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Katherine Maher

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Katherine Maher
Katherine Maher in 2016
Maher in 2016
Born
Katherine Roberts Maher

(1983-04-18) April 18, 1983 (age 41)
Wilton, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationNew York University (BA)
OccupationNon-profit executive
TitlePresident and CEO of NPR
Parents
Maher introducing herself
recorded June 2016
Maher congratulating Wikidata's fifth anniversary in 2017

Katherine Roberts Maher (/mɑːr/;[1] born April 18, 1983)[2] is an American businesswoman. She is the chief executive officer (CEO) and president of National Public Radio (NPR) since March 2024.[3] Prior to NPR, she was the CEO of Web Summit and chair of the board of directors at the Signal Foundation. She transitioned to the role of non-executive chairperson at Web Summit in March 2024.[4][5] She is a former chief executive officer and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation.[6][7][8]

A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Maher worked for UNICEF, the National Democratic Institute, the World Bank and Access Now before joining the Wikimedia Foundation. She subsequently joined the Atlantic Council and the US Department of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.

Early life and education

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Maher grew up in Wilton, Connecticut,[2] and attended Wilton High School.[9] Her father, Gordon Roberts Maher, worked in finance in New York City, and died in 2020.[10] Her mother, Ceci Maher, is a former non-profit executive who was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 2022.[11]

After high school, Maher graduated from the Arabic Language Institute's Arabic Language Intensive Program of The American University in Cairo in 2003, which she recalled as a formative experience that developed her interest in the Middle East.[12] Maher also studied at the Institut français d'études arabes de Damas in Syria and spent time in Lebanon and Tunisia.[2][13][14]

In 2005, Maher received a bachelor's degree from New York University in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies.[15]

Career

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Katherine Maher with giddha dancers at WikiConference India 2016

From 2007 to 2010 Maher worked in New York City, at UNICEF, as an innovation and communication officer.[2]

From 2010 to 2011, Maher worked at the National Democratic Institute as an ICT program officer.[16] From 2011 to 2013, Maher worked at the World Bank as an ICT innovation specialist and consulted on technology for international development and democratization.[17] In 2012, Maher's Twitter feed on issues related to the Middle East was noted for its coverage of the Arab Spring.[18][19]

From 2013 to 2014, Maher was advocacy director at the Washington, D.C.-based Access Now.[20][21] As part of this work, she focused on the impact on people of laws about cybersecurity, morality, and defamation of the state that increase state censorship and reduce dissent.[22] Access was a signatory of the Declaration of Internet Freedom.[17]

Maher and Jimmy Wales at Wikimania 2017

Maher was chief communications officer of the Wikimedia Foundation from April 2014 to March 2016.[20][23][24] She became interim executive director in March 2016 following the resignation of executive director Lila Tretikov[21][25] and was appointed executive director on June 23, 2016;[6][20] the position was subsequently retitled as "executive director and CEO".

Maher stepped down from her positions as CEO and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation on April 15, 2021.[7][8] Maryana Iskander was appointed as her successor.

Maher states that she focuses on global digital inclusion as a way to improve and protect people's rights to information through technology.[2][26][27] In a speech to the Atlantic Council Maher spoke about the challenge of combating disinformation, particularly around critical events like elections and the Covid pandemic. She described the First Amendment as a "number one challenge" in regulating content and fighting disinformation.[28]

From 2022 to 2023, Maher was a member of the US State Department's Foreign Affairs Policy Board, an expert panel established in 2011 by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to advise US officials.[29][30] As of 2023, she chairs the board of directors of the Signal Foundation.[5] She is also the board chair of nonprofit organization, Adventure Scientists as of January 2023.[31] In October that year, Web Summit appointed Maher as its new chief executive, to replace Paddy Cosgrave.[32]

In January 2024, Maher was named CEO of NPR, and started her job in late March. She subsequently resigned from the Foreign Affairs Policy Board, but continued on the board of the Signal Foundation.[3]

In April 2024, Uri Berliner, NPR senior business editor, published an essay in The Free Press[33] critiquing, among other things, liberal bias at NPR both in management and content, leading to an erosion of trust with the public and with internal staff. Following Berliner's critique, conservative journalists and activists including Christopher Rufo criticized Maher for tweets she had made supporting progressive policies and about Donald Trump in 2018,[33] as well as comments Maher made about the First Amendment as "the number one challenge" in the fight against disinformation in a 2021 interview. Berliner was suspended without pay for 5 days, ostensibly for failing to secure approval for "outside work".[34] On April 17, he resigned after 25 years at NPR and criticized Maher's appointment as CEO. Maher defended NPR's record, and stated that her comments regarding the First Amendment were misrepresented and that she has a "robust belief in the First Amendment".[35]

The United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested an appearance by Maher as part of their investigation into "allegations of political and ideological bias at the national program producing office of National Public Radio" as a taxpayer funded public radio organization.[36] Maher declined due to a scheduling conflict, as she was previously scheduled to meet with NPR’s board all day on the same date as the committee's hearing.[37]

In May 2024, Maher approved and announced a new editing group for NPR, called "the Backstop", which caused internal anxiety. Numerous employees worried that the additional layer of review, comprising six editors and funded by an unknown donor, was insufficiently transparent, may be redundant, and may impede NPR's journalistic process. There were also concerns that the creation of the Backstop could be interpreted as a defensive reaction to Mr. Berliner's essay.[38]

In August 2024, while co-hosting the Public Media Development and Marketing Conference, Maher stated she believed her gender played a role in the scrutiny she faced after being named NPR CEO.[39]

Personal life

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Maher married Ashutosh Upreti, a former lawyer for Lyft and Apple, in July 2023.[5]

Honors

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Works and publications

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Maher, Katherine (January 10, 2020). "Maher rhymes with car, and is not a cognate of a female horse, a town leader, or a military leader. You'd think the Brits would know this after decades of colonial theory and praxis". @krmaher. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Boix, Montserrat; Sefidari, María (September 3, 2016). "Maher: "La Fundación necesita reflejar la cultura que queremos ver en la comunidad"" (Video). Wikimujeres. Wikimanía Esino Lario 2016. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ a b Folkenflik, David (January 24, 2024). "NPR names tech executive Katherine Maher to lead in turbulent era". NPR. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  4. ^ Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher to step down for new job in US radio
  5. ^ a b c Radomsky, Rosalie R. (August 4, 2023). "Was It a Job Interview or a Date? She Soon Found Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Lorente, Patricio; Henner, Christophe (June 24, 2016). "Foundation Board appoints Katherine Maher as Executive Director". Wikimedia Blog. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Wikimedia Foundation CEO Katherine Maher to Step Down in April 2021". Wikimedia Foundation. February 4, 2021. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "[Wikimedia-l] Thanks for all the fish! / Stepping down April 15". wikimedia-l mailing list. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "More than half of Wilton High makes honor roll" (PDF). Wilton Bulletin. May 10, 2001. pp. 3D.
  10. ^ "Obituary of Gordon Roberts Maher | Hoyt Funeral Home". obituary for Maher's father. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  11. ^ Freda, J. D. (January 9, 2023). "For Wilton's Ceci Maher, becoming CT senator was next step in life of service". Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "AUCians Recognized Among Top 99 Foreign Policy Leaders Under 33". The American University in Cairo. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  13. ^ Rooney, Ben (June 28, 2012). "Web Can Foment Openness as Corrupt Regimes Fall". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012.
  14. ^ "Katherine Maher, CEO and Executive Director of Wikimedia Foundation". Ability Magazine. October 13, 2020. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "2000s" (PDF). NYU Alumni Magazine. No. 22. Spring 2014. p. 59. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  16. ^ "Tech in the Egyptian Revolution" (Video). frogdesign Design Mind. March 12, 2011. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Curley, Nina (October 9, 2012). "Resisting Internet Censorship: Katherine Maher of Access at SHARE Beirut" (Video). Wamda. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2016 – via Youtube.
  18. ^ York, Jillian (April 3, 2012). "A Seat at the Table: A Twitter-ful list of women crucial to foreign policy". Levo League. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  19. ^ York, Jillian C. (June 20, 2012). "Introducing the FPwomerati: Why didn't Foreign Policy include more women in its Twitterati list? Here's a list of 100 female tweeters around the world that everyone should follow". Foreign Policy.
  20. ^ a b c Gardner, Sue (April 15, 2014). "Katherine Maher joins the Wikimedia Foundation as Chief Communications Officer". Wikimedia Blog. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  21. ^ a b Lorente, Patricio (March 16, 2016). "Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees welcomes Katherine Maher as interim Executive Director". Wikimedia Blog. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  22. ^ Fletcher, Lisa (August 8, 2012). "Predicting crime online and offline". The Stream. Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original (TV show) on September 26, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  23. ^ Fitzsimmons, Michelle (January 16, 2016). "Wikipedia is still disrupting after 15 years". TechRadar. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  24. ^ Bradley, Diana (May 15, 2014). "Wikimedia hires Maher to fill chief comms role". PRWeek. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  25. ^ Tretikov, Lila (February 25, 2016). "[Wikimedia-l] Thank you for our time together" (Mailing list post). Wikimedia-l. Wikimedia Foundation. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  26. ^ Maher, Katherine (October 29, 2016). "MozFest Speaker Series: Privacy and Harassment on the Internet". Mozfest 2016. Archived from the original (Video) on August 1, 2019.
  27. ^ "El día que Wikipedia se apagó y decidió dar una batalla política". LA NACION (in Spanish). October 16, 2018. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  28. ^ "A conversation with former Wikimedia CEO, Katherine Maher". Atlantic Council. June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  29. ^ Toosi, Nahal; Forgey, Quint (June 17, 2022). "Biden's known unknowns". POLITICO. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "Katherine Maher". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  31. ^ "Board of Directors". Adventurescientists.org. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  32. ^ Goodbody, Will (October 30, 2023). "Web Summit announces new CEO to replace Paddy Cosgrave". RTÉ News. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  33. ^ a b Mullin, Benjamin (April 15, 2024). "NPR C.E.O. Faces Criticism Over Tweets Supporting Progressive Causes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  34. ^ "NPR Editor Uri Berliner suspended after essay criticizing network : NPR". NPR. April 16, 2024. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  35. ^ Bruell, Alexandra (April 24, 2024). "NPR Chief Defends Coverage, Accuses Critics of 'Bad Faith Distortion' of Her Views". WSJ.
  36. ^ Falk, Tyler (May 2, 2024). "House committee to investigate alleged NPR bias". Current. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  37. ^ Mullin, Benjamin (May 1, 2024). "Republicans Call on NPR's C.E.O. to Testify About Political Bias Accusations". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  38. ^ Mullin, Benjamin (May 16, 2024). "New Editing Layer Adds Angst Inside NPR". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024.
  39. ^ "NPR's Katherine Maher tackles big questions about public media's role". August 19, 2024.
  40. ^ "Innovators: Katherine Maher". The Diplomatic Courier. September 10, 2013.[permanent dead link]

Further reading

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