DAWN
Sarah Leah Whitson is a legal and human rights expert with extensive experience in leadership roles. Currently serving as the Executive Director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) since April 2020, Whitson previously held the position of Executive Director for the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch from March 2004 to January 2020. Prior to these roles, Whitson worked as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1997 to 2004 and began their career as an Associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton from 1991 to 1997. Whitson holds a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School (1988-1991) and multiple Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of California, Berkeley (1984-1988). Additionally, Whitson studied at The American University in Cairo (1986-1987) and graduated from Alex Pilibos High School (1972-1984).
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DAWN
Founded by @Jkhashoggi in 2018, DAWN works to reform U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, hold abusers accountable, and magnify the voices of experts and activists from the region. As a US-based organization, DAWN focuses its research and advocacy on MENA governments with close ties to the United States and the military, diplomatic, and economic support that the US provides these governments, as that is where we have the greatest responsibility. We believe that we can have the most impact by convincing the US government and other international entities, including businesses, to uphold their human rights obligations by ending support for abusive and undemocratic governments in the region. Finally, DAWN strives to create a platform and cultivate a community for MENA democracy exiles, as well as MENA experts, to share their ideas and help shape a democratic, rights-respecting future of the region.