 2020|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> the ''Washington Post'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-free-speech/2020/07/02/7e2694b8-bb1b-11ea-80b9-40ece9a701dc_story.html|title=Perspective {{pipe}} Five myths about free speech|first=Suzanne|last=Nossel|accessdate=November 25, 2020|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref> and the ''LA Times''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-06-19/protests-free-speech-first-amendment|title=Op-Ed: Those who exercise free speech should also defend it — even when it's offensive|date=June 19, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> She is a featured columnist for ''[[Foreign Policy]]'' magazine and has published op-eds in ''The New York Times'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/opinion/disinformation-election-2020.html|title=Opinion {{pipe}} Fool Us Once, Shame on You. Fool Us in 2020, Shame on Us.|first=Suzanne|last=Nossel|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 17, 2019|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> ''Politico'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://politi.co/2AdHQnL|title=Trump's Attacks on the Press Are Illegal. We're Suing.|first=Suzanne|last=Nossel|website=POLITICO Magazine|date=October 16, 2018 |accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> and ''The Guardian'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/12/donald-trump-press-conference-cnn-journalist-acosta|title=Donald Trump treats the press like an authoritarian thug {{pipe}} Suzanne Nossel|date=January 12, 2017|website=the Guardian|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> among others.
Suzanne has written hundreds of blog entries, op-ed pieces and scholarly articles on international [[human rights]] for a number of publications, including [[Foreign Affairs]],<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/author/suzanne-nossel|title=Suzanne Nossel|work=Foreign Affairs}}</ref> the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]’ publication dedicated to improving the understanding of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs through the free exchange of ideas, and [[Foreign Policy]],<ref>http://www.foreignpolicy.com/profiles/Suzanne-Nossel</ref> dedicated to global politics and economics. In Foreign Affairs, she has covered topics ranging from the changing nature of liberal internationalism to [[Samantha Power]]'s ambassadorship in the United Nations.<ref name="auto"/> In Foreign Policy magazine she has written on LGBT rights in Nigeria,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/29/supreme-court-gay-same-sex-marriage-decision-worlds-most-homophobic-country-nigeria/|title=Can the Supreme Court’s Marriage Decision Help the World’s Most Homophobic Country?|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=June 29, 2015|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> human rights in Iran,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/17/iran-human-rights-nuclear-rouhani/|title=Don’t Let Iran Off the Hook for Human Rights|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=March 17, 2015|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> the eroding of press freedom in Hong Kong,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/04/closing-a-vital-window-into-china-press-freedom-hong-kong/|title=Closing a Vital Window Into China|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=February 4, 2015|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> a list of things president Obama can do to leave a legacy that measures up to the promises he made,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/06/obama-unbound-presidential-legacy/|title=Obama, Unbound|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=January 6, 2015|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> a cautious evaluation of future hardship in the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/12/22/now-the-hard-work-begins-cuba-human-rights/|title=Now the Hard Work Begins|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=December 22, 2014|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> the backsliding of progress on media freedom in Myanmar,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/29/some-of-the-news-thats-fit-to-print/|title=Some of the News That’s Fit to Print|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=October 29, 2014|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> the future of activism in the internet age,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/18/the_lady_and_the_tweet|title=The Lady and the Tweet|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=September 18, 2012|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> and a trend of international mega-sporting events like the Olympics held by authoritarian regimes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/19/faster-higher-more-oppressive-olympics-world-cup-russia-qatar/|title=Faster, Higher, More Oppressive|author=Suzanne Nossel|date=May 19, 2015|work=Foreign Policy}}</ref> Nossel co-wrote, along with PEN President Andrew Solomon, an op-ed piece for ''The New York Times'' on PEN's decision to present the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Free Expression Courage Award to ''Charlie Hebdo''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/opinion/why-were-honoring-charlie-hebdo.html|title=Why We&#8217;re Honoring Charlie Hebdo|date=May 2, 2015|work=The New York Times}}</ref> She has also been interviewed in publications including the Washington Post],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/07/30/authors-group-pushes-for-nsa-reform-while-theres-still-time/|title=Authors group pushes for NSA reform, while there’s still time|author=Hayley Tsukayama|date=July 30, 2014|work=The Washington Post}}</ref> and progressive blogs such as the Mantle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mantlethought.org/content/nsa-chills-american-writers|title=How the NSA Chills American Writers: An Interview with Suzanne Nossel}}</ref>


As part of the PEN World Voices International Festival of Literature in 2014, she participated in a debate entitled "Who Owns the Mind?" with former NSA General Counsel Robert Deitz and ACLU Attorney Ben Wizner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldvoices.pen.org/event/2014/03/14/who-owns-mind|title=Who Owns the Mind?}}</ref>
Nossel co-wrote, along with PEN America President Andrew Solomon, an [[op-ed]] piece for ''The New York Times'' in 2015 on PEN's decision to present the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Free Expression Courage Award to ''Charlie Hebdo''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/opinion/why-were-honoring-charlie-hebdo.html|title=Why We're Honoring Charlie Hebdo|date=May 2, 2015|work=The New York Times}}</ref>


In ''Foreign Affairs'', she has covered topics ranging from the changing nature of liberal internationalism to [[Samantha Power]]'s ambassadorship in the United Nations. In 2004, she coined the term "Smart Power", which was the title of an article she published in ''Foreign Affairs'' that year.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nossel |first=Suzanne |date=March 21, 2004 |title=Smart Power: Reclaiming Liberal Internationalism |url=http://www.democracyarsenal.org/SmartPowerFA.pdf |journal=Foreign Affairs |volume=83| issue = 2 |pages=131–142 |via=Democracy Arsenal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2004-03-01/smart-power|title=Smart Power|first=Suzanne|last=Nossel|journal=Foreign Affairs |date=January 28, 2009|issue=March/April 2004 |accessdate=November 25, 2020|via=www.foreignaffairs.com}}</ref> It later became the theme of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's confirmation testimony and guided her tenure in office.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/01/26/smart-power|title=Smart Power|first=Hendrik|last=Hertzberg|magazine=The New Yorker|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
In 2013, she moderated a panel at [[Fordham University]]'s conference on NSA surveillance, organized by [[PEN American Center]] and the [[ACLU]], entitled "NSA Surveillance: What's the Harm?".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://calendars.fordham.edu/EventList.aspx?fromdate=11/14/2013&todate=11/14/2013&display=Day&type=public&eventidn=2399&view=EventDetails&information_id=7174|title=NSA Surveillance: What’s the Harm?}}</ref>


=== Selected articles ===
In March 2005, she founded the blog Democracy Arsenal, where she has written posts on topics including development, human rights, Iraq, Darfur, progressive strategy, proliferation, and the UN. Other frequent contributors to the blog include [[Rosa Brooks]], [[Michael A. Cohen (writer)|Michael Cohen]], [[Anita Sharma]], and [[Shadi Hamid]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracyarsenal.org/|title=democracyarsenal.org}}</ref>


* "The Real Culture Wars," ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'', February 29, 2024<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nossel |first=Suzanne |date=2024-02-29 |title=The Real Culture Wars |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/real-culture-wars |access-date=2024-02-29 |work=Foreign Affairs |language=en-US |issn=0015-7120}}</ref>
Together with [[Joseph Nye]], a former Assistant Secretary of Defense under the Clinton Administration and former Dean of the [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]] at Harvard University, Nossel has been credited with coining the term "Smart Power" in which she proposed a policy of [[liberal internationalism]], outlining the concept of the U.S. using military power as well as other forms of "[[soft power]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/59716/suzanne-nossel/smart-power|title=Smart Power|work=Foreign Affairs}}</ref>
* "Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer," ''[[Foreign Policy]]'', September 26, 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nossel |first=Suzanne |date=2024-02-12 |title=Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/26/china-usa-hollywood-confucius-institute-cultural-decoupling-not-answer/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Foreign Policy |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Controversy==
Citing her stated positions on the use of military force in what prominent peace activists view as illegal and unjust U.S. aggression, and her position on the government's treatment of U.S. dissidents, protests from these activists<ref>[http://antiwar.com/blog/2013/04/03/an-appeal-to-pen-exec-director-suzanne-nossel-must-go "An Appeal to PEN: Exec. Director Suzanne Nossel Must Go."]
John V. Walsh and Coleen Rowley, April 3, 2013</ref> have followed Nossel since her appointment and tenure at Amnesty International and upon her selection to head PEN.<ref>“The Hijacking of Human Rights”. TruthDig.com. April 8, 2013.</ref> Organizers from the feminist peace group [[Code Pink]] formed a campaign asking Amnesty's board for Nossel's resignation due to Nossel's support of the war in Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alternet.org/story/156303/why_i_had_to_challenge_amnesty_international-usa's_claim_that_nato's_presence_benefits_afghan_women|title=Why I Had to Challenge Amnesty International-USA's Claim That NATO's Presence Benefits Afghan Women|work=Alternet}}</ref>

Journalist and peace activist [[Chris Hedges]] resigned from PEN in protest of Nossel's appointment. Hedges claimed in his [http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/chris_hedges_resigns_from_human_rights_organization_pen_20130401 resignation letter to PEN] that "Nossel's relentless championing of preemptive war—which under international law is illegal—as a State Department official along with her callous disregard for Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians and her refusal as a government official to denounce the use of torture and use of extrajudicial killings, makes her utterly unfit to lead any human rights organization, especially one that has global concerns."

Hoever, most of PEN America disregarded Hedges' actions, and Nossel is commonly known as a popular and respected Executive Director.
<ref>{{cite av media|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnVuDz1pBGA#t=293|title=Chris Hedges: Why I Resigned from PEN|date=April 5, 2013|via=YouTube}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==


Nossel was born in [[Westchester, New York]], the daughter of South African parents and granddaughter of refugees from Nazi Germany who fled to South Africa during the 1930s.<ref name="JBI">[http://www.jbi-humanrights.org/jacob-blaustein-institute/2012/01/suzanne-nossel-on-un-human-rights-council-at-jbi-meeting.html Suzanne Nossel on UN Human Rights Council -- at JBI Meeting]</ref> She traces her interest in human rights to her growing up Jewish in America, and her visits to apartheid South Africa in her youth.<ref name="JBI"/> She has frequently visited relatives in Israel, saying “It's a place where I feel very comfortable and at home."<ref name="JBI"/>
Nossel was born in [[Westchester, New York]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scarsdalealumni.org/da|title=Distinguished Alumni|website=Scarsdale Alumni Association|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> the daughter of South African parents and granddaughter of refugees from Nazi Germany who fled to South Africa during the 1930s. She traces her interest in human rights to her growing up Jewish in the U.S., and her visits to apartheid South Africa in her youth. Nossel has frequently visited relatives in Israel, saying "It's a place where I feel very comfortable and at home."<ref name="JBI"/>


She lives with her husband and two children in Manhattan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/10/style/weddings-celebrations-suzanne-nossel-david-greenberg.html|title=WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Suzanne Nossel, David Greenberg (Published 2002)|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 10, 2002|accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref>
She is currently married and lives with her husband and two children in Manhattan.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{C-SPAN|Suzanne Nossel}}
*{{C-SPAN}}
* Video: {{YouTube|n87Q3mdH9HY|The Future of Free Speech}}.
* Video: {{YouTube|RmpmP9Sz4c0|The Loss of Local News with Suzanne Nossel}}.
* Video: {{YouTube|lojEGWicjMQ | So to Speak podcast}}.


{{Meta Platforms}}
==Other==
{{authority control}}
{{Citizendium|Suzanne Nossel}}


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[[Category:American women human rights activists]]
[[Category:American people of South African descent]]
[[Category:Amnesty International people]]
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[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Activists from Manhattan]]
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[[Category:American people of South African descent]]
[[Category:People from Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:People from Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:Scarsdale High School alumni]]
[[Category:Scarsdale High School alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
[[Category:American women non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:Facebook Oversight Board members]]

Latest revision as of 22:16, 31 October 2024

Suzanne Nossel
Born
Westchester County, New York, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA, JD)

Suzanne F. Nossel is a former government official, human rights advocate, author, and CEO of PEN America.[1] She has served in a variety of leadership roles in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors and has led PEN America since 2013.[2] A Harvard College and Harvard Law School graduate, her book is Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All (2020).[3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Nossel was born in Westchester, New York,[4] the daughter of South African parents and granddaughter of refugees from Nazi Germany who fled to South Africa during the 1930s.[5] Nossel graduated from Harvard College in 1991 and Harvard Law School in 1996.[6]

Early career

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In 1997 Nossel was awarded a Kauffman Fellowship for showing exceptional promise for a career in public interest law. Shortly thereafter she began to work as a Skadden Fellow at Children's Rights, a public interest advocacy organization in New York City.[7]

Career

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Private sector

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Early in her career, Nossel was an associate in consumer and media practice at the consulting firm McKinsey and Company.[8] She later worked as Vice President of U.S. Business Development for Bertelsmann Media and vice president of strategy and operations for the Wall Street Journal.[9]

Government

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Nossel served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs in 2009, where she was responsible for multilateral human rights, humanitarian affairs, women's issues, public diplomacy, press, and congressional relations. At the State Department, she played a leading role in U.S. engagement at the U.N. Human Rights Council, including the initiation of groundbreaking human rights resolutions on Iran, Syria, Libya, Côte d'Ivoire, freedom of association, freedom of expression, and the first U.N. resolution on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.[10]

From 1999 to 2001, Nossel served as Deputy to the Ambassador for U.N. Management and Reform at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations[11] under Richard C. Holbrooke. She was the lead U.S. negotiator in settling U.S. arrears to the United Nations through a landmark consensus agreement reached by the UN's General Assembly.[12]

Nossel served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for Judge Judith W. Rogers.

Nonprofits

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Nossel served as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA[13] from January 2012[14] to January 2013.[15] She was chief operating officer at Human Rights Watch.[16] She has also served as a Board Member of Tides Foundation, beginning in 2013, and still serving as of 2019.[17][18]

Nossel currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the literary and human rights organization PEN America. She oversaw the unification of PEN America with Los Angeles-based PEN Center USA,[19] the establishment of a Washington, D.C. office to drive policy advocacy, and the creation of a network of PEN America chapters across the organization.[20] Under Nossel's leadership, the organization has advocated for free expression in Hong Kong and China, Myanmar, Eurasia, and the United States.[21] PEN America has also developed programs focused on campus free speech, online harassment, artistic freedom, writing for justice and a range of other issues. PEN America has also expanded its literary programming,[22] reimagining the PEN America Literary Awards,[23] expanding the PEN World Voices Festival outside New York City, and through writing programs dedicated to amplifying lesser heard voices, including incarcerated writers and DREAMers.[24][25]

Controversies

[edit]

Nossel resigned from her role at Amnesty International USA after criticism by human rights organizations that she was using her role at the nonprofit to advocate for the use of war to cement U.S. military dominance in Afghanistan, Libya, and elsewhere.[26]

Nossel's tenure at PEN has also been marked by controversy, including the resignation of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges from PEN America in 2013 in protest of Nossel's appointment, who said: "PEN American Center, by appointing Nossel, has unwittingly highlighted its own failure to defend and speak out for our dissidents, especially Bradley Manning (see Chelsea Manning)."[27][28] In January 2024, writers Angela Flournoy and Kathleen Alcott withdrew from a PEN New Year event in Los Angeles to oppose the organization’s sponsorship of a separate gathering featuring Mayim Bialik, an author, actor and vocal supporter of Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip.[29][30] In February 2024, writers including Roxane Gay, Maaza Mengiste and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah condemned PEN America for its silence regarding Palestinian journalists, writers, and poets killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) beyond “press releases buried on its website”.[31] In March 2024, more than a dozen writers, including Lorrie Moore, Naomi Klein, Michelle Alexander, Hisham Matar and Isabella Hammad, signed a letter withdrawing from PEN America's World Voices Festival, condemning the organization for its stance on the Israel-Palestine Conflict.[32]

Publications

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Nossel is the author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All in 2020, a set of principles to chart a course for free speech that also promotes equity and inclusion.[33] Excerpts from the book have appeared in LitHub,[34] the Washington Post,[35] and the LA Times.[36] She is a featured columnist for Foreign Policy magazine and has published op-eds in The New York Times,[37] Politico,[38] and The Guardian,[39] among others.

Nossel co-wrote, along with PEN America President Andrew Solomon, an op-ed piece for The New York Times in 2015 on PEN's decision to present the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Free Expression Courage Award to Charlie Hebdo.[40]

In Foreign Affairs, she has covered topics ranging from the changing nature of liberal internationalism to Samantha Power's ambassadorship in the United Nations. In 2004, she coined the term "Smart Power", which was the title of an article she published in Foreign Affairs that year.[41][42] It later became the theme of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's confirmation testimony and guided her tenure in office.[43]

Selected articles

[edit]

Personal life

[edit]

Nossel was born in Westchester, New York,[46] the daughter of South African parents and granddaughter of refugees from Nazi Germany who fled to South Africa during the 1930s. She traces her interest in human rights to her growing up Jewish in the U.S., and her visits to apartheid South Africa in her youth. Nossel has frequently visited relatives in Israel, saying "It's a place where I feel very comfortable and at home."[5]

She lives with her husband and two children in Manhattan.[47]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "PW Notables of the Year: Suzanne Nossel". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "PEN American Center Names Suzanne Nossel as Executive Director". January 16, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Dare to Speak". HarperCollins. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "Distinguished Alumni". Scarsdale Alumni Association. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Suzanne Nossel on UN Human Rights Council -- at JBI Meeting".
  6. ^ "Radcliffe honors alums". May 31, 2001. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "About". Kauffman Fellows. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "Suzanne Nossel". December 2015.
  9. ^ "Suzanne Nossel". Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "U.N. council passes gay rights resolution". CNN. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "United States Mission to the United Nations". United States Mission to the United Nations. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "Suzanne Nossel". Foreign Policy for America. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  13. ^ "Amnesty International USA Announces Leadership Transition: Suzanne Nossel Selected as New Executive Director of Human Rights Organization". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  14. ^ "Amnesty International USA Announces Leadership Transition: Suzanne Nossel Selected as New Executive Director of Human Rights Organization". Amnesty International USA. November 16, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "Suzanne Nossel resigns as Amnesty International USA Executive Director". Human Rights Investigations. January 9, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Suzanne Nossel". Global Freedom of Expression. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  17. ^ Board of Directors, Tides Foundation, archived 1 Oct 2019
  18. ^ "Board of Directors". Tides Foundation. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "PEN America, PEN Center USA to Merge". PublishersWeekly.com.
  20. ^ "PEN America Launches Six Regional Chapters". PublishersWeekly.com.
  21. ^ "PEN America: China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey Are World's Worst Jailers of Writers". May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  22. ^ León, Concepción de (May 2, 2019). "15 Years Later, PEN World Voices Festival Is Still Trying to Unify the World (Published 2019)". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  23. ^ Wylde, Kaitlyn (March 4, 2020). "Seth Meyers Hosted the PEN America Literary Awards". Vogue. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  24. ^ Hobbs, Allegra (August 15, 2019). "DREAMers in New York City break their silence in PEN America workshop". amNewYork. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  25. ^ "Pen America Publishes Anthology of Essays, Memoir, Stories and Poems by Immigrant 'Dreamers' - MOME". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  26. ^ "Suzanne Nossel resigns as Amnesty International USA Executive Director". Human Rights Investigations. January 9, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  27. ^ Hedges, Chris (April 4, 2013). "Chris Hedges: Why I Resigned from PEN". The Real News Network.
  28. ^ Scheer, Peter Z. (April 2, 2013). "Chris Hedges Resigns From Human Rights Organization PEN". Truth Dig. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  29. ^ Smith, Ryan (December 18, 2023). "Mayim Bialik Faces Fresh Backlash". Newsweek. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  30. ^ Sheehan, Dan (January 31, 2024). "Two novelists have cut ties with PEN over its Mayim Bialik event and Gaza silence". Literary Hub. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Creamer, Ella (February 12, 2024). "Open letter criticising PEN America's stance on Israel-Gaza war reaches 500 signatories". The Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  32. ^ Luscombe, Richard (March 15, 2024). "Authors withdraw from PEN America festival in protest over Israel-Gaza war". The Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  33. ^ "Dare to Speak". January 29, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  34. ^ "Has Free Speech Become an Even More Partisan Issue Under the Trump Administration?". July 15, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  35. ^ Nossel, Suzanne. "Perspective | Five myths about free speech". Retrieved November 25, 2020 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  36. ^ "Op-Ed: Those who exercise free speech should also defend it — even when it's offensive". Los Angeles Times. June 19, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  37. ^ Nossel, Suzanne (December 17, 2019). "Opinion | Fool Us Once, Shame on You. Fool Us in 2020, Shame on Us". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  38. ^ Nossel, Suzanne (October 16, 2018). "Trump's Attacks on the Press Are Illegal. We're Suing". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  39. ^ "Donald Trump treats the press like an authoritarian thug | Suzanne Nossel". the Guardian. January 12, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  40. ^ "Why We're Honoring Charlie Hebdo". The New York Times. May 2, 2015.
  41. ^ Nossel, Suzanne (March 21, 2004). "Smart Power: Reclaiming Liberal Internationalism" (PDF). Foreign Affairs. 83 (2): 131–142 – via Democracy Arsenal.
  42. ^ Nossel, Suzanne (January 28, 2009). "Smart Power". Foreign Affairs. No. March/April 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2020 – via www.foreignaffairs.com.
  43. ^ Hertzberg, Hendrik. "Smart Power". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  44. ^ Nossel, Suzanne (February 29, 2024). "The Real Culture Wars". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  45. ^ Nossel, Suzanne (February 12, 2024). "Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer". Foreign Policy. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  46. ^ "Distinguished Alumni". Scarsdale Alumni Association. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  47. ^ "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Suzanne Nossel, David Greenberg (Published 2002)". The New York Times. November 10, 2002. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
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