William F. Schulz

Schulz served as the president and chief executive officer for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee from 2010 until this retirement 2016.

The events of the September 11 attacks, and the subsequent expansion of the United States counter-terrorism efforts were the subject of his 2003 book Tainted Legacy: 9/11 and the Ruin of Human Rights which finds him criticizing both the government's use of torture, which he credits with inspiring terrorists, as well as some of his human rights activist colleagues for failing to frame terrorism and genocide as a human rights issues.

His own writings during his tenure emphasized the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an embodiment of the international conception of human rights. During his acceptance speech for the Humanist of the Year from the American Humanist Association in 2000, he said "The fact is that the world community has never been able to agree upon the divine basis for human rights or a basis derived from natural law. But there is a third broad way to justify human rights which, while it doesn't provide them with the status of God's endorsement or nature's sanction, does ground them in the human community. That third way goes by many names—pragmatism, communitarianism, and post-modernism among others—but is ultimately nothing more than an expression of the humanist impulse."

William F. Schulz is a Unitarian Universalist minister who is most known for his role as the executive director of Amnesty International USA, the U.S. division of Amnesty International, from March 1994 to 2006. He is a prominent spokesperson, activist, and author focusing primarily on the issue of Human Rights and United States' Government role in promoting or disregarding them. In addition to his many public appearances, he has been affiliated with numerous non-profit organizations and universities.

Schulz most noted role is his time as the executive director for Amnesty International USA, an NGO focused on human rights, from 1994 to 2006. During this time he made numerous appearances as a guest on national radio and television programs, and testified before congress concerning humans rights issues. During his tenure, Amnesty International was seen to become increasingly interventionist in its policies, advocating that states take a more active role in secure human rights protections, encouraging collaboration with law enforcement and even military force.

Schulz served as a minister in Massachusetts, at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist church in Bedford, Massachusetts, from 1975 to 1978, then as the president of Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston until 1993.

William Schulz was born 14 November 1949 to Prof William F. and Jean Schulz in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree, completed in 1971. He earned a master's degree from University of Chicago in 1974, and completed his Doctorate of Ministry at Meadville Lombard Theological School in 1975. He married his wife Rev Beth Graham, who is also a Unitarian Minister, in 1993.