Today, I’m thrilled to announce that Mozilla Foundation is appointing four new members to its Board of Directors.
Over the years, I’ve written about our efforts to expand the Board, most recently in March 2023. Each time, I emphasize that by joining Mozilla’s Board, leaders commit to joining a movement for internet health that spans not just our staff, but also our community.
This year, as Mozilla celebrated its 25th anniversary, we’ve sought leaders to help set up our “next chapter.” When we began our search, we were looking for three new Board members to help grow the scope and impact of the Mozilla Project overall, working closely with the Boards of the Mozilla Corporation, Mozilla.ai and Mozilla Ventures. We ended up finding four.
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Alondra Nelson is the Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. Dr. Nelson served as deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. As a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a science and technology policy advisor, she has provided guidance to local, state, and federal governments, legislators, civil society, and others. Selected by Nature to its international list of ten people who shaped science in 2022, she is the author of several books, most recently The Social Life of DNA, an award-winning exploration of the social implications of direct-to-consumer genetics. Her works also include Body and Soul, Genetics and the Unsettled Past, and Technicolor. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Dr. Nelson is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Medicine, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Nelson brings deep technical and policy experience to the Mozilla Board, at a time when we’re investing in both.
Edwin Macharia is a Managing Partner at Auxum.Earth, an Afrocentric impact firm dedicated to fostering climate-positive inclusive growth across Africa and the Middle East. Edwin has held several roles spanning many sectors. After helping to establish their Nairobi office, Edwin became the Africa Regional Director for Dalberg Advisors where he was instrumental in building out the firm’s footprint, talent and capabilities in Africa. He pioneered their Agriculture & Food Security practice; chaired the Strategy, Impact & Quality Committee, one of two governing bodies in the firm; and incubated Dalberg Implement, which allows Dalberg to take strategy recommendations and work alongside its clients to bring them to life. He went on to become the Global Managing Partner at Dalberg Advisors. His expertise in strategic direction, grassroots development and fundraising will be vital to Mozilla.
Raffi Krikorian builds teams and tech designed for impact – a clear fit for Mozilla. He is a former executive at Twitter, helped start and run the self-driving efforts at Uber, and joined the Democratic National Committee in 2016 as their first-ever Chief Technology Officer to entirely revamp its tech infrastructure. Raffi is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Emerson Collective where he considers data, tools, and product design with the aim of empowering teams to achieve their goals. Raffi is a graduate of M.I.T. and serves on numerous boards including TUMO; the Community Tech Alliance; and Medic.
Zain Habboo is the Chief Marketing & Mobilization Officer at the International Rescue Committee where she manages an award winning large global communications and marketing team. Previously, Zain served as the social change agency Fenton’s Chief Digital & Creative Officer. Before joining Fenton, Zain was Senior Director of Digital and Multimedia Strategy at the UN Foundation, where she coordinated digital, video, photo, and mobile strategies across the organization. During her time at the UN Foundation, there were many groundbreaking accomplishments, including helping launching the now global phenomenon #GivingTuesday, creating viral memes (the #unselfie) and social media innovations (#Instacorps), as well as global convergences such as the Social Good Summit and digital surge days. Zain was born in Iraq, raised in Jordan, and educated in the U.K., and brings a much-valued global approach and cultural understanding to her work. Zain is conversational in Arabic and French and has worked with organizations around the world on issues ranging from girls’ and women’s empowerment to climate change. Zain serves as a member of the board at the Mozilla Foundation and is a board member at PBS’s AmDoc POV series, she formerly served on the UN Foundation’s “Girl Up” board as well as the non-profit Too Young To Wed. Zain is a Global Human Development Fellow at Georgetown University and was a top finalist for the Washington Women in PR “Woman of the Year” award for 2020.
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When we kicked off this search, I said that “At the highest level, we are seeking people who can help our global organization grow and succeed — and who ensure that we advance the work of the Mozilla Manifesto over the long run.” I believe this group of talented and dedicated people will embody that. I am honored and proud to have them as our newest Board members.
Please join me in welcoming Alondra, Edwin, Raffi and Zain to the Board. Over the coming weeks, you’ll hear directly from them why they joined the Board.
