Wilma Liebman

Biography

Wilma B. Liebman was designated by President Barack Obama as chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Jan. 20, 2009, and served in that role until her third term expired on Aug. 27, 2011. Since leaving the board, Liebman has held advisory and consulting roles and has taught at several universities. Most recently, she has been a visiting scholar at Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations and an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law. She has also taught at Cornell University’s Law School and School of Industrial and Labor Relations, the University of Illinois College of Law and School of Labor and Employment Relations, and George Washington University Law School.

She was first appointed to the NLRB by President Bill Clinton and was twice reappointed by President George W. Bush. She was the third‑longest‑serving member in the board’s history. Before joining the NLRB, Liebman spent two years as deputy director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and two years as special assistant to the director. Earlier, she served as labor counsel for the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen and legal counsel to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Liebman holds an A.B. from Barnard College and a J.D. from George Washington University School of Law. She serves on the board of directors of the Economic Policy Institute and is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and the American Law Institute. She is co‑chair of the Council of Advisors for the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy at the New School for Social Research and a senior fellow at Rutgers’ Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. She also chairs the Dunlop Commission on Agricultural Labor, a private dispute‑resolution body.