Nikhil Swaminathan

Chair

Nikhil Swaminathan is the CEO of Grist. Previously, he served as a digital producer for “Fault Lines,” a current affairs documentary film program that aired on Al Jazeera America and Al Jazeera English. Prior to that, he was a senior editor at Archaeology magazine and a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in Mother Jones, The New York Post and Psychology Today.

Bruce Morrow

Vice President

Bruce Morrow has over 25 years of fundraising and nonprofit management experience. He was formerly Director, Foundation and Government Grants, at The Trevor Project and Senior Director, Institutional Giving, at GLAAD. He has also worked with Girl Scouts of the USA and Teachers & Writers Collaborative.

Matthew Annenberg

Treasurer

Experienced in the finance sector and philanthropy, EHRP’s Board Treasurer Matthew Annenberg has served as managing director of Principal Global Investors and board chair of the progressive private school Friends Seminary. He is also a member of Bates College’s Investment Committee.

Sarah Safer

Secretary

Sarah Safer is one of the co-creators of the Morley Safer Award, a yearly prize that honors reporters, and is a supporter of journalism non-profits. She has worked in television news and is a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Steven Dean

Member-at-Large

Steven Dean is a Professor of Law and Paul Siskind Research Scholar at Boston University School of Law. He is an award-winning author who has written five books about taxation, social enterprise, and philanthropy, including Racial Capitalism and International Tax Law: The Story of Global Jim Crow (Oxford 2025).

Deirdre English

Member-at-Large

Deirdre English served as Editor-in-Chief of Mother Jones from 1978–1986, co-authored books with Barbara Ehrenreich, and contributed articles and commentary to national publications. She also served as a continuing lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she directed the Felker Magazine course.

Maria Smith

Member-at-Large

Maria Smith is founder and CEO of The Eleos Initiative, a private foundation advancing LGBTQI+ human rights and health equity, substance use disorder treatment, and arts and music education. Previously, she scaled Impact Advisors, a healthcare consulting firm, from $0 to $340M+, earning multiple awards. Maria also serves on the boards of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Harvard Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights.

Duy Linh Tu

Member-at-Large

Duy Linh Tu is a journalist and documentary filmmaker and a Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he teaches reporting and video storytelling courses. His work has appeared in print, online, on television, and in theaters.