Ann Strimov Durbin (she/her)
Director
California, USA
ann[at]strategy[dot]org
Ann Strimov Durbin is a Director at Strategy for Humanity. A human rights attorney, policy advocate, and philanthropic strategist, her consulting practice focuses on using data-driven research, legal tools, advocacy, and strategic program design to challenge hate and oppression, counter impunity, and empower marginalized communities locally and globally. She has expertise in human rights, international criminal and humanitarian law, conflict and atrocity analysis and prevention, refugees and migration, humanitarian response, peacebuilding, transitional justice, post-conflict development, and civil rights.
Ann has extensive experience working with populations impacted by atrocity crimes and genocide, armed conflict, sexual and gender-based violence, displacement, and systemic inequality–particularly women and children. Ann has designed, supervised, resourced, and monitored multiple programs for communities in challenging environments, including in Chad for Darfuri refugees, Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees, Syria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda.
In her philanthropic advisory work, Ann supports her clients across the entire lifecycle of their social impact endeavors–whether that involves conducting a field assessment or gap analysis; launching a new project or organization; crafting an impactful grantmaking portfolio; developing mechanisms for dispersing and monitoring grants; or, strategic planning, communications, and (re)branding. She has led the philanthropic advisory services for a fiscal sponsorship provider, where she designed, incubated, and oversaw nonprofit projects, grantmaking portfolios, and foundations across social change initiatives like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, children’s rights and education, mental health equity, and COVID-19 emergency grants. At the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, Ann managed a portfolio of grants focused on human rights, international justice, and peace and security, while also engaging in donor education and advocacy and helping to develop new programmatic areas.
Ann has worked as a civil rights litigator, prosecuting discrimination and constitutional rights violations, as well as advocating for law enforcement, criminal justice, and educational policy reform. She has also practiced international civil litigation, holding perpetrators, including multinational corporations, to account for committing international law violations and atrocity crimes. For several years, Ann directed global advocacy and on-the-ground programming for Jewish World Watch, spearheading multiple advocacy efforts and working in coalition with other nonprofit organizations, funders, elected officials, survivors, and diaspora communities to secure passage of important human rights legislation.
Ann holds a Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law, with certification in Public Interest Law and Policy and International Law, a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and BAs in Philosophy and Political Science from Columbia University. She is admitted to legal practice in California. Ann is a fluent Russian speaker and proficient in French.