Commissioner Dr. Maria Burnett

Maria Burnett (she/her) is a 13-year District resident, who has spent the vast majority of her career as a and consultant to human rights organizations and foundations both nationally and internationally. She currently serves as a consultant to human rights foundations and represents incarcerated people who are terminally ill or medically incapacitated in compassionate release cases in the United States.

For 14 years, she worked with the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, first in Burundi and then later in Uganda and was eventually Director for the East and Horn of Africa. Ms. Burnett has researched and written on a broad range of human rights issues, including police brutality, free expression, child soldiers, women’s and children’s rights, and the use of torture and extrajudicial executions and criminal justice reform in Central and East Africa. She has briefed high-level U.N. and U.S. officials, as well as given testimony before the US Congress and EU parliament. Before joining Human Rights Watch, Burnett worked as an architect and journalist.

Ms. Burnett is being appointed to the Commission of Human Rights, because she has dedicated her career to human rights, and would love to contribute some of her knowledge and experiences to serve District residents. A Ward 1 resident, Ms. Burnett holds a law degree from Yale Law School, a master’s from the Architectural Association in London and a bachelor's in architecture, summa cum laude, from Princeton University. She has studied at the University of Cape Town, South Africa and Harbin Institute of Technology, China. She speaks French, Italian and Albanian.