Human Rights First announced the election of Rear Admiral John D. Hutson (Ret.) and Dr. Gail Furman to its Board of Directors.
Rear Admiral John D. Hutson is the President and Dean of the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire. He served as the Navy's Judge Advocate General from 1997 to 2000. As the Navy JAG, Admiral Hutson presided over the JAG Corps (1,600 officers, enlisted and civilian personnel in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines) and advised the Secretary of the Navy, the Commandant of the Marines, and the senior leadership of the Navy in all legal matters related to military justice.
“Admiral Hutson has been an invaluable advisor and ally to us on a range of issues relating to military law and policy” said Michael Posner, Executive Director of Human Rights First. “Our consultations with him have led to a real partnership. His joining our board is a natural progression in our common efforts to promote the rule of law around the world.”
Admiral Hutson enlisted in the Navy after earning his law degree at the University of Minnesota. He has served in this country and abroad. In the US he was stationed in Texas, California and Maine; served as a teacher at the Naval Justice School (NJS), Newport, RI; and had three tours in the Office of Legislative Affairs, Washington DC. In 1994 he became Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Legal Service Office for Europe and Southwest Asia (Naples, Italy) and a year later he became Commanding Officer of the NJS. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (with three gold stars), Meritorious Service Medal (with two gold stars), Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal.
Dr. Gail Furman, a long-time friend of Human Rights First, is a Child psychologist, currently in private practice in New York City. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Medical School at the Child Study Center. In addition to her practice she is involved in a wide range of civic and professional activities. She serves on the Board of the Child Study Center (NYU Medical School), Women’s Commission for Refugee Women, and Leadership Council of Children in Armed Conflict. She is on the Governance Board of Fundacion Amistad and an Advisory Committee Member of the Children’s Rights and Asian Divisions of Human Rights Watch.
She has participated in a number of fact finding missions for the Women’s Commission and the International Rescue Committee, examining the situation of children and children’s programs in Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Cambodia, and on the Thai/Burma border. Dr. Furman is also a certified social worker, and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from New York University.
“Gail Furman's passion for human rights is expressed in everything she does – from her private practice to her work on behalf of refugee children in armed conflicts, to her passionate commitment that in the post 9/11 environment the United States must maintain a commitment to human rights and the rule of law,” said Posner.
