Marcia Greenberger is the founder and co-president of the National Women’s Law Center. The creation of the Center over 40 years ago established her as the first full-time women’s rights legal advocate in Washington, D.C. She is a recognized expert on women and the law, particularly in the areas of education and employment, health and reproductive rights and family economic security.
A recognized expert on sex discrimination and the law, Greenberger has participated in the development of key legislative initiatives and litigation protecting women’s rights, has been a leader in developing strategies to secure the successful passage of legislation protecting women and counsel for landmark litigation establishing new legal precedents for women. Some of the notable legislative successes in which she had a key role are the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978), the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, each of which provided critical protections against sexual harassment on the job. Her work has resulted in Supreme Court victories strengthening protections for students and teachers against sex discrimination in schools.
Greenberger served as the first female lawyer at the Washington, D.C., firm of Caplin and Drysdale. In 1972, she became Director of the Women’s Rights Project of the Center for Law and Social Policy, which became the National Women’s Law Center in 1981. Over the years of the Center’s existence, Greenberger has trained a cadre of women’s rights advocates who now teach in law schools, serve as judges, and hold high government positions.
Her leadership and contributions are reflected in the many articles she has published, the numerous professional honors she has received and the multiple boards on which she serves.
