Dear Partners, Supporters and Collaborators:

As the winds of change are sweeping across my home region of North Africa, we at the GFW are proud to hear from our sister-partners in the region who are working diligently to ensure that women's rights are an integral part of every step taken for democratic change. Based on input from partners that the GFW has nurtured over time, our offices have been buzzing with excitement as staff have provided a critical perspective to debates in the US that too often focus solely on the male voices of dissent. We at the GFW know that inclusionary and democratic politics are needed to advance women's rights in the region and globally.

We also feel confident and excited about the opportunities facing the GFW, and I welcome this chance to update you on our plans for the future.

As you know, we embarked on a CEO search process in September. We identified an excellent candidate who was on the verge of accepting our offer initially but withdrew for personal reasons. I know that we all have experienced situations where things just don't work out and this was one of them! We have taken time to reflect on and assess our situation and recently re-launched the search with renewed confidence that we are well positioned to identify THE new, bold and creative leader to head the GFW through its next phase. For more information go to our CEO search page.

Through the transition period, our dynamic executive team continues to bring a wealth of experience, passion and vision to our efforts. Staff from across the organization have taken on more visible leadership roles and have developed innovative strategies for meeting the needs of GFW grantees and raising awareness in the US of global women's human rights issues.

We are also delighted that Valarie Gelb, an important ally and partner of the GFW who has been working with us as interim COO, will now serve as "interim CEO." Valarie is a highly-skilled leader who has been working closely with the Executive Team to create a refreshed and solid infrastructure upon which we can continue to sustain and grow our commitment to movement-building around women's rights globally. Valarie has over 25 years of international leadership experience in the private and public sectors. She currently serves as Senior Advisory Board member of VisionSpring, a non-profit focused on women and social entrepreneurship in the global south and is co-lead of the Corporate Leadership Council at the Global Fund for Women. Valarie has been honored by the YWCA for corporate and community leadership and holds an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College and attended Kellogg School of Management's Women's Director Development program.

At the same time, as Board Chair, I will continue to lead the Board's on-going efforts to ensure that the support the GFW gives our grantees is used in the most strategic ways to leverage their work for change. We will continue to strengthen our fundraising, respond effectively to the needs of women's groups globally and share the critical thinking and learning that stems from our efforts. During this transition, we have and plan to continue meeting our fundraising goals, deepening our support for movement-building and remaining on the cutting edge of communication strategies to share our critical analyses.

In the upcoming period, you can expect to see more of the many faces that are a part of the GFW as other board members and I step forward to represent the GFW in key forums to work collectively to advance the goals established in our strategic plan and to respond to new opportunities and threats to women human rights defenders and their organizations.

We would love to hear your thoughts and reactions and as always, if you have any questions or comments, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

With warm wishes,

Leila Hessini
Board Chair