Michael Payne is responsible for coordinating and supporting PHR’s policy work in Washington, DC and its advocacy work internationally. He helps identify opportunities to promote and address human rights issues at the domestic and international level, and works in collaboration with a broad array of stakeholders to strategically advance the impact of PHR’s advocacy.
Before joining PHR, Payne was the director of advocacy at Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, based in Washington, DC, where he focused on initiatives with the U.S. government and international community that promoted international human rights standards.
Payne holds a BA in international relations from Knox College in Illinois, and speaks advanced German and intermediate French and Arabic.