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Ricky Gaines

Ricky Gaines is a human rights and international security professional seeking to alleviate human suffering by uplifting the voices of those confronting injustice in the face of hardship and persecution. He leverages more than ten years of experience in foreign policy and foreign assistance to bridge the gap between activism and government and to influence policies that promote human rights. Richard currently serves as the Senior Human Rights Advocacy Manager at the Wikimedia Foundation, where he advances the Foundation’s values and policy positions around freedom of expression, access to knowledge, privacy, and censorship while defending knowledge as a human right. Prior to joining the Wikimedia Foundation, Richard worked at the US Department of State leading a portfolio of foreign assistance programs and contributed to foreign policy initiatives advancing human rights and democratic governance throughout Latin America, focussing primarily on Cuba and Venezuela. More recently, Richard concluded a stint in the private sector where he managed international security programs for Delta Air Lines, including the company’s participation in the resettlement of Afghan evacuees in August 2021 as a part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program. Richard holds a BS in International Affairs and Modern Language from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from the George Washington University.