NEW YORK, August 19, 2019—The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) announces the addition of two distinguished members to its Board of Directors. Ellen Taus and Brad Smith bring to ICTJ decades of experience in leadership roles at major global institutions.
“We are delighted to welcome both Ellen Taus and Brad Smith to the ICTJ family,” said Barron M. Tenny, co-chair of the board. “Both have stellar track records as leaders, and we are confident that their wisdom and know-how will help us advance our mission.”
Ms. Taus was the Rockefeller Foundation’s chief financial officer and treasurer from 2008 to 2018, guiding the foundation’s financial strategy and managing all of its budgetary, auditing, and compensation functions. In addition, she oversaw operations of its global offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and its subsidiary, Smart Power India, in New Delhi, India. Previously, Ms. Taus served as the chief financial officer at Oxford University Press USA and in a number of executive roles at the New York Times Company, including as vice president and treasurer and as the first chief financial officer of its Electronic Publishing Division. Earlier in her career, she was vice president of corporate finance for R.H. Macy and the chief financial officer for the American Museum of the Moving Image.
Mr. Smith has spent his entire career in the philanthropic sector. He is currently the founding president of Candid, a joint venture of the Foundation Center and GuideStar that connects global changemakers to to the resources they need. He joined Foundation Center as its president in 2008. Before that, Mr. Smith served as president of the Oak Foundation, a major family foundation with programs and grant activities in 41 countries. During his 10 years as vice president of the Ford Foundation, he led the Peace and Social Justice Program, the institution’s largest, overseeing the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars to organizations working in the fields of human rights, international cooperation, and good governance. He also supervised the program’s field operations on three continents and led the creation of TrustAfrica.
“We are pleased to welcome these dedicated institutional leaders to ICTJ,” said Executive Director Fernando Travesí. “Our whole team is looking forward to working with Ellen and Brad as we implement our strategic plan and build new partnerships with a wide range of actors pursuing human rights, justice, and peace at a time when democratic institutions and the rule of law around the world are under threat.”
ICTJ is an international nongovernmental organization that works across society and borders to challenge the causes and address the consequences of massive human rights violations. ICTJ affirms victims’ dignity, fights impunity, and promotes responsive institutions to lay the foundations for peace, justice and inclusion. ICTJ has worked in over 50 countries, leveraging its experience to articulate lessons learned, identify emerging patterns, develop innovative approaches and inform global policy debates.
PHOTO: Ellen Taus (left) and Brad Smith (right). (ICTJ/Courtesy of Ellen Taus and Brad Smith)
