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Michelle Bernard        

Political Analyst, MSNBC and Founder, The Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy

Michelle D. Bernard is the chairman, founder, president and CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy and is a frequent political and legal analyst on MSNBC and other television networks. Bernard is a regular panelist with Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Daily Run Down with Chuck Todd and The Dylan Ratigan Group. Additionally, Bernard appears regularly on The McLaughlin Group. She is a regular guest commentator on National Public Radios All Things Considered and Tell Me More with Michel Martin and is a contributor for The Hills Pundits Blog and The Washington Posts "She the People", a forum for women writing on politics, culture and the news.

Bernard is the author of Womens Progress: How Women Are Wealthier, Healthier and More Independent Than Ever Before and is a contributing author to the National Urban Leagues State of Black America and Lifetime Networks Secrets of Powerful Women: 25 Successful American Politicians Tell How They Got Where They Are And What Its Like. In 2009, Bernard created, co-produced and hosted MSNBCs historic television program, About Our Children, featuring Dr. Bill Cosby. The program, which explored poverty and education reform, aired on MSNBC on September 20, 2009. Bernard is a director of the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, Hampton University, and the National Womens History Museum. Bernard is a member of the Womens Forum of Washington, D.C. and is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Maryland.

An attorney by training, Bernard concentrates on domestic and foreign policy matters. As a political and legal analyst, Bernard has spoken on topics as varied as the historic 2008 presidential campaign and election, various Congressional and gubernatorial campaigns and elections, the political participation and voting trends of African Americans and women, education reform and school choice, energy policy and security, foreign policy and national security issues, the war in Iraq, advancing democracy, economic liberty and the human rights of women and ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East. Bernard has been featured in several publications, including Essence.com, Fast Company magazine, Jamaque magazine, The Legal Times, Newsmax magazine, 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. In July 2008, Newsmax magazine named Bernard as one of three Fast Trackers on its list of the nations top opinion leaders.

Bernard has appeared on ABC News Now, ABC Radio, BBC Radio, CNNs The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, C-SPANs Q&A with Brian Lamb and Washington Journal, Fox News Channels Americas Newsroom, Hannity & Colmes, The OReilly Factor, Studio B with Shepard Smith and Live Desk with Martha MacCallum, HBOs The Bill Maher Show, MSNBCs Decision 08 with Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, Morning Joe and NBCs TODAY and Nightly News Weekend Edition. She also has been a guest of PBSs This is America with Dennis Wholey, XM Satellite Radios presidential election channel POTUS 08, various hosts with XMs The Power, and several Middle Eastern radio and cable television programs.

Bernards opinion editorials and commentaries have appeared in the G8 Summit magazine, The Hill.com, The Huffington Post, US News and World Report, The Washington Examiner, The Nashua Telegraph, The New York Post, The Philadelphia Daily News and The Washington Times.

Bernard has spoken before numerous organizations and as the former president and CEO of the Independent Womens Forum (IWF), founded IWFs Iraqi Womens Democracy Initiative, which assisted in the development and implementation of training programs built on the pillars of democracy, womens rights and religious freedom, political activism in a democracy, issues of governance, free markets and non-governmental organizations.

Prior to founding the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy and joining IWF, Bernard had a short stint with the 2000 Bush-Cheney Presidential Inaugural Committee, Inc. Prior to that time, she was a partner at the District of Columbias Patton Boggs LLP.

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.

Speech Topics

A Uniquely American Dream: The Presidency of Barack Obama and the Future of Black Politics

What do the election and presidency of Barack Obama mean for race relations in America and around the world? Has Obama’s advocacy of personal responsibility and stable families become a call to arms to minorities and people of color? And will Obama’s rise to power create a new generation of black leaders who transcend color barriers and traditional civil rights paradigms? While many analysts avoid issues of race, ethnicity and equality, Michelle Bernard addresses them head-on. As a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Jamaica, Bernard shares a unique vantage point on race, including her own rise to success. Smart, passionate and candid with her views, Bernard discusses: · How education remains the great equalizer in American society and how Obama’s advocacy for better educational opportunities for minorities and all Americans is the ultimate prescription for achieving the American dream · How the current generation of black leaders has redefined the American dream in a post–civil rights era

More Than Single-Issue Voters: How Today’s American Women Are Changing the Face of Feminism

After years of struggle, the feminist movement in the United States has made tremendous strides in advancing the causes of women around the world. But rather than stand for niche issues, Michelle Bernard argues that American women need to move beyond “the feminist ethos of victimhood” and recognize that ALL issues are women’s issues. In a speech based on her recent book, Women’s Progress: How Women Are Wealthier, Healthier and More Independent Than Ever Before, Bernard shows that the paradigm has shifted and that American women have made remarkable progress in today’s society. With astounding successes reached in business, politics and culture, Bernard makes the case that in the United States, the feminist movement needs to move more toward advancing issues that build strong families and communities — even a stronger nation — rather than relying on the feminist mantra of days past. In this compelling and informative speech, Bernard shows audiences: · What the future holds for feminism, women, politics and public policy · How the candidacies of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Gov. Sarah Palin shed light on the differences between so-called mainstream feminism and the largely ignored free-market feminism embraced by many American women · How many left-of-center “women leaders” often ignore the real problems facing American women today · That the feminist movement has largely ignored the plight of women around the world, particularly those in Islamic countries, who do not enjoy the basic human rights and freedoms that American women enjoy, and that feminists must now focus on advocating for equality for women abroad

The View From Washington

Political analyst Michelle Bernard brings audiences an in-depth look at some of today's most complex topics and distills multifaceted stories into a thought-provoking analysis. Whether the issue is politics, government or the economy, Bernard provides an up-to-the-minute look at the news shaping our times. She also provides thoughtful analysis on the role of race, gender and religion in electoral politics as well as the media’s role in shaping political campaigns. In this informative talk, Bernard helps audiences understand the prospects of the Obama Administration’s agenda with Republican-controlled Congress. Taking an in-depth look at the challenges both political parties face in these fractious times, Bernard provides effective policy solutions that are needed to issues of both domestic and international importance.

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