DAVID W. YANG JOINS PARTNERSGLOBAL AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
April 12, 2018
New Executive-Director Role Signals an Expanding Capacity in Peace Building & Democratic Governance
For Immediate Release: April 12, 2018.
Washington, D.C.
This week PartnersGlobal (Partners) President Julia Roig announced that David W. Yang has joined Partners as Executive Director. In this newly created role, David will be working with Julia in leading all aspects of the organization.
PartnersGlobal is best known for its investment model of establishing independent local Partners Centers for Change and Conflict Management around the world. Partners works through this global network to create partnerships with local change leaders to transform conflict, strengthen democratic institutions, and achieve sustainable development.
As a child of a refugee family from China, David grew up in California’s San Joaquin Valley. In wanting to repay his family’s debt to the international community, he has worked for the past three decades at the intersection of the three fields in which Partners has served since its founding in 1989: human rights, peace building and poverty reduction. He has held senior positions in governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations across the practices of diplomacy, development assistance, research & advocacy, and cross-cultural theater.
Commenting on David’s arrival, Julia stated, “Having taken the reins of Partners from our founder Raymond Shonholtz in 2008, I am now so grateful to have found in David a leader who embodies Ray’s commitment to working in authentic partnership with our local colleagues.” She added, “As we bolster the role of civil society and confront new conflict dynamics around the world, we need someone with David’s unwavering commitment to democratic values to help steer this important moment of growth and adaptation as an organization.”
David met Ray Shonholtz in the early 2000s, and has long appreciated his and Julia’s leadership in bridging the peace-building and democratic-governance communities. Upon assuming the position of Executive Director, David remarked, “I am honored to join the PartnersGlobal team and the network of 22 affiliated Partners organizations around the world.”
Reflecting on Ray’s original vision and Julia’s stewardship of it, David noted: “This team and this network embody many abiding ideals: the intrinsic and instrumental value of peace and freedom; the philosophy of placing local civil-society organizations at the center of the development process; and the cooperation among the communities that separately support peace, human rights and poverty reduction. Indeed, PartnersGlobal and the dynamic network of Partners NGOs represent the cutting edge of implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, especially the historic Goal 16 on peace and justice. For all these reasons, I’m excited to have the opportunity to contribute to this leading organization and network.”
Feel free to contact David directly at [email protected]. Read his full bio here.