International Seminars, Presentations, and The Capacity to Successfully Implement Educational Programming

At Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, our commitment to justice is matched by our dedication to pro bono work. We believe that knowledge should be shared, especially when it can serve to uplift communities, empower whistleblowers, and promote accountability and transparency. As champions of whistleblower protection, our team has been at the forefront of presenting, educating, and advocating for the rights and protections of those brave souls who stand against wrongdoing.

The NWC’s Board Chair and Executive Director are Adjunct Professors of Law at Northeastern University. Stephen Kohn is the most published author on whistleblower law books, including the first-ever legal treatise on whistleblower law. His most recent book, Rules for Whistleblowers (Lyons Press, 2023), has won numerous awards from Publishers Weekly and the New York Big Book Award and has specific chapters focused on FCPA prosecutions, transnational whistleblower laws, and AML provisions.

We are proud to have been involved in various notable presentations and events, both domestically and internationally, where our expertise has been sought to guide regulatory bodies, state departments, and grassroots initiatives.

Commencing in 2008 the NWC has traveled internationally extensively at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy, AID, foreign governments, anti-corruption NGOs, and human rights defenders to make presentations on whistleblower protections in numerous countries, many at the direct invitation of the U.S. Embassy.

Presentations have been made in Bosnia (embassy invitation), Brussels (testimony before EU Parliament), Denmark (parliamentary testimony), Geneva (UN Human Rights Council), Hungary (embassy invitation), Island of Jersey, Kenya (AID/NGOs), Israel, Mexico (embassy invitation and invitation from Tec de Monterrey), Montenegro (embassy invitation), Paris (OECD invitation), Peru (International Annual Conference on Integrity, Office of the Comptroller General, Republic of Peru), Poland (EU Security council), Serbia (embassy invitation), South Korea, Thailand (AID), and the United Kingdom (Parliament invitation).

As part of these visits, the U.S. Embassy has arranged one-on-one meetings with various Members of Parliament, ministers of justice, anti-corruption committees, local judges, international news media representatives, numerous NGO meetings, and in one instance a personal meeting with the President of Bosnia – all to have various countries adopt effective whistleblower protection laws.

Here is a look at some of the significant engagements that reflect our unwavering commitment to whistleblowing and justice:

In the United States, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) has organized educational programs and sponsors the most prestigious annual whistleblower event held on Capitol Hill in honor of National Whistleblower Day. Additionally, NWC has collaborated with the State Department to deliver numerous presentations to over 100 participants in the International Visitor Leadership Program, focusing on how to use the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) to combat corruption.

Capacity to Implement Program in Mexico

The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) has actively engaged in initiatives with Mexico, notably through Project Americas, which offers seminars to civil society and government officials to promote whistleblowing practices and build capacity. In partnership with Derechos Humanos y Litigio Estratégico Mexicano and Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Escuela de Gobierno, NWC hosted the Whistleblowers Without Borders event during the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Washington, D.C.

• June 2022: During a series of events in Mexico City and Monterrey from June 12-15, 2022, NWC Chairman Stephen Kohn delivered keynote speeches and presentations. Kohn met with NGOs, journalists, students, professors, and members of Congress and the Senate to raise awareness about effective whistleblower laws, specifically the FCPA.
• December 2023: In December 2023, NWC was invited back to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico for International Anti-Corruption Day, where Kohn also discussed the vital role of transnational whistleblower laws in fighting corruption in Mexico.
• April 2024: Later, in April 2024, NWC participated in the 4th Roundtable Meeting on “Combating Corruption through Whistleblowers.” This roundtable was organized by the Citizen Participation Committee of the National Anti-Corruption System and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) within the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.
• July 2024: In July 2024, the National Whistleblower Center, in collaboration with the Citizen Participation Committee and INL, organized a study tour in the United States for 30 delegates from Mexico to Washington, D.C. to learn more about whistleblower programs in the United States and how they can apply it in Mexico.During their visit to Washington, D.C., the NWC arranged a meeting with several key figures, including Brian Young, the Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and John Hinman, the Director of the Office of the Whistleblower at the IRS.The delegates also had discussions with representatives from the SEC Office of the Whistleblower, as well as DOJ FCPA/FEPA prosecutor Clayton Solomon and Patrick Gushane, who leads the DOJ’s newly established Whistleblower Program.They met with Senior Counsel from the DOJ Office of Inspector General, Adam Miles and Jacquelin Lightle to hear about their experience of leading high-profile investigations of corruption.

These meetings highlight the NWC’s capability to connect various agencies and facilitate relationships with key personnel across the United States.