As we welcome new leadership, we want to wish our former Managing Director of Elections & Institutions Lara Flint all the best. We look forward to seeing what comes next!
It's time to share the news. After nearly 8 amazing years, I made the difficult decision to leave Democracy Fund and start looking for my next challenge. Democracy Fund (along with its sister organization, Democracy Fund Voice) is full of smart, fun, thoughtful, committed people -- and it has never been so needed. I learned and grew so much through these many years and the different roles that I played, from starting our first government accountability portfolio in 2017, to directing the Governance Program as it initiated new strategies, to co-leading our overall programmatic work as Managing Director of Elections & Institutions. I am lucky to have had the chance to collaborate with and learn from so many people across the democracy field during that time, and I am so grateful for all the field is doing as our country faces unprecedented challenges. I am incredibly proud of the way that Democracy Fund and its fearless leader Joe Goldman have been standing up in this moment for democracy, for the rule of law, and for the dignity and rights of every human being in this country. And I am inspired by the long-term work to make progress toward the inclusive, multi-racial democracy that our country deserves. It was hard to leave right now, as I'm sure you can all imagine. But this transition has been in the works since last summer, and I am truly delighted to congratulate Democracy Fund's new programmatic leadership: Sanjiv Rao, taking on the new role of Vice President, and Josh Stearns, the new Managing Director of Programs. Sanjiv and Josh are both insightful, thoughtful leaders who bring extensive expertise and experience to these roles. I have learned so much from both of them, and I am thrilled to see them carry this work forward. As for me, I am taking some time to recharge, reflect on where I can best contribute in the fight for our democracy, and prepare for my next challenge. There is so much to do.