Shortly thereafter she began to work as a Skadden Fellow at Children's Rights, a public interest advocacy organization in New York City.
[17][18] Nossel served as Chief Executive Officer of the literary and human rights organization PEN America from 2013 through October 31, 2024, when she announced she was resigning to become President and CEO of Freedom House in early January 2025.
[20] Under Nossel's leadership, the organization has advocated for free expression in Hong Kong and China, Myanmar, Eurasia, and the United States.
[21] PEN America has also developed programs focused on campus free speech, online harassment, artistic freedom, writing for justice and a range of other issues.
The release stated that Nossel had made the decision because "as a new chapter takes shape in Washington, the role is no longer an ideal match for her goals."
"[27][28] In January 2024, writers Angela Flournoy and Kathleen Alcott withdrew from a PEN New Year event in Los Angeles to oppose the organization’s sponsorship of a separate gathering featuring Mayim Bialik, an author, actor and vocal supporter of Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip.
[31] In March 2024, more than a dozen writers, including Lorrie Moore, Naomi Klein, Michelle Alexander, Hisham Matar and Isabella Hammad, signed a letter withdrawing from PEN America's World Voices Festival, condemning the organization for its stance on the Israel-Palestine Conflict.
[7][8] A growing number of the organization's critics had been calling for months for Nossel and Board President Jennifer Finney Boylan to resign.
[40] In Foreign Affairs, she has covered topics ranging from the changing nature of liberal internationalism to Samantha Power's ambassadorship in the United Nations.