Five Years Out: Jennifer Pierre ’20
Deputy Oversight Board Liaison, Meta
Tell us about your current position. What do you like most about it?
I currently serve on the Oversight Board Liaisons team, which is a team that sits on the Content Policy team at Meta. In this role, I represent and explain Meta’s policy positions before the Oversight Board. Launched in 2020, the Oversight Board is an external body that serves as an independent check on Meta’s content decisions. Some like to analogize it to a mini Supreme Court. And Kenji Yoshino [Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law] is a Board panelist, so there’s an NYU angle!
It’s an incredibly interesting role because it marries what some may view as disparate parts of my background. Before I became a lawyer, I started my career in human rights. Following my tenure at Human Rights Watch, I expanded to international development and worked at a community-based organization in Haiti.
Now I’m drawing on these experiences and my expertise in law, human rights, and global affairs in my current role where I work on some of the most difficult questions around freedom of expression online.
What do you find challenging about your work?
I think back to when I first started using Facebook in 2011, and primarily posted about my college social life. Now, Meta’s platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram and Threads, play an outsized role in amplifying social discourse around the globe. It is a really interesting time to be working on these challenging issues that are not so black and white.
I don’t think people fully realize the scale at which Meta operates, with billions of pieces of content generated each day. And there are many considerations that go into why Meta may keep up or remove a piece of content, and how we balance these somewhat competing equities of voice and safety and dignity on our platforms.
What led you to NYU Law and what stood out in your experience here?
NYU Law had been my first choice for a while—I have journal entries from college memorializing my desire to attend! Even before I really understood what I was looking for in a law school, I wanted a school that was going to set me up for success in the international arena. And the Law School is unmatched when it comes to its global focus. I think it’s by virtue of it being in New York with its proximity to international institutions like the United Nations.
What also struck me about NYU was its clinics offerings—there were so many! I spent two of my three years in clinics. I participated in the Global Justice Clinic throughout 2L, the Legislative and Regulatory Process Clinic in DC 3L Fall, and the EU Public Interest Clinic in Paris 3L Spring. The clinics were absolutely my highlight of NYU Law experience, and I wish I could have participated in more, like the United Nations Diplomacy Clinic and the International Transactions Clinic.
Another highlight was my time in France. I had studied in France [as an undergraduate], and I continued French classes at NYU undergrad while in law school. The idea of doing clinic work in France—having that opportunity in law school—was truly incredible.
What kind of advice would you give to law students who wanted to end up where you are?
If there’s one thing I’d emphasize to an aspiring NYU Law student, it’s that there’s no single path to where you want to go. My own career is a testament to that. When I was in college, my current role hadn’t even existed yet.
Law school often attracts people who feel compelled to follow a very linear trajectory, but I think it’s essential to let your interests guide you and to take advantage of opportunities as they surface. I knew early on that I wanted to work in a field with global impact. In college, I assumed that would mean diplomacy. But staying open to new possibilities and being flexible about my career path has served me well. Looking back, I don’t think I’ve strayed at all—working in roles with global reach has been a consistent thread throughout my career.
What I’ve loved most is that while my career may seem winding, roles like the one I’m in now bring everything together. During the interview process for my current position, they were looking for someone with a human rights background who was a lawyer and had tech experience. And I thought, “Check, check, check.” It felt genuinely gratifying to look at this niche job description and realize, "Yes, I’ve actually done all of this."
What do you like to do outside of work?
After a five-year hiatus, I’ve returned to running. I decided to train for and run a second half marathon this year. I actually ran it in New York—the Brooklyn Half. It was very exciting to be back in NYC.
This interview has been condensed and edited.