Latanya Mapp Frett is New President and CEO of Global Fund for Women

Global Fund for Women is very pleased to announce that Latanya Mapp Frett is Global Fund for Women’s new President and CEO beginning July 1, 2019. She takes over leadership from Musimbi Kanyoro, who retires June 30, 2019.

Please see this video and letter from Latanya Mapp Frett on what’s ahead for Global Fund for Women and the movement today.

Global Fund for Women is one of the world’s leading foundations for gender equality, standing up for the human rights of women and girls. Since its founding, Global Fund for Women has granted over $150 million in 175 countries, helping to win rights for millions of women and girls.

“I am thrilled to be leading such a well-respected organization that is working to ensure every woman and girl is strong, safe, powerful, and heard. No exceptions,” said Latanya Mapp Frett. “I look forward to expanding our work in this critical time when women’s rights are increasingly under siege. The grassroots work we support goes directly to women fighting for justice in their own communities.”

The Global Fund for Women Board of Directors unanimously appointed Latanya Mapp Frett as CEO. “At a time when Global Fund for Women has committed to significant growth and expansion, we are tremendously excited about bringing a visionary leader on board to invigorate our thinking and our work. Latanya possesses both professional acumen and demonstrated passion for the mission of Global Fund for Women.  She embodies the values of Global Fund for Women and offers breadth and clarity with regard to her vision of women’s rights movements,” said Layli Maparyan, the Co-Chair of the CEO Search Committee of the Global Fund for Women Board of Directors.

Latanya Mapp Frett believes in shifting power to the Global South and understands that change is a responsibility of many players. Her career has been dedicated to the Global South, often in countries in conflict.

She previously served as the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Global, the international arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, with regional and country offices in Africa and Latin America. She is an attorney by training who has worked with governments, NGOs, and multilateral sectors.

Prior to joining Planned Parenthood Global, Latanya Mapp Frett worked for 8 years as a human rights officer for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and for 10 years with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She served as a delegate to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 and continues to fight for the human rights of women.

Latanya Mapp Frett began her career at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in Washington, DC. She has received many honors and awards, including two Esteemed Meritorious Honor Awards from the U.S. government and the highest honor in civil service, the Superior Honor Award, from the U.S. State Department. She was one of 30 Foreign Service Officers honored with the Colin Powell Fellowship by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at Oxfam America and CHANGE, and is an Adjunct Professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and author of four U.N. human rights reports and manuals. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and Alum of ICAP. She is a member of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations. She holds a bachelor of arts in government and politics, a master’s in public policy, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland.