WASHINGTON—Freedom House announced today that after more than seven years of distinguished service, its president, Michael J. Abramowitz, will leave the organization in May to lead Voice of America. Board of trustees co-chairs Jane Harman and Wendell Willkie II announced that, on behalf of the board, they are launching a national search for a new president, effective immediately, and have asked Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, the executive vice president of Freedom House, to serve as interim president effective May 11.
“For the better part of a decade, Mike has been the driving force behind Freedom House’s growing success, setting a vision for the organization that amplified its effectiveness in the fight for freedom around the world,” said Jane Harman, former nine-time congresswoman from California. “The entire board of trustees is deeply grateful for Mike’s service and is committed to finding a successor who shares Mike’s passion and brings impressive skill to advance the critical work of this historic nonpartisan organization.”
“Jane and I very much look forward to working closely with Nicole through the transition,” added Willkie. “We are grateful she has agreed to step into the role of interim president, where she is uniquely positioned to continue advancing important initiatives already underway. She has a tremendous track record of successful leadership at Freedom House, is deeply familiar with the human rights and democracy community, and has been a strong partner to Mike in driving change and growth across the organization.”
Over the last seven and a half years, Abramowitz has led Freedom House through extraordinary growth, launching new initiatives such as Free Them All: The Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners and substantial research and programming to address the critical issue of transnational repression. He also oversaw the expansion of the technology and democracy portfolio as human rights are increasingly threatened online, and increased the profile of the organization’s flagship reports, Freedom in the World and Freedom on the Net. Abramowitz spearheaded a major effort to diversify funding, focus strategy, and build a strong team of experienced executives to help transform operations. During his tenure, Freedom House has expanded its international operations to better support human rights defenders in the most challenging circumstances around the world.
“Leading Freedom House has been the honor of a lifetime,” said Abramowitz. “I have met extraordinary people around the world who have sacrificed everything to fight for the freedom of others. I am deeply grateful to the remarkable team at Freedom House who work tirelessly so that people around the world live in freedom, and to the board of trustees who supported our cause and me personally throughout my tenure. I will carry this work and mission with me always.”
Bibbins Sedaca will assume the position of interim president on May 11. She has been with Freedom House for more than three years, overseeing strategic planning and all of the organization’s international programming, research, advocacy, and communications. She has held numerous leadership positions in academia and in the public and nongovernmental sectors, including 10 years at the US Department of State working on democracy promotion, human rights, human trafficking, religious freedom, refugees, and counterterrorism. She holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University and is the Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute.
The board of trustees has retained Russell Reynolds Associates, a global firm with more than 50 years of experience, to help lead the search for Freedom House’s next president.
