Executive DirectorPhysicians for Human Rights
Donna McKay joined Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) as executive director in February 2012, bringing more than 20 years of international and U.S. nonprofit experience to the organization. Under McKay’s leadership, PHR has increased its organizational budget by almost 50 percent, created new programs, and solidified its reputation as a global authority on human rights violations that uses science and medicine to expose attacks on health care, torture, and sexual violence in conflict. A Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, PHR was recently selected to receive the prestigious Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights. Before joining PHR, McKay served for nearly a decade as the director of institutional advancement and special projects at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where she played a critical role in transforming the organization as it responded to the erosion of U.S. civil liberties in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. McKay also spent nearly a decade working to advance women’s reproductive rights with Planned Parenthood.