FAQs
Contact
Search

Stay informed with periodic news and announcements from the Open Society Fellowship.

The Cost of Conscience—The Hidden Challenges of Dissent in the Workplace

Location: Center for American Progress, Washington D.C.
Event Date: May 11, 2010
Speakers: Matthew Alexander, Richard Cizik, Elizabeth MacKenzie Biedell, Morton H. Halperin

Navigating office politics can be perilous under the best of circumstances. But for people whose moral principles put them at odds with their employer and colleagues, the burdens can be especially great. Join three Open Society Fellows as they discuss their experiences working for many years inside large organizations with which they often had profound disagreements of conscience.

Now that they have left their respective institutions—the US Air Force, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the Central Intelligence Agency—the panelists can speak with candor about their lives as outsiders within. What were the emotional and professional stresses they encountered every day on the job? How free did they feel to share their concerns with colleagues? And how did they negotiate the difficult transition to life on the outside?

Panelists

  • Matthew Alexander, author and former senior interrogator, United States Air Force
  • Richard Cizik, President, the New Evangelical Partnership and  former vice president, the National Association of Evangelicals
  • Elizabeth MacKenzie Biedell, author and former Middle East analyst, the Central Intelligence Agency
  • Morton H. Halperin, Senior Advisor, the Open Society Institute  (Moderator)

All three panelists are Open Society Fellows.

Location

The Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW
Washington D.C.

Featured graphic: © Jeff Hutchens/Reportage by Getty Images

back to the top of the page
Related Information

9/11 at 10: From Religious Diversity to a Common Commitment
Nancy Chang
October 1, 2011
blog BLOG  
On September 11, 2011, Rev. Richard Killmer, Dr. Ingrid Mattson, Rev. Richard Cizik, and Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster discussed the formation of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and their collective work to voice the moral objections of America's diverse religious communities to the torture of terrorism suspects held in U.S. custody.

The Coalition of Courage
Matthew Alexander
July 27, 2010
blog BLOG  
I'm deeply concerned about an America that values its security more than its principles. Some of our elected officials have publicly stated that their first responsibility is to protect the American people. They'd better review their oaths. Their first responsibility is to the Constitution.

The Art of Military Dissent
Matthew Alexander
January 28, 2010
blog BLOG  
As an 18-year Air Force veteran with four combat tours, I can tell you a little about military culture and how dissenters are treated – as pariahs. Ironic considering that the U.S. Air Force was started by a dissenter, General Billy Mitchell, who sacrificed his career to stand up for his beliefs.

About  |  Initiatives  |  Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships  |  Resource Center  |  Newsroom  |  Site Map  |  Legal  |  Contact


Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative License.
©2012 Open Society Foundations. Some rights reserved.