Eric J. Stern is the Deputy Director of the Career Development Office at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
Stern made the transition to higher education after a career in national politics and advocacy. In the 2004 Presidential Election Cycle, he served as Director of LGBT Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, where he developed a program that encompassed collaboration with advocacy groups, developing an aggressive media campaign, grassroots trainings, resources for local activists, and a national infrastructure for the Kerry/Edwards campaign. While at the DNC, Stern also served as a Regional Field Director in Eastern Iowa for the Kerry-Edwards campaign.
He received his law degree from the Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. While in law school, he interned for the U.S. Department of Justice - Civil Rights Division, Employment Litigation Section; the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C.; the Children's Law Center, Inc.; and the Human Rights Campaign. After law school, he was awarded a prestigious Dorot Law Fellowship at the Alliance for Justice.
In the 2008 election cycle, Stern re-engaged in national politics - serving as a Political Advisor to the John Edwards for President Campaign--as well as the Chair of the Edwards LGBT Steering Committee. After Edwards dropped out of the race, Stern endorsed Barack Obama and was appointed as a Co-Chair of the Obama for America LGBT Leadership Council, where he helped the campaign organize and turn out LGBT voters nationally during the primary and caucus season. During the general election, the Obama-Biden Campaign named Stern as one of the National LGBT Co-Chairs of Obama Pride. After the historic election of Barack Obama as President, Stern was appointed to serve on the Board of Advisors for the Presidential Appointments Project.