Betsy Popken
Executive Director
Betsy Popken is the Executive Director of the Human Rights Center (HRC) at UC Berkeley School of Law. Building off her prior experience, Betsy leads a team conducting a global human rights assessment of generative AI and spearheads HRC's work on international peace negotiations, collaborating with the United Nations Institute on Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG). Betsy also manages HRC's developing work in the climate and human rights space. Drawing from her real-world experience, Betsy teaches courses on Technology & Human Rights and International Peace Negotiations at Berkeley Law. Previously, Betsy co-founded and co-led the Business & Human Rights practice at the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. While her practice at Orrick spanned sectors, she had a particular passion for helping clients tackle human rights issues raised by emerging technologies. She served on the World Economic Forum’s Steering Committee for the Responsible Use of Technology and published numerous articles on the intersection of technology and human rights. Betsy also worked on United Nations-mediated peace and ceasefire negotiations in Darfur, Syria, and Yemen through PILPG. She led PILPG’s work with the Syrian opposition negotiation team, funded by the U.S. State Department, U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and Global Affairs Canada. Betsy also founded and led PILPG’s Istanbul office in 2015-2016, and worked at this time throughout the Middle East and at the Palace of Nations in Geneva. Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Betsy advised Ukraine's Parliament on how to vet the public sector. She currently serves as a Senior Peace Fellow for PILPG. Betsy previously taught negotiations at Stanford Law School, drawing from her experience in these real-world negotiations. Betsy previously worked for California Rural Legal Assistance, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. She was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.