Michèle Taylor

Michèle Taylor is an American diplomat who is the United States ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council. She previously served as a board member of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights[1] and was a founding board member and vice chair of President Joe Biden’s Super PAC, Unite The Country.[2][3]

Michèle Taylor
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 22, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byKeith Harper
Personal details
BornPalo Alto, California, U.S.
SpouseKenneth Taylor
ChildrenTwo
EducationMills College (BA)
Boston University (MA)
For other people, see Michele Taylor (disambiguation).

Early life and education

Taylor was born in Palo Alto, California. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College and Master of Arts in mathematics from Boston University.[4]

Career

Political involvement

In 2012, Taylor joined the Democratic National Committee. She served as Vice Chair of the National Finance Committee until 2016.[5] Taylor co-founded and served as vice chair of the pro-Biden Super PAC, Unite The Country.[6] Following the general election in November 2020, Taylor founded and worked as chair/CEO of Battleground Georgia.[7]

In 2014, she was appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by then-president Barack Obama, where she served on committees addressing antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and global genocide and atrocity prevention.[4] In the same year, Taylor was invited to serve as a consultant to the White House on the Violence Against Women Act’s 20th anniversary.[8] Additionally, she joined the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeastern board, a role she held until 2017.[9]

In 2018, she and her husband chaired the Center’s Power to Inspire event where Joe Biden was honored and served as the keynote speaker.[10]

Diplomatic career

On October 21, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Taylor to be the US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on December 14, 2021. The committee reported her nomination favorably on January 12, 2022. On February 17, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Taylor by voice vote.[11] She assumed office on February 22, 2022.

Community involvement

Taylor has held leadership positions for human rights organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, Battleground Georgia,[7] the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault,[4] and the Atlanta chapter of the Electing Women Alliance, which she co-founded alongside Jina Sinone, Pinney Allen, Nancy Koziol, and Sonya Halpern.

She is part of the Leadership Atlanta alumni class of 2018.[12]

Taylor has been a board member, a course director, and a lead instructor with North Carolina’s Outward Bound program since 2004.[4]

She serves as a board member, governance chair, and the guest programming Co-Chair of the Atlanta Jewish Film Society, which hosts the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival where she has introduced films.[13]

Since 2010, Taylor has served as the treasurer of the Atlanta Midtown Improvement District board.[8] She was appointed by Mayors Kasim Reed and Keisha Lance Bottoms to the role.[14]

Taylor has served in several leadership roles with the board of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.[1]

Personal life

Taylor's mother Hanne Susi Trnka and Taylor's grandparents were Holocaust survivors. Her mother was 3 years old during Kristallnacht in Vienna, but the family escaped harm due to a tip that the Nazis were looking for her grandfather. The family immigrated to America in 1939.[15]

Taylor is Jewish and lives in Atlanta with her husband, Kenneth Taylor. They have two children. Taylor is also a part-time resident of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.[13][16]

References
  1. Brock, Emilia; Prescott, Virginia (14 May 2019). "How Hollywood Tackled Fascism In Film To Build American Support For WWII". gpb.org. On Second Thought. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  2. Severns, Maggie (30 October 2019). "Biden super PAC moves out of the shadows". Politico. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  3. "President Biden Announces Key Nominations". The White House. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. Office of the Press Secretary (24 April 2014). "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". The White House. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  5. Dovere, Edward-Isaac (7 February 2018). "Inside Biden's 2018 — and possibly 2020 — plans". Politico. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  6. Haberman, Maggie (15 September 2015). "Democrats Move to Beef Up Fund-Raising With Staff Overhaul". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  7. "Endorsements: Liliana Bakhtiari for City Council". lilianaforatlanta.com. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  8. "Michele Taylor". civilandhumanrights.org. National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  9. "President Obama Announces New Appointee to United States Holocaust Memorial Council". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  10. Saporta, Maria (29 March 2018). "Guess who's coming to dinner? Joe Biden". Saporta Report. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  11. "PN1296 - Nomination of Michele Taylor for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  12. "Public Directory". leadershipatlanta.org. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  13. "Meet AJFF: Co-chair of Guest Programming and Member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Michele Taylor". Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Atlanta Jewish Film Society. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  14. "Mayor Appointments: Board, Authority, Commission, Etc. (BACE) Appointments, Legislation, Board Description as of July 6, 2021". citycouncil.atlantaga.gov. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  15. ShareAmerica. "U.S. Ambassador Michèle Taylor, descendant of Holocaust survivors". U.S. Embassy in Israel. State Department. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  16. Berg, Alison (22 October 2021). "Steamboat Springs woman appointed to serve as UN ambassador". Steamboatpilot.com. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
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