Press Release: Lift Our Voices Welcomes New Executive Director Sarvenaz Bakhtiar
For Immediate Release: September 3rd, 2021
Contact: JON CARVALHO
PRESS RELEASE:
Lift Our Voices Welcomes New Executive Director Sarvenaz Bakhtiar
The organization is continuing to build out the team as it fights to ban forced arbitration clauses and nondisclosure agreements for toxic workplace issues.
Sarvenaz Bakhtiar.
NEW YORK, NY, November 3, 2021 – Lift Our Voices announced today the hiring of Sarvenaz Bakhtiar as its new Executive Director. Co-founded by Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, Lift Our Voices is a nonprofit initiative dedicated to creating positive, systemic change in the workplace. Bakhtiar will lead the organization’s work towards eradicating the laws and business practices that prevent employees from publicly discussing and disclosing toxic workplace conditions.
“Protecting workers, particularly those in marginalized communities, has never been more important,” Bakhtiar said. “Based on my own personal experience, I am deeply committed to creating a just work environment for all workers, including women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. I look forward to joining this dedicated and inspiring team as we work to eradicate toxic workplace issues and ensure that workers can speak their truth without fear of retaliation.”
Before joining Lift Our Voices, Bakhtiar served as the Director of Operations and Strategic Development at the Reiss Center on Law and Security and the Center for Cybersecurity at NYU School of Law, where she led the Center through multiple transition periods and was instrumental in the establishment of the Center for Cybersecurity. In this role, she fostered and nurtured partnerships to create collaborative work environments during her tenure. Additionally, Bakhtiar led multiple programs such as the Women Leaders in Cybersecurity, helped create student scholarships to fund and mentor law students, and helped develop an Executive Education program, a hybrid Master’s degree between the law school and the engineering school at NYU. She diversified and expanded event programming and grew outreach for each center. Bakhtiar has cultivated a strong network of experts and leaders within the higher education and nonprofit world, and is excited to bring this energy to Lift Our Voices.
In her new role, Bakhtiar will report directly to the organization’s co-founders and oversee the operational side of the organization, including its online and external presence, communications, partner outreach, advocacy programs, and project and donor development to grow the organization’s reach.
“As we grow our organization and continue our advocacy work on behalf of survivors, Lift Our Voices is pleased to welcome Sarvenaz as our new Executive Director,” said Gretchen Carlson. “She will build on the work Lift Our Voices has already accomplished, fighting the silencing of survivors, and ensuring that predators are held accountable. We are excited to have her join our team in support of this important mission, so that all survivors can speak openly about their workplace experiences.”
“Sarvenaz brings with her a strong record of establishing collaborative, inclusive, and innovative workspaces,” said Julie Roginsky. “We are thrilled to have her join our organization and look forward to working together towards a better, safer future for all workers.”
For more information on Lift Our Voices, visit their Website, Facebook and Twitter pages.
ABOUT LOV
Lift Our Voices was launched in December 2019 to create positive, systemic change in American workplaces through the eradication of nondisclosure agreements for toxic work issues and mandatory arbitration clauses. Created and launched by Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, and Diana Falzone, LOV’s mission is to protect American workers by giving those in toxic work environments the freedom to speak freely about their workplace experiences and free them from the laws and business practices that prevent employees from publicly discussing toxic workplace conditions.