Name:
Michael Tuchin
AIPAC Role:
AIPAC Former President, Board of Directors
Professional Profile/Associations:
Founding member and co-manager of KTBS Law LLP, a premier bankruptcy and restructuring firm. Graduated with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University (B.A. Psychology, 1987) and received his J.D. from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law (1990). Recognized as one of the top 100 lawyers in Los Angeles County every year since 2004 and ranked by Chambers USA as a top Bankruptcy attorney every year since 2007. Has represented MGM Studios, Viacom, Paramount, CBS, and the Los Angeles Kings. Served on Texas Governor Rick Perry's presidential campaign finance team in California. As AIPAC President, met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem in March 2024, receiving briefings on Gaza and meeting with heads of Mossad, Shin Bet, and the IDF. In leaked AIPAC donor meetings reviewed by The Lever, stated that Senator Bernie Sanders was attempting to "undermine Israel's security" with his resolution conditioning aid on human rights compliance, and hailed the IDF as fighting "for all of us around the globe."
Accountability:
As a member of AIPAC's Board of Directors, Michael Tuchin bears individual legal responsibility for the organization's conduct. Under U.S. nonprofit law, board members hold fiduciary duties to ensure organizational compliance with applicable legal standards, implement oversight systems for core activities, and respond to credible information about organizational wrongdoing. In Stern v. Lucy Webb Hayes (1974), the federal district court held that nonprofit directors who fail to supervise organizational decisions breach their fiduciary obligations. In In re Lemington Home for the Aged (3d Cir. 2015), the Third Circuit upheld $2.25 million in damages against nonprofit directors who ignored red flags and failed to exercise reasonable oversight. In addition, as an officer of AIPAC, Michael Tuchin bears additional individual legal responsibility for the organization's conduct. Under D.C. Code § 29-406.42, officers with discretionary authority must act in good faith, exercise ordinary prudent-person care, and affirmatively report material information and potential legal violations to the board. While the DC Nonprofit Corporation Act provides automatic liability protection for directors of charitable corporations, it extends no such protection to officers—meaning executive officers face potential personal liability for conduct that would be shielded if committed by a director. Federal courts have sustained punitive damages against nonprofit executives while vacating them against directors, and federal tax law treats executive officers as "disqualified persons" subject to personal excise taxes on excess benefit transactions.
The information in these profiles is drawn primarily from AIPAC's most recent IRS Form 990, supplemented by publicly available sources including news reports, official announcements, and public records. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, AIPAC is legally required to file Form 990 annually with the Internal Revenue Service, and these filings are public documents. However, IRS regulations allow organizations up to eleven months after their fiscal year ends to submit these forms, meaning publicly available data typically lags by approximately one year. This inherent delay underscores why AIPAC—like most major organizations of its size and influence—should maintain a current, public-facing leadership page identifying its board members and senior executives. The absence of such transparency from AIPAC necessitates this project. We are committed to accuracy and will update these profiles as new information becomes available. If you have corrections, updates, or additional sourced information, please contact us at advocacy@dawnmena.org.
