Invisible Institute Announces New Leadership
Andrew Fan, a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist and Invisible Institute Chief Operating Officer to Serve as Interim Executive Director.
CHICAGO – The Board of Directors of the Invisible Institute has appointed Andrew Fan to the position of Interim Executive Director beginning on September 5, 2022, when Hilesh Patel departs from his current position as Executive Director.
“I am excited to step into this leadership role and continue to work alongside this incredible team. I started with the Invisible Institute in 2017 and I’ve been here ever since because I deeply admire how our team approaches the essential work of human rights reporting,” said Fan. “My colleagues put serious care into all elements of their work, including how they approach investigations and how they prioritize forming lasting relationships in the communities that we cover.”
Andrew Fan is the long-time Chief Operating Officer of the organization, and is part of the team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. He holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he studied nonprofit journalism models.
Alison Flowers has been named the Head of Productions and Investigations, where she will oversee the journalism program. She led the investigation production team for the podcast Somebody, which was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting.
Jamie Kalven will continue to serve as a full-time journalist and editor for his colleagues. Other members of the organization’s leadership team continue in their positions, including: Anwuli Anigbo (Development Director), Chaclyn Hunt (Legal Director), Maira Khwaja (Director of Public Strategy), and Trina Reynolds-Tyler (Director of Data).
Hilesh Patel succeeded Jamie Kalven as Executive Director of the Invisible Institute in 2021. After leading the organization during an important period of growth and transition, Patel will be returning to his work consulting on behalf of other mission-driven organizations.
“It’s an honor to have served as director of this amazing organization and play a part in facilitating its evolution,” said Patel. “The Invisible Institute has attracted a group of experienced and committed professionals who will continue to grow and have a visible impact in Chicago.”
“The Board is grateful to Hilesh for the important leadership he provided and to Andrew for the outstanding leadership he will continue to provide to the Invisible Institute,” said Sonny Garg, Chair of the Invisible Institute Board of Directors. “We are energized by our homegrown leadership team and look forward to supporting their critical work during this exciting chapter.”
The Invisible Institute is a non-profit 501-c-3 journalism production company on the South Side of Chicago that works to enhance the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable. The Invisible Institute employs an array of tactics and approaches including investigative reporting, multimedia storytelling, human rights documentation, the curation of public information, and the orchestration of difficult public conversations.