The Board and Staff of PTP are thrilled to announce Arif Mamdani as the new Executive Director of Progressive Technology Project! We're especially excited to have Arif because of the leadership role he has played in increasing PTP's commitment to adding value to the organizing community through deeper and more comprehensive engagement. He has been exceptional as PTP’s Capacity Building Director in the last six years, leading our Community Organizing and Technology Institutes (COaTIs), TechCamps and workshops. You can read Arif's biography at http://www.progressivetech.org/About/PTPExecutiveDirector.htm.
While there are many reasons that the board chose to appoint Arif, the simple fact is that he is the ideal fit for the position: he has the skills, necessary experience, and deep knowledge of the work and field to move us forward and to give PTP a very seamless transition. As part of the PTP team, Arif has been intimately involved with planning PTP's strategic direction. He is part of a new generation of leaders who early on saw the importance of adapting technology to organizing needs.
Arif comes in on the heels of six years of outstanding leadership from Mark Sherman who is stepping down as PTP’s Executive Director due to his strong belief in passing on leadership. Mark came to PTP in challenging times and has led us to a point of great strength in our staff capacity, fundraising, and role in the organizing world. Mark will stay on into the spring (which comes late in Minnesota!) to support the transition.
We have a full calendar this year of splendid programming for organizing groups across the country and we’re fortunate to have the expertise of Arif and a very strong staff team. We’re offering trainings on communications and technology, databases and technology planning, online social networking, and basic office software skills. These are all designed to bring entire community organizations up to speed with technology and to help groups integrate technology more deeply into the life of their organization for them to be more successful. You can find more details on our web site at http://progressivetech.org/