Photo credit: Jer Clarke

Ameya Nagarajan's introduction:

I’ve been working in the newsroom for almost five years now. I started as a sub-editor, and then became Advox editor, started looking after partnerships, made some podcasts, started editing in Spanish, and in May of last year, became Managing Editor. I help manage the community, help with strategy and fundraising, and built out the GV Spotlight thematic publishing program. I don’t write a lot, but I have translated a few stories, and have represented GV in several fora. Outside GV, I used to edit books and make podcasts, and I have begun facilitating.

All candidates in the 2026 board elections have been asked to answer the set of questions listed below. Feel free to ask Ameya additional questions in the comments area below this post!

What appeals to you most about the prospect of serving on the GV board?

I was unaware until the 2024 Summit that we had Board reps from the community. This could have been my error of course, but I felt that, apart from communicating issues to the Managing Editor and sometimes the MD or ED if I had the chance, there wasn’t really a clear way to raise concerns at the highest level. At the Summit, I had the chance to mediate some very difficult conversations between contractors and management, and some board representatives, and that is when I began to consider running for the board seat. I feel like the opportunity to bridge communication and understanding gaps between the contractors and the body that exists to, among other things, look out for our interests in how the managing team runs the organization, is one that I can use very effectively. I would really like to make sure that our concerns get heard.

What talents, skills, networks, and expertise can you offer Global Voices in your role as board representative?

I am already on the board of a similar community driven organization here in India, so I have some experience of it. I have worked with Lingua, CMO, Advox, and Rising Voices, and the Newsroom, as well as our partners, and I have now been on the core team for almost a year. I have lived and studied in three countries, and have a very diverse educational and professional background that my networks are expansive and almost always unexpected.

As you look ahead to the next three years, what, in your opinion, should be GV’s overarching priorities as an organization?

Sustainability is the most important thing for us. We need to find a way to become financially stable, bring ourselves back up to a level where people can work more hours and we can really leverage our unique and wonderful perspectives to execute our mission of building bridges all across the world.

What aspect of GV’s work interests you the most?

That’s like asking what my favourite book is! I think that, at the heart of it, what I adore about GV is the fundamental mission we have of building bridges, sharing context, and helping people be seen and heard.

What would you like to get out of this board service experience, both professionally and personally?

Both professionally and personally this service will help me to further use my talents for GV. I love this organization and I want to do everything I can to make sure we thrive. I will also, of course, benefit from having held this position in an organization with the excellent reputation that GV has.

How will you fit board service into your personal and other professional work commitments?

I am a planner, so I maintain a very clear and up-to-date calendar of all the things I need to do. Meetings and to-dos will be scheduled into that, and I will make sure that GV’s needs are a priority.

What methods would you use to engage and listen to the community in order to represent them effectively at board level?

I plan to have regular conversations, whether on email, or Zoom, or messaging services, both one-on-one and groups, as needed, with the contractors at least a week before and definitely within a week of a board meeting, so I can make sure their needs are represented, and they hear what discussions are happening at the board level. I will also periodically check in with the community out of sync with the board meetings to see if anyone has concerns or issues they would like to raise.