JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS APPOINTS DEPUTY DIRECTOR BILL KILLORN AS INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Bill Killorn will take over the organization's leadership while current Executive Director Rachel Pulfer pursues a year of study at Harvard University

TORONTO, May 31, 2023 /CNW/ - Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) is pleased to announce the appointment of its Deputy Director Bill Killorn as Interim Executive Director from August 2023 to August 2024, while current Executive Director Rachel Pulfer pursues the Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University.

Killorn joined JHR in March 2020 and has been integral to steering the organization through a period of rapid transformation. Under his leadership, JHR built the infrastructure necessary to allow the organization to triple its annual operating budget, double its staff and increase the footprint of its global programs.

"Bill is a compassionate and collaborative leader. He brings extensive experience building teams for much larger organizations alongside three years' success delivering powerful outcomes for Journalists for Human Rights through some of the toughest challenges the organization has had to face thus far," said executive director Rachel Pulfer. "He is the right person to lead JHR at this critical moment and I am 100 percent confident he will take JHR from strength to strength."

Some of Killorn's key undertakings at JHR as Deputy Director include providing leadership to JHR's South Sudan program, building the organization's communications, fundraising, and human resource capacities, as well as introducing digital solutions for project management, funds disbursement and HR operations. During the 2023 earthquakes affecting Turkey and Syria, Killorn provided key leadership for the evacuation of JHR's Canadian staff and trainers from Gaziantep.

"Journalists for Human Rights demonstrates every day that we have the power to drive positive change in our communities," said Bill Killorn. "It has been an honour to work with our incredible global staff, who are united in the belief that the world is what we make it. As Interim Executive Director, I look forward to building on JHR's success, so we rise to the compounding crises facing democracies today."

Prior to joining JHR, Killorn held senior leadership positions in both the government and private sectors, including serving as the Executive Director of Issues Management & Legislative Affairs to the Premier of Ontario and as a Senior Manager of Issues Management & Media Relations for Rogers Communications.

Our thanks to CNW Group for their partnership.

About Journalists for Human Rights

Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) trains journalists worldwide to cover human rights issues ethically and objectively. For 21 years, Canada-based JHR has worked with over 19,000 journalists around the world. Currently, JHR operates sector-wide programs in over 16 countries. For additional information about Journalists for Human Rights, please visit https://jhr.ca/ and follow @jhrnews on Twitter.

SOURCE Journalists for Human Rights (JHR)

To request an interview with Bill Killorn, please contact: Nathalie Sehgal / E: [email protected] / M: 416-567-5421