Philip A. Miscimarra

Philip Andrew Miscimarra (born March 14, 1956) is a partner in the labor and employment practice of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, and he is a former American government official who served as the chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). He first joined the NLRB as a board member appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013, and he was named chairman by President Donald Trump (after a period as acting chairman) in 2017. Prior to his appointment to the NLRB, he worked as a Morgan Lewis partner in Chicago. After his service on the NLRB ended, Miscimarra joined Morgan Lewis in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Miscimarra is also a senior fellow in the Wharton Center for human resources at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Early life and education Miscimarra was born on March 14, 1956. He grew up in Pittsburgh, where his father Anthony, the son of Italian immigrants, worked for the city and his mother, Helen (née Venditto), was a member of the school board. Miscimarra himself began work at age 14 first as a caddie, then at a movie theater and at the local Carnegie Library. For many years, he worked as a musician represented by the American Federation of Musicians.

Miscimarra earned a B.A. in English and economics from Duquesne University in 1978, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, and a J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1982.

Career Miscimarra started his legal career in Pittsburgh at Reed Smith Shaw & McClay (now Reed Smith LLP) in 1982, moving to Chicago to work for Murphy Smith & Polk (now the Chicago office of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC) in 1986–1987, before working at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, where he practiced from 1987 to 2005, including as a partner with its labor and employment group.

He returned to Morgan Lewis in February 2018 and leads the firm's NLRB special appeals practice. Miscimarra is a senior fellow in the Wharton Business School's Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania.

Miscimarra was named chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by President Donald Trump on April 24, 2017, having served as acting chairman since January 23, 2017. Miscimarra's term as chair expired December 16, 2017. The NLRB now consists of Chairman John F. Ring; Lauren McFerran, whose term ends in December 2019; Marvin Kaplan, whose term ends in August 2020; and William Emanuel, whose term ends in August 2021.

Publications Miscimarra has authored or co-authored several books concerning labor law issues, including: N.L.R.B. and Managerial Discretion: Plant Closings, Relocations, Subcontracting, and Automation (1983); by Philip A. Miscimarra,