A fighting spirit that lives on. Corinne wanted to be in a world where truth and justice rang loudest. She instilled her children with that calling, and her mentorship led directly to the creation of the National Whistleblower Center by her two sons, Michael and Stephen Kohn, and her third “adopted” son, David Colapinto. Her daughter, Estelle Kohn, inspired hundreds of young soon-to-be lawyers to fight for justice, heading up the NWC’s internship program and overseeing the NWLDEF’s ARS helping whistleblowers find experienced whistleblower attorneys.
Corinne was a friend to whistleblowers and demonstrated her support by attending trials, Congressional hearings, and whistleblower conferences and swaying lawmakers to do the right thing.
In 2002, Corinne founded the “Fairness for Whistleblowers Network (FWN).” FWN was a nonpartisan, public interest organization of volunteer citizens whose mission was to advocate for laws, systems, personnel, and procedures that provide assurance of fairness, or the redress of unfairness, in the treatment of whistleblowers. Corinne networked with whistleblowers across the nation to contact their Members of Congress to support stronger whistleblower laws. In 2007, FWN was transformed into the National Whistleblower Center’s current Action Alert Network.
In 2009, Corinne and fellow activist Eva Jacobs led an ad hoc group of Maryland residents called “Action for Whistleblowers Now.” They were instrumental in working with then Representative Van Hollen to pass stronger whistleblower protections for the many federal employees in his district. Representatives Todd R. Platts (R-Pa) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md) sponsored a bipartisan proposal to include federal whistleblower protection as an essential part of the stimulus oversight.
In the earlier years of her life, Corinne was New Jersey Democratic State Committee Woman for Somerset County, NJ. She served as President of the Somerset County Women’s Club, Democratic Municipal Chairperson, Somerset County, NJ., New Jersey State Chairperson for Citizen’s to Elect Johnson and was a State Fund-raising Hostess.
In honor of Corinne’s contributions to the National Whistleblower Center and her vision of a world where truth prevails over brute force, her family has requested donations in her honor be made to the National Whistleblower Center in support of whistleblowers.
