For nearly 40 years, Thousand Currents has remained committed to resourcing grassroots groups and social movements with the funding and support they need to challenge injustices and imagine new possibilities. As we continue with our bold plan to move more resources than ever before to our movement partners, we recognize the need to tend to our own internal structure. To that end, we’re excited to announce two new senior leadership roles.

Cindy Clark, a leader with 30 years of experience, recently joined Thousand Currents as Vice President of Operations. She spent over 15 years in multiple roles at AWID, a global feminist membership organization committed to supporting women’s rights and gender justice movements to thrive. Cindy has extensive experience with collaborative research, advocacy, and relationship building to strengthen quality resourcing for feminist movements. She also brings a passion for cultivating organizational systems and practices that support geographically dispersed teams to move together in ways that are consistent with their values.

In her new role, Cindy will be responsible for providing internal leadership to support management, collaboration, alignment, and organizational capacity building. She will lead a newly formed Global Operations team that includes Finance, Learning Initiatives, Organizational Effectiveness, People and Talent, and Technology.

Thousand Currents staff member Luam Kidane was recently promoted to Vice President of Global Programs. Luam joined us in October 2016 as the Regional Director for Africa and moved into the Director of Global Programs role in 2021. Luam has led the Global Programs team with expansive vision, strategic clarity, and deep commitment to Thousand Currents’ partner-centered ethos. During her tenure as Director of Global Programs, Thousand Currents doubled total grants and quadrupled grant sizes, in addition to introducing critical areas of work such as building our tactical partners’ portfolio and working on our researchers in residence program.

Described by staff as “fierce, clear, sharp, powerful, and brilliant,” Luam will continue to provide strategic guidance for our grantmaking work while focusing on developing and expanding our research and advocacy engagement. Luam’s leadership will be a key ingredient in our ambitious plan to move at least $65 million to movements in the next three years.

Please join us in welcoming Cindy and Luam to their new roles!