Amnesty International USA Board Elects Becky Farrar for Chair, Fills Other Leadership Posts

Amnesty International USA announced today that Becky Farrar has been elected Chair of its Board of Directors. Most recently, Farrar served as Vice Chair of the board (2017-2018) and has been a board member for five years. She was previously a Legislative Coordinator (LC) with AIUSA since 2007 and helped organize the annual Get on the Bus-DC as a member of DC’s Adams Morgan/Capitol Hill Amnesty group. Prior to that, she co-founded Stetson Law’s first Amnesty chapter and served as President of the Public Service Fellows. Farrar has been recognized with leadership awards from AIUSA, and its Mid-Atlantic Region, the American Bar Association and from Stetson Law.

The organization’s board is entirely elected by its grassroots membership across the U.S., and officers are elected by the board. The new officers, comprising the board’s Executive Committee, are:

Becky Farrar, Chair
Janet Lord, Vice-Chair
Ali Arab, Treasurer
Ş. İlgü Özler, Secretary
Benya Kraus, Member at Large
Hadar Harris, Deputy Treasurer
Abdullah Chahin, Deputy Secretary

In addition to the officers, the full Board of Directors also includes: Rana Abdelhamid, Govind Acharya, Gary Davis, Alexandra Durbak, Reza Fakhari, Terry Kay Rockefeller, Barbara Sproul, and Diana Jones Wilson.

“I am honored and thrilled to lead the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA,” said Farrar. “In this critical moment for human rights, it is more important than ever to advocate for the fundamental rights of all people. I am looking forward to building on legacy of protecting human rights both at home and abroad.”

“Becky’s leadership, passionate approach, and deep commitment to human rights will be critical to Amnesty as we continue to grow our work,” said Aniket Shah, who has come to an end of his term as the organization’s Board Chair. “We cannot wait to see all she and our board will accomplish.”