Mozilla Foundation Names Executive Director to Guide Advocacy and Philanthropy

Mozilla Foundation

Nabiha Syed, a media lawyer and CEO of the Markup, has joined the nonprofit technology organization as its executive director.

She will lead its advocacy and philanthropy programs that serve the public interest, particularly on the role of artificial intelligence in society.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute

Patrice Matchaba, former president of Novartis Global Pharmaceuticals’ U.S. Foundation and Novartis Group Head of Global Health, has been tapped as CEO of the research center in Cambridge, Mass.

He succeeds Emilio Emini, who will retire on June 30.

Houston Endowment

Tabitha Rice will join the $2.4 billion grant maker on July 22 as vice president of programs.

Most recently she was executive vice president at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Living Cities

Myung Lee has been hired as chief strategy officer at this national group of philanthropic and financial institutions that are collaborating to close the racial wealth gap.

She became a strategy-innovation fellow there after stepping down as president and CEO of Volunteers of America: Greater New York at the end of 2022.

More New CEOs

Jorge Cruz has returned as executive director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation Greater Newark. He previously held the same role from 2021 until 2023, when he departed to become vice president for community development at Citizens Bank.

Clare Fox is now executive director of Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders. Previously she was vice president of strategic partnerships at Everytable.

Rob Mullen has been promoted from senior vice president of strategy and chief legal officer to president and CEO of the Aultman Health Foundation. He succeeds Rick Haines, who will retire on July 1. Haines has worked at the nonprofit health-care system for 43 years and has been leader of its foundation since 2021.

Nikki Thompson, head of development at NYC KIDS Rise, has joined Breakthrough New York as executive director.

Other Notable Appointments

Mark Franco has joined the law firm Rimon as a partner in its nonprofit practice. Previously he was counsel at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP.

Richa Mittal has been promoted from senior director of agriculture and supply-chain innovation to executive vice president and chief innovation officer at the Fair Labor Association. She has worked there since 2003.

Katie Rodriguez has become executive vice president of capital markets at the Housing Partnership Network. She has worked there for 12 years and was most recently vice president of lending and investment and president of its Housing Partnership Fund and Ventures.

Karthik Venkataraman is joining the financial-inclusion nonprofit Accion as chief operating officer. Most recently he was a partner at Bain & Company, where he worked in the consulting firm’s Organization and Change Management practices.

Mindy Young, managing director at Equality Utah, has been hired as assistant vice president of giving at the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation.

David Zhang, senior director of philanthropy at the Trust for Public Lands, has been appointed chief development officer at the Foundation for America’s Public Lands.

Send an email to people@philanthropy.com.