The Change.org Foundation announces Preethi Herman as Global Executive Director.
The Change.org Foundation is excited to announce the appointment of Preethi Herman, from India, as the new Global Executive Director of the Change Foundation.
Preethi will lead the Foundation in its mission to support citizen-led and technology-driven social movements in the Global South, where more than 40 million people are currently engaged in change.org campaigns. She will lead teams across Latin America, Asia, and other regions to support all citizens in having a voice in the issues affecting their communities and countries.
Across the world, there is huge potential for citizen-led campaigns to create stronger democracies, empower women and minority communities, and ensure the rights of millions. As Change.org Foundation’s global Executive Director, Preethi will be a leader in creating spaces and opportunities for millions of new voices to be heard around the world.
Preethi’s appointment places her in a small league of women from the Global South to lead an international non-profit and one of the few women leaders at the forefront of the civic technology sector, despite not having used a computer by herself until she was 18.
From Preethi: “In this role as the leader of a phenomenal and committed global team, I look forward to bringing together the power of technology and people’s campaigns to safeguard rights, strengthen democracy and create stronger social change communities.”
From Ben Rattray, Change.org Founder and CEO: “Over the past 5 years, Preethi has built the largest tech platform for social change in the world’s largest democracy, driving daily change across India. I’m extremely excited to see the impact she’ll be able to have as she now expands her view toward deepening citizen-driven movements in democracies worldwide.”
Prior to this role, Preethi established Change.org as a people’s platform in India, growing it from fewer than 200,000 users to a current 10 million active citizens. Under her leadership, the Change.org India team supported citizens in their efforts to create a wide range of change — including strengthening policies fighting acid attacks, recognizing the rights of single mothers as guardians, and shining a light on the excessive rates of Caesarean surgeries.
Preethi’s vision is to leverage technology and empower people to create a decentralized structure of civil leadership that transforms society. She aims to do this through the mobilization of millions of people and communities with the Change.org Foundation.
