Amnesty International USA’s Board of Directors announced today that Margaret Huang, a longtime human rights leader in the U.S., who has served in key leadership roles in the organization for the last several years, has been appointed Executive Director.
Huang has served as Interim Executive Director of AIUSA since the beginning of this year. Prior to that, she served as the head of AIUSA’s Campaigns and Research department and as Chief of Staff, overseeing management across the organization. Huang is based in Washington, DC, and the appointment is effective immediately.
“Margaret is a strong leader with a deep commitment to protecting people’s human rights everywhere,” said Ann Burroughs, Board Chair of AIUSA. “She has played a key role in bringing stability and growth to AIUSA over the last couple of years, so that we can pursue the bold four-year strategic plan that our board, staff, and membership embraced earlier this year.”
“Margaret will work in partnership with our Board and other grassroots member leaders to secure the rights of refugees, protect human rights defenders, and hold law enforcement accountable for protecting people’s safety, both in the U.S. and around the world” Burroughs said. “Nobody fights for human rights quite like Amnesty International does, and our work has never been more critical.”
Amnesty International USA has more than a million members and supporters in the U.S., with more than 900 local groups and student groups across the country. Over the last two years, donations and membership in AIUSA have increased, and the organization has had a budget surplus for three years in a row.
Huang brings more than two decades of experience fighting for human rights in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to joining AIUSA’s senior staff, she served as Executive Director of the Rights Working Group, a coalition of more than 300 organizations formed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks to protect people’s civil liberties and human rights in the U.S. She previously served as a senior staff member at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and earlier in her career she served as a staff member on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“I’m honored and thrilled to serve as Executive Director at Amnesty International USA,” Huang said. “Amnesty plays a unique role in documenting human rights abuses and mobilizing millions of people to take action to protect everyone’s rights. Our work is more important than ever before, as we work with our activists to demand accountability from police for the unlawful use of lethal force, more responsibility sharing by the international community in response to the global refugee crisis, and action on other urgent human rights issues.”