HURIDOCS is delighted to announce that Grace Kwak Danciu was unanimously elected as the new Chair of the HURIDOCS Board. Lisa Reinsberg, who joined the HURIDOCS Board in 2018 and became its Chair in 2021, is stepping down from her role to pass the baton to Grace.
Grace became part of the HURIDOCS family in 2019 when she joined the organisation through the Google.org Fellowship programme, which allows Google employees to do pro bono work full-time with a grantee. Alongside other Google.org Fellows, Grace played a crucial role in strengthening our work on machine learning to improve access to public human rights information.
She joined the HURIDOCS Board in 2022, and brings with her a magnitude of experience and expertise in the technology sector. She was a Product Manager at Google for nearly 20 years, and worked on products such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Calendar. Prior to Google, she worked as a Programme Manager at Microsoft. In these roles, Grace led teams in developing products that connect technology with real user needs. She has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Harvard University and a master’s degree in Social Innovation from the University of Cambridge.
“I feel honoured and excited to be the new Board Chair of HURIDOCS. I love everything about this organisation – its mission, its importance, and of course, its people. The team’s combined expertise – in human rights, documentation, software development, and AI – constitutes the essential combination of skills needed to empower human rights defenders to use technology to the greatest possible effect.”
— Grace Kwak Danciu, incoming Chair of the HURIDOCS Board
As Lisa steps down from the Board after more than six years, we extend our appreciation to her for her invaluable contributions and unfaltering commitment to HURIDOCS. During her tenure, Lisa demonstrated utmost loyalty and unwavering support to our mission while taking seriously the Board’s responsibility for upholding HURIDOCS’ values and ensuring its ongoing health. Upon sharing the news with the team, Danna Ingleton, Executive Director of HURIDOCS noted: “Lisa, you have been such a valuable colleague, coach, sounding board and friend during the first year of my first ever EDship. You will certainly be missed.“
“I am thrilled that Grace will take over as Chair and have such faith in and respect for all of the HURIDOCS Board members and Management Team, which gives me great peace of mind for this transition. It has been an honour and a privilege to be part of HURIDOCS’ work and to do what I could to support it while on the Board. HURIDOCS’ mission and its impact are critical to the protection of human rights, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to be part of it.”
— Lisa Reinsberg, outgoing Chair of the HURIDOCS Board
HURIDOCS is excited to welcome Grace in her new role and we look forward to her guidance and contributions towards our mission of strengthening the global human rights community with documentation technology and strategies to secure justice.
The HURIDOCS Board is currently composed as follows:
- Grace Kwak Danciu, Chair
- Georgios Damtsas, Treasurer
- Meskerem Geset Techane, Secretary
- Özgür Kahale, Member
- Oleksandra Matviichuk, Member
- Ariane Waldvogel, Member
- Kinza Win, Member