Hostage US is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2016 that offers support to American hostages and their families during and after a hostage crisis. [1] The organization offers financial aid, legal advice, and counseling and peer support networks. [2] Hostage US works with government agencies, other nonprofits, and the private sector.
Rachel Briggs relocated to Washington, DC, in 2015 to set up and run Hostage US. [3] [4] He later steps down in 2020 as the founding executive director. In 2017, Briggs and Hostage US were profiled in The New York Times . [5] The executive director of the organization is Liz Cathcart. [6]
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. CFR is based in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C. Its membership has included senior politicians, secretaries of state, CIA directors, bankers, lawyers, professors, corporate directors, CEOs, and prominent media figures.
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual United Ways mobilize a single fundraising campaign to raise money for various nonprofits, with most donations coming through payroll deductions.
Samaritan's Purse is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The name of the organization is derived from the New Testament Parable of the Good Samaritan. With international headquarters in Boone, North Carolina, the organization also maintains warehouse and aviation facilities in nearby North Wilkesboro and Greensboro, North Carolina.
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those 50 years old and older. The organization, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., said it had more than 38 million members as of 2018. The magazine and bulletin it sends to its members are the two largest-circulation publications in the United States.
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosperity. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is a member of the Atlantic Treaty Association.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University. The center conducts policy studies and strategic analyses of political, economic and security issues throughout the world, with a focus on issues concerning international relations, trade, technology, finance, energy and geostrategy.
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling in Washington, D.C. The organization works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and media activism with the aim of advancing the equality of transgender people in the United States. Among other transgender-related issue areas, NCTE focuses on discrimination in employment, access to public accommodations, fair housing, identity documents, hate crimes and violence, criminal justice reform, federal research surveys and the Census, and health care access.
Elizabeth Lynne Cheney is an American attorney and politician. She represented Wyoming's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023, and served as chair of the House Republican Conference—the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership—from 2019 to 2021. Cheney is known for her vocal opposition to Donald Trump. As of March 2023, she is a professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
The Hill, formed in 1994, is an American newspaper and digital media company based in Washington, D.C..
The Nuclear Threat Initiative, generally referred to as NTI, is a non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C. NTI was founded in 2001 by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and philanthropist Ted Turner and describes itself as a "a nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization focused on reducing nuclear, biological, and emerging technology threats imperiling humanity."
Families USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer health advocacy and policy organization.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press(RCFP) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that provides pro bono legal services and resources to and on behalf of journalists. The organization pursues litigation, offers direct representation, submits amicus curiae briefs, and provides other legal assistance on matters involving the First Amendment, press freedom, freedom of information, and court access issues.
The Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization which attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York City. The organization also administers a relief fund for disasters in the New York City area. In 2010, a key supporter gave every family with children on welfare in New York State $200 to buy school supplies. In 2017, Robin Hood appointed author and U.S. Army veteran Wes Moore as its first CEO. In September 2021, Richard Buery, Jr. joined Robin Hood as the new Chief Executive Officer.
Heritage Action, founded in 2010 as Heritage Action for America, is a conservative advocacy organization. Heritage Action, which has affiliates throughout the United States, is a sister organization of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
The Bush School of Government & Public Service is an academic college of Texas A&M University founded in 1997 under former President George H. W. Bush's philosophy that "public service is a noble calling." Since then, the Bush School has continued to reflect that notion in curriculum, research, and student experience and has become a leading international affairs, political science, and public affairs institution.
Rachel Briggs OBE was Founding Executive Director of Hostage US, the first Director of Hostage UK and was awarded an OBE in the 2014 Honours List for services to hostages and the families of victims kidnapped overseas. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Global Center on Cooperative Security, an expert on foreign and security policy and an Associate Fellow of Chatham House.
Bernadette M. Meehan is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Chile since 2022. She previously worked as chief international officer for the Obama Foundation. She also served as a spokesperson for the United States National Security Council in the Obama Administration.
The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is an American nonprofit corporation that aims to support global Internet freedom technologies. Its mission is to "support open technologies and communities that increase free expression, circumvent censorship, and obstruct repressive surveillance as a way to promote human rights and open societies." As of November 2019, the Open Technology Fund became an independent nonprofit corporation and a grantee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Until its formation as an independent entity, it had operated as a program of Radio Free Asia.
Libby Liu is an American nonprofit executive, lawyer, and privacy advocate who is the chief executive officer of Whistleblower Aid. She was the president of Radio Free Asia for 14 years, where she led the founding of the Open Technology Fund. After the OTF became an independent organization in 2019, she was the chief executive officer until June 2020.
Malcolm K. Palmore, simply referred to as M.K. Palmore, is an American cybersecurity executive and former FBI agent. He currently serves as a director in Google Cloud's Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), where he leads initiatives to support customers in navigating digital transformation and enhancing their cybersecurity posture, since 2021. Between 2019 and 2021, Palmore served as vice president and field chief security officer (CSO) at Palo Alto Networks. Before joining Palo Alto Networks, Palmore spent more than a quarter of a century in public service, primarily with the U.S. Marine Corps and later with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He served as the head of the Cyber Security Branch at the FBI’s San Francisco field office.