MEDIA CONTACT: Mandy Simon, [email protected]
(NEW YORK, NY) – Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) announced today that Eric Ferrero will join the organization to lead strategic communications, working to educate, influence, and engage the public in Amnesty’s vital work. As Deputy Executive Director for Strategic Communications and Digital Initiatives, Ferrero will be responsible for the development and implementation of AIUSA’s communications strategy and serve as an integral member of the organization’s senior management team.
“Amnesty International USA is excited to welcome Eric into our leadership and cannot wait to see what he will achieve,” said Margaret Huang, AIUSA’s interim executive director. “The work Eric has accomplished in his career speaks volumes to his judgment and effectiveness. His passionate, original and strategic approach is just what we need at a time when we must defend human rights now more than ever. Amnesty International USA is sure to benefit from Eric’s considerable experience and talent.”
Ferrero joins AIUSA as the organization intensifies its work safeguarding human rights both in the U.S. and abroad, including defending the rights of refugees, protecting human rights defenders across the world and a new initiative to combat gun violence in the U.S. Ferrero will join AIUSA in March, just ahead of the organization’s 51st Annual General Meeting in Miami.
“Ever since my elementary school class wrote letters to help free a prisoner of conscience through one of its campaigns, I've been hooked on Amnesty International’s unique blend of individual casework and broader systemic reform,” said Ferrero. “I’ve seen firsthand how AIUSA engages in fighting abuses around the world while bringing a human rights lens to issues here in the U.S. We have a unique opportunity to address human rights abuses around the world and I am delighted to join a team of phenomenally smart, strategic and committed advocates.”
Ferrero is a veteran of non-profit communications, bringing nearly 20 years of experience working in senior roles for the Innocence Project, American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and Open Society Foundations. Ferrero is currently serving as Vice President for Communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation's leading reproductive health care provider and largest sex educator, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which plays a central role in congressional and presidential elections. While at Planned Parenthood, Ferrero developed award-winning public awareness campaigns on STD testing and birth control, reframed the national discourse about insurance coverage for reproductive health care, and helped engage millions of people in fighting for access to preventive care, contraception, and abortion.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.