Humanity United shares recent shifts in our leadership structure that will provide us with the foundation we need as we strive to meet the challenges of the world around us and work towards our vision of a more just and peaceful world.
Humanity United is committed to living our values in every aspect of our work. Over the last couple of years, we have strived to become more DEIJ-fluent internally while supporting the systems we work within to be healthier and more resilient for the long term. Thus, we have recently made internal shifts to our leadership structure to enable us to do this well.
We have expanded our Leadership Team to include the two leaders of HU’s DEIJ Action Team, Demetria Jackson and Sandy Tesch Wilkins, to improve our equity depth in key decision-making spaces. We’ve also established an Executive Committee— comprised of a subset of the Leadership Team — which will meet more frequently to make timely decisions as situations arise, consulting with relevant members of the larger Leadership Team as well as with other staff when appropriate. The broader Leadership Team will continue to set organizational policies and processes.
Srik Gopal, Melanie Greenberg, Sandy Nathan, and Kehinde Togun make up the Executive Committee. As President & CEO, Srik Gopal will continue to shape HU’s strategic direction and provide leadership on the organization’s mission, vision, and values. Srik’s role will also expand to become more externally facing as he continues to be a thought leader among peer funders.
To increase collaboration and bring greater coherence across our various programs, Melanie Greenberg will assume the newly established role of Managing Director, Programs. Melanie will now oversee all programs, including our Peacebuilding and Forced Labor & Human Trafficking portfolios as well as our Strategy Learning & Impact function. The Racial Justice & Equity program will eventually sit within the larger Programs team as well.
As Managing Director, Public Engagement & Partnerships, Kehinde Togun will continue to lead the Public Engagement portfolio, which will include the addition of a newly created Partnerships team. The Partnerships team will seek to expand our external influence, strengthen our networks, and better resource the fields we support.
Sandy Nathan’s title will become Chief Operating Officer. She will continue to lead the operations teams, ensuring that our infrastructure, policies, and culture are aligned with our values as we deliver on our mission.
Finally, we want to acknowledge and thank Akwasi Aidoo and John Paul Lederach, who have served as Senior Fellows at Humanity United since 2014; they both will depart by the end of the year. During his tenure at HU, Akwasi has deepened the organization’s understanding of African philanthropy and helped strengthen our advocacy to intergovernmental institutions on the continent. John Paul’s expertise in conflict transformation has helped HU develop and refine measurable and impactful long-term strategies. Following their departures, Akwasi will transition to a board member role for Humanity United Charitable Fund (HUCF), a 501(c)(3) affiliate of Humanity United. John Paul will continue to partner with Humanity United as well as The Omidyar Group (TOG) in an external capacity. We’re grateful to Akwasi and John Paul for their many years of service and look forward to the ways they will continue to impact our work through their future roles.
At HU, we will continue to be guided by our values, and we remain committed to our existing programs and partners. We believe that these shifts in our leadership structure will provide us with the foundation we need as we strive to meet the challenges of the world around us and work towards our vision of a more just and peaceful world.