In today's article we are going to delve into the fascinating world of Katherine Maher. From its origins to its relevance today, we will explore all the relevant aspects of this topic. With a critical and detailed look, we will analyze its implications in different contexts and its impact on society. Katherine Maher has been the subject of special interest in various areas, and through this article, we will seek to shed light on its importance and role in everyday life. Whether you are an expert on Katherine Maher or simply interested in learning more about the topic, this article is designed to provide a complete and up-to-date overview of Katherine Maher. Get ready to immerse yourself in this exciting topic and discover everything there is to know about it!
Maher grew up in Wilton, Connecticut, and attended Wilton High School. Her father, Gordon Roberts Maher, worked in finance in New York City and witnessed the September 11 attacks. He died in 2020. Her mother, Ceci Maher, is a former non-profit executive who was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 2022. Katherine has two younger brothers.
In 2007, Maher returned to New York City, where from 2007 to 2010, she worked at UNICEF as an innovation and communication officer. She worked to promote the use of technology to improve people's lives. She traveled extensively to work on issues related to maternal health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and youth participation in technology. One of her first projects at UNICEF involved testing MediaWiki extensions related to accessibility in Ethiopia. Another project received USAid Development 2.0 Challenge grant funding to work on the use of mobile phones to monitor nutrition in children in Malawi.[citation needed]
From 2010 to 2011, Maher worked at the National Democratic Institute as an ICT program officer. From 2011 to 2013, Maher worked at the World Bank as an ICT innovation specialist and consulted on technology for international development and democratization, working on ICT for accountability and governance with a focus on the role of mobile phones and other technologies in facilitating civil society and institutional reform, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. She co-authored a chapter on "Making Government Mobile" for a World Bank publication entitled Information and Communications for Development 2012: Maximizing Mobile. In 2012, Maher's Twitter feed on issues related to the Middle East was noted for its coverage of the Arab Spring.
Maher became interim executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation in March 2016 following the resignation of executive director Lila Tretikov and was appointed executive director on June 23, 2016.
In 2019, Maher became CEO of Wikimedia.[failed verification]. She proposed potentially paying contributors to help address gaps in diversity. Maher stepped down from her positions as CEO and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation on April 15, 2021.Maryana Iskander was appointed as her successor.
Maher states that she focuses on global digital inclusion as a way to improve and protect people's rights to information through technology. In a speech to the Atlantic Council Maher spoke about the challenge of combating disinformation, particularly around critical events like elections and the Covid pandemic. She described the First Amendment as a "number one challenge" in regulating content and fighting disinformation.
In January 2024, Maher was named CEO of NPR, and started her job in late March. She subsequently resigned from the Foreign Affairs Policy Board, but continued on the board of the Signal Foundation.
In April 2024, Uri Berliner, NPR senior business editor, published accusations of left-wing bias at NPR in The Free Press. Following Berliner's accusations, conservative journalists including Christopher Rufo criticized Maher for tweets she had made supporting progressive policies and about Donald Trump in 2018, as well as comments Maher made about the First Amendment as "the number one challenge" in the fight against disinformation in a 2021 interview. On April 17, following NPR suspending Berliner, he resigned after 25 years at NPR and criticized Maher's appointment as CEO. Maher defended NPR's record, and stated that her comments regarding the First Amendment were misrepresented and that she has a "robust belief in the First Amendment".
Personal life
Maher married lawyer Ashutosh Upreti in July 2023. Maher has made campaign donations to the Democratic Party.
Honors
In 2013, The Diplomatic Courier named her as one of 99 leading foreign policy professionals under age 33.
Maher, Katherine; York, Jillian C. (2013). "Origins of the Tunisian Internet". In Hussain, Muzammil M.; Howard, Philip N. (eds.). State Power 2.0: Authoritarian Entrenchment and Political Engagement Worldwide. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Group. ISBN978-1-4094-5469-4. OCLC940726016.