The IFEX Council

The IFEX Council acts on behalf of IFEX network members, overseeing policy and dealing with all strategic and substantial matters facing IFEX. Council members are elected at the biannual IFEX General Meeting, and serve on the Council for two-year terms.

IFEX Council members for 2017-2019 are:

IFEX Convenor: Roula Mikhael – Maharat Foundation, Lebanon
Deputy IFEX Convenor: Owais Aslam Ali – Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Pakistan
Treasurer: Omar Rábago Vital – Centro Nacional de Comunicacion Social (CENCOS), Mexico
Gilbert Sendugwa, Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), Uganda
Ioana Avadani – Centre for Independent Journalism – Romania (CIJ-Romania)
Jillian York – Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Jodie Ginsberg – Index on Censorship
Nedal Al Salman, Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Bahrain
Karin D. Karlekar - Pen American Centre, United States
Bulbul Ahsan - MediaWatch, Bangladesh
Berna Akkizal - Initiative for Freedom of Expression, Turkey
Pedro Vaca - La Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP), Colombia
Paula Martins - ARTICLE 19

The IFEX Secretariat

The IFEX Secretariat, based in Toronto, Canada, runs the day to day operations of the network.

The three main areas of work for the staff are: Communications; Campaigns and Advocacy; and Member and Network Development.

• The Communications team amplifies the reach and impact of IFEX member voices and creates original, engaging material to foster a broader and deeper understanding of the right to freedom of expression and information. It is responsible for IFEX communications channels including the website and social media.
• The Campaigns and Advocacy team develops network-wide campaigns and strategies that support and build on the actions of individual IFEX members and regional networks, seizing opportunities where we can have the most collective and measurable impact – including IFEX’s flagship campaign to end impunity.
• The Member and Network Development team supports the strengthening of IFEX members, regional networks, and the IFEX network as a whole. This is accomplished through direct support to members, convening skills exchanges and learning opportunities, self-serve organisational strengthening resources, and peer networking, as well as through meetings of regional networks and the biannual IFEX Strategy Conference.

IFEX Staff

Annie Game
IFEX Executive Director

Rachael Kay
IFEX Deputy Executive Director

Melissa Fuerth
Director of Funding and Strategy Development

Adelaide Anuseh
Funding and Strategy Development Specialist

Management Systems and Operations

Shahily Garcia
General Meeting and Strategy Conference Specialist

Ban Jirjis
Programme Support Administrator

Sandra Goncalves
Financial and Office Systems Administrator

Eric Pires
Projects Specialist

Communications

Elizabeth Rivera Rivas
Communications Director

Leslie de Freitas
Head of Communications and Editorial

Erin Woycik
Content Specialist

David Christopher
Media Specialist

Iram Partap
Multimedia Content Creator

Network Engagement

Hailey Froese
Head of Network Engagement

Matt Redding
Network Engagement Specialist

Kyle Harris
Network Engagement Specialist

Viviana Ordoñez
Network Engagement Coordinator

Matt Hatfield
Network Engagement Coordinator

Ghina Dajani
Network Engagement Coordinator

Milad Monfared
Network Engagement Coordinator