Katherine Maher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katherine Maher
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Maher in 2016
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Katherine Roberts Maher
April 18, 1983 Wilton, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Education | New York University (BA) |
| Occupation | Non-profit executive |
| Title | President and CEO of NPR |
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Katherine Roberts Maher (born April 18, 1983) is an American businesswoman. She is currently the chief executive officer (CEO) and president of National Public Radio (NPR). She started this role in March 2024. Before joining NPR, she was the CEO of Web Summit, a big technology conference. She also chaired the board of directors at the Signal Foundation, which supports a secure messaging app. Katherine Maher was also the CEO and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization behind Wikipedia.
Maher has worked for several important organizations. These include UNICEF, which helps children worldwide, and the World Bank, which helps countries develop. She also worked for the National Democratic Institute and Access Now, which focuses on digital rights. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a group that discusses international policy.
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Early Life and Education
Katherine Maher grew up in Wilton, Connecticut. She went to Wilton High School. Her father, Gordon Roberts Maher, worked in finance. Her mother, Ceci Maher, used to lead non-profit groups and was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 2022.
After high school, Maher studied Arabic at The American University in Cairo in 2003. This experience made her very interested in the Middle East. She also studied in Syria and spent time in Lebanon and Tunisia. In 2005, she earned a bachelor's degree from New York University. Her degree was in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies.
Career Highlights
From 2007 to 2010, Katherine Maher worked for UNICEF in New York City. There, she focused on new ideas and communication.
From 2010 to 2011, she worked at the National Democratic Institute. She helped with programs related to information and communication technology (ICT). From 2011 to 2013, Maher was an ICT innovation specialist at the World Bank. She advised on how technology could help with international development and making countries more democratic. In 2012, her Twitter posts about the Middle East were noticed for their coverage of the Arab Spring, a series of protests in the region.
From 2013 to 2014, Maher was an advocacy director at Access Now. This group works on digital rights. She focused on how laws about cybersecurity and free speech affect people. She worked to fight against state censorship that limits people's opinions.
Leading Wikimedia Foundation
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Katherine Maher became the chief communications officer of the Wikimedia Foundation in April 2014. This is the organization that runs Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects. In March 2016, she became the interim executive director. Later, on June 23, 2016, she was officially named executive director and CEO.
Maher left her roles at the Wikimedia Foundation on April 15, 2021. She focused on making sure everyone around the world has access to digital information. She believes this helps protect people's right to learn and share knowledge using technology.
Other Important Roles
From 2022 to 2023, Maher was part of the US State Department's Foreign Affairs Policy Board. This group of experts advises US officials on international matters. As of 2023, she chairs the board of directors for the Signal Foundation. She also chairs the board of Adventure Scientists, a non-profit group. In October 2023, she became the new CEO of Web Summit, a major tech conference.
In January 2024, Katherine Maher was named CEO of NPR, a public radio organization in the United States. She started her new job in late March.
Recent Discussions at NPR
After Maher became CEO of NPR, some discussions arose about the organization's direction. An editor at NPR shared concerns about how NPR reports news. Following this, some people looked at Maher's past social media posts and comments. Maher defended NPR's work and said her comments were sometimes misunderstood. She stated that she strongly believes in the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech in the U.S.
The United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce asked Maher to speak about concerns regarding NPR. She could not attend due to a prior meeting with NPR's board.
In May 2024, Maher announced a new editing group at NPR called "the Backstop." This group would add another layer of review for news stories. Some employees worried about how this group would work and if it would make the news process slower.
In August 2024, Maher suggested that her gender might have played a role in some of the close attention she received after becoming NPR's CEO.
Personal Life
Katherine Maher married Ashutosh Upreti in July 2023. He is a former lawyer for companies like Lyft and Apple.
Honors
- In 2013, The Diplomatic Courier magazine named her one of 99 leading foreign policy professionals under age 33.
See also
In Spanish: Katherine Maher para niños
- List of Wikipedia people
