Announcing our new Executive Director – Divya Chaturvedi

Dear friends, 

Last spring, Found in Translation announced the beginning of an Executive Director search to identify a new leader. After an extensive search process, we are pleased to announce that Divya Chaturvedi has been selected as our new Executive Director, and officially joined the organization on May 1st, 2023. She succeeds Found in Translation’s Founder Maria Vertkin, who stepped down last fall.

Over the past year, a collaborative committee of board, staff and Language Access Fellows conducted a rigorous and thorough process of reviewing applications and holding multiple stages of interviews with numerous well-qualified applicants. Motivated by our core principles and a strong vision for the next decade of our work, we crafted a collaborative recruitment process that emphasized community involvement at every level. Our aim was to select a new leader for our organization who possesses hands-on knowledge of our work and deep links to the communities we serve. This leader would offer valuable perspectives and experience to steer our organization through this exciting time of innovation and growth.

“I believe that to be truly empowered, women need to be financially independent and able to make their own financial decisions. The mission and work of Found-in-Translation to help women lead better, more empowered lives, deeply resonates with me and I am thrilled to be part of this amazing organization.”

We are pleased to share that Divya meets all of our criteria; she brings considerable knowledge and experience working with immigrants and has been a passionate advocate for empowerment of women. She has a Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She also holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP). Her previous work experience spans across countries in Asia and Africa as well as the United States. She has worked with diverse groups of people from different cultures and backgrounds. She has worked with various nonprofit and international development organizations such as UNDP, UN Woman, Ford Foundation, and the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) managing social impact projects, developing women’s leadership training curriculum, conducting gender research, and managing large-scale global microfinance projects aimed at reducing poverty levels among women.

Prior to joining Found in Translation, Divya served as a Co-Executive Director of Saheli Inc., a nonprofit serving immigrant survivors of domestic violence, a role in which she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and nonprofit management skills. She is a passionate advocate for the inclusion and language access of immigrant women in Massachusetts, particularly for immigrant women survivors of domestic violence. She has been a speaker at conferences and universities, sharing her knowledge and experience on these critical issues. In recognition of her dedication and commitment to empowering immigrant women, Divya was appointed by the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators to serve as a Commissioner on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.

To celebrate this important organizational milestone and welcome Divya to the community, we will be hosting a virtual welcome event on May 25th from 7-8pm. Please RSVP here to join us! All are welcome!

We are grateful to the members of our search committee, as well as the entire Found in Translation community for your engagement and support throughout this important process. 

As Found in Translation begins its next chapter, there is much to be excited about as we continue innovating, strategizing and strengthening this important work. We have been busy running our Spring 2023 medical interpreter certificate training, building capacity through an organizational transition to a custom Salesforce database, and continuing to support our ever growing community of alumnae as they progress in their careers. And we’re not even half-way through 2023!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we welcome Divya into her new role!

~The Found in Translation Team

P. S. Please join us in welcoming Divya as Executive Director by making a donation and showing your support for Found in Translation’s new leadership! You can also send your congratulations to Divya by posting on Found in Translation’s Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages.