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William Petersen

William Petersen

Adjunct Professor of Law

William B. Petersen is the General Counsel of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Prior to his time at the Museum, Petersen spent nineteen years at Verizon. During his tenure at the company, he held a number of senior positions, including General Counsel of Verizon Wireless and Senior Vice President in charge of litigation and enforcement matters for Verizon Communications. Petersen has also worked in private practice and is a former Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Petersen has a BA from Ursinus College, an M.Div. from the Yale Divinity School, and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. 

Petersen is currently on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia region’s public media company, WHYY. He was previously a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, as well as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Independence Visitor Center, also located in Philadelphia.