• Introduction to Transitional Justice
  • Presented by Jennifer Prestholdt
• Operation and Mandate of the Liberian TRC
  • Presented by Jerome Verdier
• TRC Diaspora Project Overview
  • Presented by Jennifer Prestholdt

Webcam Session: (00:53:04)
Photo by UNMIL (Photographer Michal Broza)

Time and Date:
April 20, 2007
10:45 AM

Location:
Faegre and Benson LLP
Century Room
2200 Wells Fargo Center
90 South Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402

CLE:
1 Standard CLE credit has been granted (Event Code 108627).

Faculty:

Jennifer Prestholdt is the Deputy Director of The Advocates for Human Rights. Ms. Prestholdt has a B.A. in political science from Yale and a M.A.L.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she studied international human rights law and international refugee policy. She graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996.

Ms. Prestholdt has worked on refugee and asylum issues for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland. She has also interned for the Reebok Human Rights Program and the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination Against and Protection of Minorities. Prior to becoming Deputy Director of The Advocates for Human Rights, Ms. Prestholdt practiced asylum law for five years as the Director of the Refugee and Immigrant Program. As The Advocates’ Deputy Director, she assists in fundraising for and directing organizational operations. Ms. Prestholdt also supervises the development and administration of special projects dealing with emerging human rights issues, including the International Human Rights Monitoring Project. Ms. Prestholdt is an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where she teaches International Human Rights Law.

Cllr. Jerome J. Verdier, Sr.  was a leading human rights and civil society activist prior to his selection to serve on the TRC. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) Degree in Accounting and Economics (1988) from the University of Liberia and a Bachelors of Laws Degree (LLB) from its Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law. Apart from working both in the private and public sectors as Senior Accountant, Comptroller and Executive Director, he has been instrumental in strengthening civil society advocacy whilst serving in several capacities as Executive Director of Liberia Democracy Watch (LDW); Chairman of the Board of Directors of The National Human Rights Center of Liberia (NGRCL), a consortium of nine human rights and pro-democracy organizations; Board Chairperson of the Foundation For International Dignity (FIND); Senior Staff Attorney for the Association of Environmental Lawyers (Green Advocates); and the first Research & Program Officer of the Catholic Justice & Peace Commission (JPC). Cllr. Verdier is a practicing attorney, credited for rendering pro bono legal services to indigents, civil society activists and journalists, whilst also leading civil society adversarial legal teams in several successful lawsuits against the government of Liberia.