President & Chief Executive Officer
The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)
The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) is a globally
recognized leader in the field of torture rehabilitation and human rights
advocacy. CVT is dedicated to healing
survivors of torture and ending torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading
treatment or punishment (CIDT). Founded in 1985 as the first torture survivor
rehabilitation center in the United States—and the second globally—CVT has
developed specialized models of care that are internationally recognized for
their effectiveness in treating individuals who have experienced severe trauma.
The organization provides trauma-informed mental health services and
multidisciplinary rehabilitative care to survivors in the United States,
Africa, and the Middle East, while also extending support to families and
communities to broaden the circle of healing.
CVT plays a critical role in building global capacity for
survivor care by offering training and consultation to other torture
rehabilitation centers, enhancing provider skills and promoting sustainable
practices. It continues to create multiple avenues of impact across human
rights and shaped the sector with its provision of treatment. The organization
also engages in advocacy at local, national, and international levels to oppose
torture and support human rights protections. In recent years, CVT has expanded
its efforts to include secondary trauma and resiliency training for legal and
medical professionals, particularly those working with asylum seekers and
survivors of systemic injustice, including racial violence and abuse in
detention settings.
Operating in politically complex environments, CVT
collaborates with human rights defenders and organizations around the world.
Through its unwavering commitment to healing, advocacy, and capacity-building,
CVT continues to lead the global movement toward a future where torture no
longer exists, and survivors can rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
CVT Mission
The mission of the Center for Victims of Torture is to heal
the wounds of torture on individuals, their families and their communities and
to end torture worldwide.
CVT Vision
The Center for Victims of Torture’s vision is a world
without torture.
CVT Values
• Hope – We believe a better future is possible.
• Human Dignity – We commit to respecting the
humanity of all people.
• Integrity – We commit to holding ourselves
accountable, ensuring honesty and transparency.
• Equity – We commit to dismantling barriers to
justice and advancing opportunities for all.
• Collaboration – We commit to listening to,
working with, and learning from survivors and each other.
Charting a Bold New Institutional Strategy for CVT
In early 2025, sweeping administrative changes in the United
States triggered a pivotal moment for the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT).
Significant reductions in U.S. foreign aid, humanitarian assistance, and human
rights infrastructure directly impacted funding for CVT’s core mission—healing,
justice, accountability, and capacity development. At the same time, the
organization confronted a sobering truth: the scale of suffering caused by
torture and human rights abuses far exceeds the systems currently in place to
address it.
In response, CVT is embarking on a strategic
transformation—one that honors its legacy while boldly reimagining its future.
The Center is reaffirming its commitment to survivors of torture and
conflict-related trauma, while reshaping the systems needed to support their
healing.
A New Framework for Impact
Building on four decades of global credibility and
expertise, CVT will now organize its work around three interconnected pillars:
• Healing: Delivering trauma-informed,
interdisciplinary mental healthcare and rehabilitation to survivors.
• Justice & Accountability: Advancing
survivor-centered efforts to pursue justice and hold perpetrators of torture
and atrocities accountable.
• Systems Change: Strengthening the capacity of
organizations and systems to support survivors throughout their healing
journey.
To bring this vision to life, CVT is reorganizing its teams
and programs, integrating technology in innovative ways, and exploring new
revenue streams to expand its reach and sustain its mission. With the full
support of its Board of Directors and a dedicated, world-class staff, CVT has
launched several pilot initiatives designed to test and innovate across key
areas:
• Torture and Trauma Platform: A centralized,
digital hub that dynamically shares CVT’s global knowledge, skills, and
expertise. This platform will serve a wide range of stakeholders—including
those not yet identified—who may benefit from CVT’s work in unexpected ways.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration:
Embedding artificial intelligence across CVT’s programs to foster creativity,
improve efficiency, elevate workforce skills, and explore new models for
training clinicians, delivering services, processing data, and resource
development. All AI applications will be guided by ethical standards and a
“human-in-the-loop” approach.
• Trauma-Informed Advisory Service: A consulting
and training initiative that brings CVT’s trauma-informed methodologies to
companies and organizations, generating new revenue while expanding impact.
• Psychotherapy Expansion Pilot: Offering CVT’s
expert trauma therapy to individuals who can pay out of pocket or through
private insurance—creating a new revenue stream and broadening access to care.
These pilots will provide critical insights into market
demand, the scalability of digital tools, and opportunities to grow CVT’s
network of organizations and leaders equipped to support survivors.
A Transformative Moment—and a Call for Leadership
As CVT steps into this transformative chapter, it is seeking
a visionary CEO to lead the way. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an
innovative, creative leader to shape the future of healing, justice, and global
impact.
The Opportunity
Position
President & Chief Executive Officer
Location:
Remote (Organization is Headquartered in Minnesota)
Reporting Relationship:
Board of Directors
Website:
Purpose of the Position
The President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will lead a
complex, mission-critical portfolio that includes trauma-informed clinical
care, global programming, advocacy, innovative research, and capacity-building
initiatives. As CEO, you will be the driving force behind CVT’s strategic
direction—strengthening organizational sustainability while elevating its voice
as a trusted global authority in torture rehabilitation and prevention.
This role offers the opportunity to directly impact lives
across continents, helping survivors find hope and healing. Communities will be
empowered, systems transformed, and action inspired—from donors and
policymakers to frontline staff and global partners—mobilizing support for one
of the most urgent human rights issues of our time.
The ideal candidate brings cross-cultural fluency and
trauma-informed, survivor-centered leadership, along with a proven track record
of fundraising success across individual, public, and private sectors. They
have served as a compelling spokesperson and global thought leader,
demonstrated operational excellence and business transformation expertise, and
shown an unwavering commitment to human rights. With a history of leading
successful organizational change and collaborating effectively with Boards of
Directors, they are prepared to guide CVT into its next chapter of global
impact.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Vision
• Innovate and champion CVT’s new strategic
direction, orchestrating seamless alignment and implementation across programs,
finance, technology, and organizational culture to accelerate impact.
• Collaborate with the Board of Directors and
senior leadership team to refine and execute a multi-year strategy that expands
access to world-class survivor services and prevention initiatives.
• Advance a powerful, persuasive organizational
brand and narrative that showcases CVT’s impact, scale, and thought leadership
both on domestic and global stages.
• Develop and implement a strategy to deepen and
diversify relationships with public and private sector partners that unlock
resources, influence, and programmatic reach.
• Assess and redesign (as needed) CVT’s leadership
structure, recruiting mission-driven talent, and ensuring staffing drives
sustainable growth and exceptional program delivery.
• Evaluate risks and opportunities across policy,
funding, and humanitarian landscapes, and adapt strategies with intellectual
rigor and agility.
External Engagement and Relationship Development
• Rigorously engage in current fundraising
strategies and relationships to identify high-impact opportunities for
diversified, sustainable income.
• Lead the pursuit of sustainable funding sources
across government contracts, philanthropic contributions, foundations, and
earned revenue.
• Represent CVT with conviction at domestic and
international forums, cultivating high-value relationships and elevating the
organization’s profile.
• Oversee and deliver successful capital and
programmatic campaigns that exceed targets and mobilize new constituencies of
support.
• Strengthen CVT’s presence in national and
international policy spaces, furthering the organization’s reputation as a
trusted thought leader in torture rehabilitation and trauma-informed care.
• Work closely with the Chief Financial Officer to
ensure financial integrity, proactive risk management, and transparent
accountability into every funding initiative.
Governance and Board Engagement
• Partner with the Board of Directors to
strengthen organizational leadership, identify high-caliber candidates, and
align governance practices with CVT’s strategic goals.
• Design and lead a results-oriented strategic
planning retreat with the Board and senior leadership to define clear
priorities and measurable outcomes for the next 12–24 months.
• Keep the Executive Committee consistently
informed of key challenges, strategic opportunities, and operational
developments to support timely, high-quality decision-making.
• Expand the Board’s resource development capacity
by fostering active, mission-driven engagement in fundraising and strategic
partnerships.
• Ensure meaningful Board engagement in fiduciary
responsibilities, encouraging members to contribute expertise, oversight, and
advocacy that advance CVT’s long-term vision.
• Lead and convene Board participation in shaping
and executing new institutional strategies.
Operational Oversight
• Champion an inclusive, trauma-informed workplace
that centers survivor dignity, promotes staff well-being, and embeds diversity,
equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a strategic advantage.
• Align budgets to strategic priorities, steward
reserves, and ensure financial practices enable bold innovation, risk
assessment and sustained impact.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain a high-performing,
values-driven leadership team that delivers operational excellence and inspires
organizational transformation.
Direct Reports
The President & CEO directly oversees the following
executive leaders:
• Vice President of Global Programs
• Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Vice President of Advancement
• Director of Communications
• Director of Global Policy and Advocacy
• Director of Human Resources – United States
• Director of Human Resources – International
• Executive Assistant
The Candidate
Experience and Professional Qualifications
The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) seeks a bold,
visionary, and entrepreneurial leader who embodies its mission: to heal the
wounds of torture experienced by individuals, families, and communities—and to
end torture worldwide. This is a rare opportunity to lead a globally respected
organization at a pivotal moment of transformation, with daily impact across
the human rights sector.
The ideal candidate brings deep subject matter expertise in
humanitarian or human rights work, along with senior leadership experience in
complex nonprofit, corporate, academic, global health, or mental health
systems. They are a strategic thinker, compassionate changemaker, and visionary
ambassador—fluent in cross-cultural dynamics and committed to trauma-informed,
survivor-centered leadership.
As President and Chief Executive Officer, this individual
will thrive at the intersection of vision and execution, with a proven track
record in revenue generation and a passion for building sustainable,
mission-driven institutions. They will serve as CVT’s chief ambassador, guiding
the organization with clarity, courage, and conviction, and demonstrating the
business acumen, cultural awareness, and inspirational presence needed to
expand CVT’s global impact and sustainability.
Specific experience, qualifications and characteristics
sought include:
• Over ten years of senior leadership experience
with multifunctional oversight.
• Proven success in humanitarian aid, human
rights, global health, or mental health systems.
• Strong change management skills and a history of
fostering inclusive, high-trust team cultures.
• Demonstrated fundraising success across
individual, corporate, and foundation sectors.
• Experience in media engagement, public
campaigning, and policy advocacy.
• Deep commitment to diversity, equity, and
inclusion, with a track record of building inclusive environments.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to integrate
innovative ideas into programming.
• Extensive fiscal management experience,
including oversight of complex, multi-regional budgets.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication
skills, with enthusiasm for CVT’s mission and a drive to build relationships
across a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
• Unquestionable professional ethics and a
personal commitment to continuous improvement.
Education
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in
public policy, public health, social work, psychology, international affairs,
nonprofit management, law, or a related field preferred.
Compensation & Benefits
• CVT offers a competitive, mission-aligned
compensation package including salary, health benefits, retirement plan, paid
time off, professional development, and other benefits. The anticipated salary
range for this role is $225,000 - $250,000.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Commitment
• CVT is committed to hiring and fostering a
diverse and inclusive workforce that leverages the skills and talents of all
employees in our organization, regardless of race, color, creed, religion,
national origin, sex (including pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions),
gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, veteran
status, familial status, genetic information, or any other protected status. We
encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds such as these to apply for this position.
Application & Nominations
• Applications should include a resume/CV and
brief cover letter describing alignment with CVT’s mission, impact goals, and
leadership profile to CVTPresidentandChiefExecutiveOfficer@KornFerry.com.
Nominations and confidential inquiries are welcome.
Jodi Weiss
Market Leader, Senior Client Partner
T. +1 (917)
744-5983
Jordan Williams
Sector Leader
T. +1 (630)
220-7182
E. Jordan.Williams@KornFerry.com
Julie Palmer Johnson
Managing Associate
T. +1 (773)
350-5654
https://www.cvt.org/
