Bio
A Long and Distinguished Career Advancing Women’s Rights
A public-interest attorney, journalist, and entrepreneurial leader, Kolbert has been recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America.” In 1992, Kolbert made her second appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This landmark case has been widely credited with saving Roe v. Wade with what has been called "one of the most audacious litigation strategies in Supreme Court history.” The Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade and Casey in 2022 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Founder of the Athena Center for leadership at Barnard College
In June, 2018, Kolbert retired from her position as the Constance Hess Williams ’66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership at Barnard College, an interdisciplinary center dedicated to the advancement of women’s leadership, which she founded in 2009. She was also a Professor of Leadership Studies and the Co-Founder of the Athena Film Festival. She continued to serve as the Producing Director of the Athena Film Festival until July 2020.
A public-interest attorney, journalist & entrepreneurial leader
Prior to coming to Barnard, Kolbert served as the President and CEO of People for the American Way and its Foundation, two of the nation’s premier civil rights organizations. From 1998-2008, she oversaw a program on law and American life at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center where she was the creator and executive producer of NPR’s Justice Talking, an award-winning radio program distributed to 125+ stations across the globe and its companion website, JusticeLearning.org.
From 1992 to 1997, Kolbert directed domestic litigation and public policy programs for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which she co-founded, and served as its first vice president. She has also served as the State Coordinating Counsel of the National ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project and as a Staff Attorney with both the Women's Law Project and Community Legal Services in Philadelphia..
writing and public speaking on Reproductive Rights, Constitutional Law, and Women’s Leadership
Kolbert and Julie F. Kay are the co-authors of Controlling Women: What We Must Do NOW to Save Reproductive Freedom, the definitive account of the battle for reproductive freedom and a bold new strategy to safeguard our rights, publishe by Hachette Books in July, 2021.
A graduate of Temple University School of Law and Cornell University’s School of Arts and Sciences, Kolbert lectures at colleges and universities across the nation and is a frequent commentator on constitutional and women’s rights issues in the national media. She currently serves on the Board of Vote Run Lead.
