In that position, Pressman developed communications strategy and travelled with the secretary to Belfast, Bangkok, Colombia, Croatia and the Middle East Peace Summit, among other destinations.

In 2001, he moved to New York to earn a J.D. from New York University's law school. Pressman chose law, he said, because he "saw the law as a language of power that I wanted access to in order to work on the issues that are closest to my heart."

During law school, Pressman clerked for the Supreme Court of Rwanda (where he evaluated post-genocide transitional justice initiatives) and the Southern Poverty Law Center, where he worked on the U.S. Supreme Court case on whether the Ten Commandments could be placed in the State Judicial Building.

He was also named a member of the 2004 Wesley Clark National Security Working Group, and volunteered with the Kerry/Edwards 2004 presidential campaign.

Darfur Activist

After graduating, Pressman joined the American Civil Liberties Union in Chicago. But focus slowly shifted to international issues, particularly the genocide in Darfur. In 2006, Pressman joined the United Nations to advocate for increased national attention to the Sudan.

This effort took off when Pressman managed to succesfully smuggle actor George Clooney into Darfur. Clooney wanted to create a documentary about the genocide. It was a dangerous venture - minutes after getting off the plane, a young militiaman thrust a rifle into the star's face. But Pressman calmly pushed the gun away and calmed down the boy

"He's as smart politically as anyone I know, and he's brave," Clooney told the Daily Beast. "I talk to him at least three times a week; I depend on him to keep me informed." Eventually, the two formed a nonprofit called "Not on Our Watch." The group lobbies world leaders for increased resources to the war-torn region, like helicopters to distribute food.

In addition to his work at the U.N., Pressman worked in New York lawyer Ron Kuby's firm, which focuses on social justice issues. In one instance, they persuaded a Bronx judge to overturn the conviction of an innocent man who spent ten years in prison.

"The road paved by those who marginalize others is a comfortable and well-tread one. It can be built here, there, or anywhere," he told his NYU alumni magazine. "The story of Darfur contains many lessons, one of which is to underscore the urgency, importance, and necessity of engaging with, and working on, domestic civil rights issue."

In 2010, Pressman was tapped to join the Obama administration as a director for war crimes atrocities and civilian protection.

In his spare time, Pressman directs operas. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab and received a fellowship from the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers to assist opera director Beth Greenberg on her production of Turandot at New York City Opera.

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