Ariela Blätter has over 20 years of experience in the human rights and humanitarian sector as an international lawyer, grantmaker, strategic consultant, and nonprofit leader. She is the President and CEO of the global non-profit organization Women In International Security (WIIS).
Previously, Ariela served as a Senior Program Officer on mass atrocity prevention and response for the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. Here, she spearheaded new philanthropic investments in civilian protection, Women Peace and Security (WPS), and launched a successful local action fund with conflict-affected community partners in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Myanmar.
Ariela has also held senior management roles at Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), Citizens for Global Solutions, and Refugees International. She has twice served as an NGO Permanent Representative to the United Nations, working on the negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty and the International Criminal Court’s Rome Treaty. Having co-founded the consulting firm Strategy for Humanity with an AIUSA alumna, Ariela played a pivotal role in its growth to an 8-person staff, serving over 30 mission-driven public and private sector clients.
Ariela has worn many hats at AIUSA as a member, employee, strategic consultant, and funder. Between 2002 and 2009, She served on AIUSA’s staff as the founding Director of Crisis Prevention and Response, Deputy Managing Director of Government Relations (Interim), and Senior Director of International Programs. During her tenure, Ariela established AIUSA’s crisis-response mechanism by establishing a rapid and inclusive shared leadership matrix management system and embracing innovation. Brokering a groundbreaking public-private partnership, she secured Amnesty’s place as the first human rights organization to use commercial satellite technologies and crowdsourcing to monitor and prevent armed conflict and human rights violations. In recognition of this work, she was appointed by former Secretaries Madeleine Albright and William S. Cohen to serve on the U.S. Genocide Prevention Task Force, ultimately resulting in the establishment of the U.S. Government’s Atrocities Prevention Board.
Ariela has served as adjunct faculty at the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC, and has published peer-reviewed scholarly articles. She holds a law degree from Trinity College (Dublin) and a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics and Political Science.