Eileen Donahoe

Donahoe holds a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Dartmouth College, and she received her JD and master's degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford. She also earned a master's degree in Theological Studies from Harvard University, and a PhD in Ethics and Social Theory from the Graduate Theological Union, an affiliate of University of California, Berkeley.

Donahoe’s professional career began in litigation, with the law firm Fenwick & West in Silicon Valley, where she worked as a technology litigator.{{Cite web|last=Donahoe|first=AmbassadorEileen|title=Ambassador (ret.) Eileen Donahoe, Author at Just Security|url=https://www.justsecurity.org/author/donahoeeileen/|access-date=2021-06-25|website=Just Security|language=en-US}} For a time, she served as a law clerk for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and Judge William H. Orrick Jr.{{Cite web|title=Ambassador Eileen Donahoe on the Arab Spring|url=https://law.stanford.edu/event/ambassador-eileen-donahoe-on-the-arab-spring/|access-date=2021-07-02|website=Stanford Law School|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2012-09-12|title=Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Human Rights Council (2010-2013)|url=https://geneva.usmission.gov/2012/09/12/donahoe-bi/|access-date=2021-07-02|website=U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva|language=en-US}}

In 2006 she published her PhD dissertation on the topic of Humanitarian Military Intervention.{{Cite web|title=Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe to be nominated US ambassador to UN Human Rights Council|url=https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/eileen_chamberlain_donahoe_to_be_nominated_us_ambassador_to_un_human_rights_council_20091110|access-date=2021-07-07|website=cisac.fsi.stanford.edu|date=10 November 2009 |language=en}} The dissertation addressed conflicting moral imperatives versus the rule of law justifications associated with military intervention during humanitarian crises.{{Cite web|title=Council of American Ambassadors|url=https://www.americanambassadors.org/members/eileen-c-donahoe|access-date=2021-07-07|website=Council of American Ambassadors|language=en}}

Other areas of interest for her research include the connection between US foreign policy and human rights for The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (now Human Rights First), and strategies on the human rights of women and children for Amnesty International’s Ginetta Sagan Fund.{{Cite web|title=White House nominates Portola Valley resident Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe to U.N. ambassadorship|url=https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2009/11/10/white-house-nominates-portola-valley-resident-eileen-chamberlain-donahoe-to-un-ambassadorship|access-date=2021-07-09|website=www.almanacnews.com|date=10 November 2009 |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Eileen Donahoe appointed to ISHR Board|url=https://www.ishr.ch/news/eileen-donahoe-appointed-ishr-board|access-date=2021-05-05|website=ISHR|date=3 May 2014 |language=en}}

In September 2023, she was appointed as Special Envoy and Coordinator for Digital Freedom in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP).

On 9 November 2009, the Obama administration nominated Donahoe to be the first U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. This was subsequently approved by the Senate, and Donahoe was appointed to the position where she represented the lead body in the promotion and protection of human rights.{{Cite web|title=White House nominates Portola Valley resident Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe to U.N. ambassadorship|url=https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2009/11/10/white-house-nominates-portola-valley-resident-eileen-chamberlain-donahoe-to-un-ambassadorship|access-date=2021-08-24|website=www.almanacnews.com|date=10 November 2009 |language=en}}

During her role as Ambassador, Donahoe was actively engaged in advocacy for human rights, liberty, dignity, justice, and opportunity during a period marked by transformative change.{{Cite web|last=Donahoe|first=Eileen|title=Ambassador (ret.) Eileen Donahoe, Author at Just Security|url=https://www.justsecurity.org/author/donahoeeileen/|access-date=2021-08-30|website=Just Security|language=en-US}} Throughout her three-year term she spearheaded the effort to protect freedom of expression on the Internet, which culminated in all 47 member states of the UN Human Rights Council voting to include this as a basic human right,{{Cite web|title=U.N. Human Rights Council Backs Internet Freedom|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/07/06/156354693/u-n-human-rights-council-back-internet-freedom|access-date=2021-08-30|website=NPR.org|language=en}} and took action on various urgent human rights crises of the time, including Cote d’Ivoire, Syria to Libya, Iran and more.{{Cite web|date=2012-09-12|title=Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Human Rights Council|url=https://geneva.usmission.gov/2012/09/12/donahoe-bi/|access-date=2021-08-30|website=U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva|language=en-US}}

Following her successful tenure serving her term as UN Ambassador, Donahoe was selected to the role of Director of Global Affairs for Human Rights Watch, where she was particularly focussed on the areas of Internet freedom, security, and governance in relation to global human rights foreign policy.{{Cite web|title=Donahoe, Eileen Chamberlain - Social Networks and Archival Context|url=https://snaccooperative.org/view/49434647|access-date=2021-09-15|website=snaccooperative.org}} Ahead of the US presidential and congressional midterm elections in 2017 and 2018, Donahoe held the role of Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford University, where she engaged in several conversations, panels, podcasts, and papers advocating for freedom, security, and democratic accountability in the digital world.{{Cite web|title=Protecting Democracy from Online Disinformation Requires Better Algorithms, Not Censorship|url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/protecting-democracy-online-disinformation-requires-better-algorithms-not-censorship|access-date=2021-09-15|website=Council on Foreign Relations|language=en}}{{Cite news|first1=Michael|last1=Chertoff|first2=Eileen|last2=Donahoe|date=2018-11-12|title=Commentary: For election hackers, a new and more dangerous tool|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chertoffdonahoe-hacking-commentary-idUKKCN1NH1W2|access-date=2021-09-15}}{{Cite web|date=2018-11-23|title=For election hackers, Deepfake technology is a new and even more dangerous tool|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-30887236.html|access-date=2021-09-15|website=Irish Examiner|language=en}}

Her podcast with Quinta Jurecic and Alina Polyakova, the president and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis, covered the topic combatting digital authoritarianism, protecting freedom of expression and privacy, and the use of international human rights law frameworks to protect and moderate digital commentary.{{Cite web|first1=Eileen|last1=Donahoe|first2=Quinta|last2=Jurecic|first3=Alina|last3=Polyakova|date=2020-06-12|title=Podcast: Eileen Donahoe on protecting free expression online|url=https://www.brookings.edu/techstream/eileen-donahoe-on-protecting-free-expression-online/|access-date=2021-09-30|website=Brookings|language=en-US}}

Again, in 2020, with a new US election looming, Donahoe made the case for internet platforms to exercise the protection of democracy and for private sector platforms to exercise their rights to combat political disinformation through leaning toward a stronger governance and articulation of their digital powers. This post was published following the Republican and Democratic parties threatening to revoke the Communications Decency Act Section 230, a law that is essential to the protection of free speech online.{{Cite web|last=Gilliland|first=Donald|date=2020-08-15|title=Internet platforms should exercise their own free expression to protect democracy|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/511943-internet-platforms-should-exercise-their-own-free-expression-to-protect|access-date=2021-10-05|website=TheHill|language=en}}

Following the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, the newly appointed Biden Administration announced plans to rejoin the Council in 2021, a move which Donahoe indicated she supported during an interview with NPR’s Michele Kelemen.{{Cite news|title=Biden Administration To Rejoin U.N. Human Rights Council|language=en|work=NPR.org|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/08/965515648/biden-administration-to-rejoin-u-n-human-rights-council|access-date=2021-11-19}} Donahoe presented her comments that the US should have a seat at the table with human rights diplomacy, especially at a time when the aspirations and values of human rights commitments are being challenged in 21st century digital society and are in danger of succumbing to digital authoritarianism,{{Cite web|title=Despite its limits, human rights diplomacy should be pursued|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Despite-its-limits-human-rights-diplomacy-should-be-pursued|access-date=2021-11-19|website=Nikkei Asia|language=en-GB}} highlighting the emerging of China’s archetype of digital authoritarianism as a momentous event in history during a time of China’s growing influence and increasing push for power.{{Cite web |title=Despite its limits, human rights diplomacy should be pursued |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Despite-its-limits-human-rights-diplomacy-should-be-pursued |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}}

On 29 November 2022, Donahoe hosted the Tech4Democracy Silicon Valley Venture Day and encouraged a new way of thinking with regards to reinforcing democracy through concentrating on advancing and applying the newly emerging opportunities of technology that can boost democracy.{{Cite web |last1=University |first1=© Stanford |last2=Stanford |last3=California 94305 |title=Tech4Democracy Global Entrepreneurship Challenge {{!}} Silicon Valley Venture |url=https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/gdpi/content/tech4democracy-global-entrepreneurship-challenge-silicon-valley-venture-day |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=cyber.fsi.stanford.edu |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Tech4Democracy's North America Venture Day |url=https://www.ie.edu/university/news-events/news/samantha-power-calls-development-technologies-respect-rights-reinforce-democratic-values-tech4democracys-north-america-venture-day/ |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=University |language=en}}

• Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI), Member (since 2018)[http://www.allianceofdemocracies.org/initiatives/the-campaign/press_release_tcei/ Transatlantic, bi-partisan Commission launched to prevent election meddling] Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI), press release of 11 May 2018.
• Benetech, Member of the Human Rights Advisory Board (since 2016)[https://benetech.org/benetech-introduces-human-rights-advisory-board/ Benetech Introduces Human Rights Advisory Board] Benetech, press release of November 22, 2016.
• National Endowment for Democracy, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors[https://www.ned.org/about/board-of-directors/ Board of Directors] National Endowment for Democracy. {{Cite web |date=2023-02-02 |title=NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS |url=https://www.ned.org/national-endowment-for-democracy-announces-appointment-of-new-board-members/ |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY |language=en-US}}
• World Economic Forum (WEF), Member of the Council on the Future of Human Rights
• University of Essex, Member of the Advisory Board on Human Rights, Big Data and Technology
• Freedom Online Coalition, Member of the Advisory Network{{Cite web|title=Eileen Donahoe|url=https://fsi.stanford.edu/people/eileen-donahoe|access-date=2021-05-12|website=fsi.stanford.edu|language=en}}
• Board member of Zev Shapiro's organization TurnUp{{Cite web|title=Leadership|url=https://www.turnup.us/leadership|access-date=2021-07-09|website=TurnUp|language=en}}
• Member of the Council on Foreign Relations{{Cite web |title=Council on Foreign Relations |url=https://www.cfr.org/membership/roster |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=Council on Foreign Relations |language=en}}

She is married to John Donahoe who has been the CEO of tech companies like eBay, PayPal, ServiceNow, and Nike. They have four children, three sons and a daughter, and live in Portola Valley, California.{{cite news|last1=Donahoe|first1=Eileen|last2=Donahoe|first2=John|title='We Leaned Into Our Marriage'|url=http://leanin.org/news-inspiration/we-leaned-into-our-marriage/|newspaper=Lean In|date=15 July 2013}}{{cite news|last=Sellers|first=Patricia|title=EBay CEO Donahoe bares his own work-life struggles|url=http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/01/26/ebay-ceo-donahoe-bears-his-own-work-life-struggles/|newspaper=CNN Money|date=26 January 2011|access-date=11 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425105029/http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/01/26/ebay-ceo-donahoe-bears-his-own-work-life-struggles/|archive-date=25 April 2014|url-status=dead}} In 2021, Donahoe and her husband donated $20 million to Dartmouth College. The donation is intended to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering and math.{{Cite web |last=Correspondent |first=Damien Fisher Union Leader |title=Dartmouth College gets $20 million gift for STEM diversity |url=https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/dartmouth-college-gets-20-million-gift-for-stem-diversity/article_04682508-0a30-5767-9688-df6b004d9a79.html |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=UnionLeader.com |date=18 May 2021 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Nike CEO John Donahoe and wife Eileen Donahoe give $20 million to Dartmouth |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2021/05/17/nike-ceo-stem-dartmouth.html |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe|Eileen Donahoe}}
• [http://geneva.usmission.gov/2012/09/12/donahoe-bi//Ambassador Donahoe, U.S. Ambassador to the Human Rights Council, Official Biography]
• [https://www.hrw.org/bios/eileen-donahoe Eileen Donahoe, Director of Global Affairs]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donahoe, Eileen Chamberlain}}

Category:Representatives of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council

Category:Dartmouth College alumni

Category:Stanford University alumni

Category:Harvard Divinity School alumni

Category:Living people

Category:Graduate Theological Union alumni

Category:American women ambassadors

Category:People from Portola Valley, California

Category:California Democrats

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century American women