Emily Martinez, Open Society Foundations

Emily Martinez is director of the Human Rights Initiative. During her tenure at Open Society, she established a set of global initiatives on disability rights, LGBTI rights, the rights of criminal defendants, and the right to information. She led the Open Society Human Rights and Governance Grants Program in Budapest, where she helped promote the development of human rights and accountability groups in Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union.

She has developed expertise on a broad range of fundamental human rights issues across different regions, as well as the critical role civil society plays in promoting equality, accountability and participation. Martinez holds an MA in human rights from the University of Essex. She also graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a BS in international affairs and developmental economics.