National Whistleblower Center (NWC)

NWC advocates for policy changes that protect and reward whistleblowers and has been involved in changes to the Dodd-Frank Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act to incorporate whistleblower protection and rewards. ² NWC actively encourages whistleblowers in environmental areas, including energy and industrial logging, claiming that these industries are “responsible for the vast majority of the world’s carbon pollution.” ³

Background

The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) was established in 1988 as an educational and advocacy organization focused on protecting and rewarding whistleblowers. ¹ NWC was founded by attorneys Stephen Kohn, Michael Kohn, and David Colapinto during the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant case that challenged the practice of having employees sign non-disclosure agreements which resulted in them being unable to report safety concerns to federal regulators. The case resulted in voiding these agreements. ⁴

NWC provides legal assistance to whistleblowers, advocates for policy changes that protect and reward whistleblowers, and educates the public on the laws pertaining to whistleblowers. NWC has been involved in the incorporation of whistleblower protection and reward laws into the Dodd-Frank Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. ²

Work Areas

National Whistleblower Center has ten active campaigns, many of which are focused on working with whistleblowers in environmental areas. The Climate Corruption Campaign is focused on encouraging whistleblowers to expose illegal activities in the fossil fuel and industrial logging industries, along with the banking and securities organizations that support them, wildlife trafficking, shipping pollution, and fishing. ⁵ NWC claims that these areas carry a “high risk of fraud,” and that conventional energy and industrial logging are “responsible for the vast majority of the world’s carbon pollution.” ³

NWC campaigns also focus on money laundering, holding social media companies more accountable for criminal activity on their websites, and strengthening whistleblower laws. ⁵

National Whistleblower Day

In 2013 the United States Senate recognized July 30, the date in 1778 on which the Continental Congress passed the first whistleblower law, as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. On February 9, 2023, National Whistleblower Center sent letters to U.S. agencies asking that they provide information on plans to support whistleblowers and offering to provide educational materials and assistance in supporting the efforts to celebrate the day. ⁶

July 27, 2023, was NWC’s 10^th annual National Whistleblower Appreciation Day event with almost 200 whistleblowers, attorneys, and experts participating. ⁷ Speakers at the event included former FBI whistleblower Jane Turner and Theranos whistleblower Erika Cheung. ⁸

Financials

National Whistleblower Center’s 2021 revenues were $882,505 and expenses were $1,284,937. ⁹

NWC donors include Georgetown University, Greater Houston Community Foundation, Posel Foundation, Sawhney Family Foundation, E & S Siegel Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund, Skoll Foundation, and the United States Energy Foundation. ^{10 11}

Associated Organizations

National Whistleblower Center has a sister group, National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund (NWLDEF), ¹² which sponsors a whistleblower legal assistance program and provides legal representation to NWC. ¹³

NWLDEF started the Whistleblower Protection Blog in 2007 to share information to whistleblowers. This site is now Whistleblower Network News (WNN), which provides information on whistleblowing. NWC’s executive director, Siri Nelson, is WNN’s editor and legislative correspondent. NWC co-founders Stephen Kohn and David Colapinto make up WNN’s editorial advisory board. ¹⁴

NWC is a member of the Whistleblower Project, which is a collaboration of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Government Accountability Project (GAP). ¹⁵ GAP, launched by left-of-center think tank Institute for Policy Studies, is a whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. ¹⁶

Leadership

Siri Nelson became executive director of National Whistleblower Center in 2021. She earned a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in 2019. In 2020 she joined the law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto which specializes in whistleblower legal advocacy. ¹⁷ Nelson is also president of United Women in Business, a nonprofit organization focused on personal and professional development for women. ¹⁸

Stephen Kohn is co-founder and board chair of NWC. He earned a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in 1984. He co-founded whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto and National Whistleblower Center in 1988. ¹⁹ Kohn is on the Northeastern University faculty, has authored several books on whistleblowing, and was a director for the Government Accountability Project. ²⁰ Kohn won the largest individual whistleblower award of $104 million for UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld. ²¹

Michael Kohn is co-founder and president of NWC. He earned a law degree at Antioch School of Law and partnered with Stephen Kohn and David Colapinto to form whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto and National Whistleblower Center in 1988. He is a trustee of the National Whistleblowers Legal Defense and Education Fund and served as legal ethics director at the Government Accountability Project.²²

David Colapinto is co-founder and general counsel of NWC. He earned a law degree at Antioch School of Law then co-founded whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto and National Whistleblower Center in 1988. ²³

The board of NWC also includes FBI whistleblowers Jane Turner and Fredrick Whitehurst. ¹¹