The Ethic Institute’s 2011 Dorsett Fellow Kenneth Feinberg, administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, speaks at Dartmouth on May 10. (photo courtesy of Kenneth Feinberg)
Kenneth R. Feinberg, selected by British Petroleum (BP) and the Obama Administration as administrator of BP’s $20 billion oil-spill fund, is the Ethics Institute’s 2011 Dorsett Fellow.
On May 10, 2011, Feinberg will deliver a public lecture from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Cook Auditorium located in the Murdough Center at the Tuck School of Business.
Feinberg’s lecture, “Unconventional Responses to Unique Catastrophes: Tailoring the Law to Meet the Challenges,” will discuss his career experience, how he approaches his work, and the ethics of putting a “price tag” on a human life.
“Mr. Feinberg captures the spirit of ethics in action. He has committed his professional life to helping people sort through difficult situations, and his willingness to take on the most challenging jobs in our society speaks volumes about his dedication to public service,” says Aine Donovan, executive director of the Ethics Institute. “We are delighted to welcome him to Dartmouth.”
Known for taking on complex claims assignments with a methodical and calculated approach, Feinberg is an attorney at law and leading expert in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. He has become America’s go-to claims distributor, completing work for the government and private industries alike.
In 2009, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner ’83 appointed Feinberg to serve as the special master for Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) executive compensation, where he determined reasonable compensations for senior corporate officials receiving government bailouts.
Feinberg was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to serve as Special Master of the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. He chose to serve his country pro bono. He also managed claims for the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund following the massacre in 2007, once again on a pro bono basis.
Feinberg also orchestrated the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, which resolved insurance claims arising out of Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes in the Gulf region for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and Zurich Insurance Company.
“Burt Dorsett, Class of 1953, encouraged us to seek out people who were moral exemplars, people who would serve as role models for current Dartmouth students, and in Ken Feinberg we have certainly found such a man,” Donovan says.
Feinberg is also the author of What is Life Worth? The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11.
