At the end of February, our Executive Director, Meghna Abraham is stepping down from her role at CESR, and Dr. Maria Ron Balsera will be our new interim Executive Director. CESR’s board and team thank Meghna for her remarkable commitment and leadership over the past 19 months.
I will be stepping down as the Executive Director of CESR at the end of February 2024. I am proud of everything we have achieved in the last 19 months. The new organizational strategy builds on CESR’s strengths and thirty years of activism with partners. Based on extensive consultations, it sets out a clear role for the organization in supporting cross-movement mobilization to transform the global economic system. CESR has also built new relationships, particularly within the climate justice movement, and between movements over this period.
We have also made considerable progress in building systems and processes to support CESR’s evolution from a New York-based organization to one that is globally dispersed and works entirely remotely. This has taken up much of my focus in the last 18 months and remains an ongoing process. I took the decision in December 2023 that I would not renew my contract with CESR as I want to able to direct more energy to external and far reaching impact. Given that CESR needs continuity as it develops its strategy implementation plan, it also felt like the right time to step away from the role to make way for new leadership which can take the organization through this key phase.
I wanted to thank the CESR team, members of the board, and all the wonderful partners and funders I have had the opportunity to work with over this duration for their support to CESR and openness to collaboration and mutual learning. I wish the team and our old and new partners all the best as they continue to work together to achieve transformative change.
Meghna Abraham
The board would like to thank Meghna for her commitment and leadership. She has achieved a remarkable amount in the 19 months she has been at CESR, including steering the organization to develop its new strategy, bringing in new funding and relationships, strengthening institutional systems, and creating opportunities for growth for staff internally.