Siri Nelson: A New Champion For Whistleblowers Everywhere
Since this article, written by Peter Briccetti, was originally published on Whistleblower Network News (WNN), Siri Nelson has been working tirelessly to promote the cause of whistleblowers everywhere and spread the word about National Whistleblower Day 2021. The event features prominent whistleblowers, legislators, and regulators sharing their gratitude for whistleblowers, and sharing their perspectives about what we can do to strengthen protections and rights for whistleblowers around the world. RSVP for National Whistleblower Day 2021 here!
Siri Nelson, the new Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), is excited about the future and proud of her past work. As a whistleblower attorney at top whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn, & Colapinto (KKC), Nelson discovered her passion for defending and advocating for whistleblowers, as well as promoting whistleblowing in the U.S. and abroad.
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Nelson began her career at Northeastern University and specialized in digital privacy. During an internship at Northeastern, she was surprised to discover how connected whistleblowers were to the essential task of protecting the privacy of citizens. While working as an Internet Public Interest Opportunities Clerk at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Nelson noticed that the predominant opinion among her colleagues was that whistleblowers were not disruptive troublemakers but instead essential heroes who put their lives and careers on the line to further the public interest. Seeing this different attitude towards whistleblowers “helped me understand the connection between whistleblowers and protecting our civil liberties.”
Inspired by this experience, Nelson took whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn’s Whistleblower Law Seminar at Northeastern, a course which Nelson now teaches. It was during this seminar that she discovered the possibility of becoming a whistleblower attorney as a career path, and decided to dedicate herself to the work. For her hard work and excellence, she was asked to become the Estelle Kohn Fellow at KKC, an extremely prestigious honor.
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When the position of NWC Executive Director opened up,[she] “could not think of a more impactful role to play for someone who wants to fight for whistleblower’s rights,” Nelson said, “so I put my all into the application process and was selected. It is such a huge honor!”
With NWD set for July 30, Nelson is wasting no time in planning a celebration that will go above and beyond already high expectations. Speaking about National Whistleblower Day 2020, Nelson stated:
“Last year, National Whistleblower Day meant normalcy in chaos. The shutdowns began in the early stages of our planning and it was the first time the day would be offered digitally. It was magical how well the teams at KKC and NWC were able to get programming together. So, for me, NWD means teamwork. And, it also means a sense of belonging. I have worked on a lot of purpose-driven initiatives in the past, but for the first time I felt like I was working on something that could have a lasting impact and truly spoke to a diverse audience. I also see NWD as an opportunity for education. That is how I first interacted with it, as an attendee who wanted to know more. This year we have an incredible program, so it will be truly informative, and I hope one day soon we can say that NWD is a permanent holiday. Whistleblowers deserve it.”
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Read the rest of the article at Whistleblower Network News here.
Register for National Whistleblower Day 2021 here.
Check out the schedule of events for National Whistleblower Day 2021 here.
