Michelle D. Bernard is the president of the Independent Women's Forum. An attorney by training, Bernard concentrates on domestic and international legal, legislative and foreign policy matters pertaining to women and minorities. Known as IWF's "Renaissance woman," Bernard has an impressive resume and an uncanny ability to speak persuasively on an incredible range of topics.
A native Washingtonian, Bernard learned the ins and outs of the nation's capital in a variety of high powered jobs including a stint in the 2000 Bush-Cheney Presidential Inaugural Committee, Inc., a partnership at the District of Columbia's Patton Boggs LLP, and chairmanship of the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency where she gained wide experience and recognition for negotiating the joint public-private financing and development deal which paved the way for the construction of the MCI Center, home of the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals. In January 1996, after negotiating $275 million in financing for the District's new sports arena, Bernard helped land a city bond offering on Wall Street, saving the District's taxpayers between $7 million and $11 million. In 1997, The Legal Times stated that in hiring Bernard, one of her client's had "tapped its own source of political prowess."