Bear Atwood

Bear Atwood started working as a Lawyer at NH PUBLIC DEFENDER in 1984. From 1995 to 1998, they served as President of the National Organization for Women- NJ. Bear was the Director of the State of NJ, Division on Women from 2002 to 2003. From 2003 to 2007, they worked as a Deputy Attorney General at the State of NJ, Division on Civil Rights. Bear Atwood then served as the Director of the Mississippi Youth Justice Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center from 2007 to 2009. From 2010 to 2014, they were the Legal Director at the ACLU of Mississippi. In 2014, they established their own law firm, Bear Atwood, Attorney at Law, PLLC, where they worked as the Owner until 2022. Currently, they hold the position of Vice President at the National Organization for Women (NOW), which they started in 2020.

Bear Atwood attended Denison University, where they obtained a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish. They then pursued their JD at The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law from 1981 to 1984. Before that, Atwood earned a BS in Political Science and Spanish from Denison University between 1977 and 1981. Additionally, Atwood received their High School Diploma from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1977.