Ben is a Democracy, Rights, and Governance Program Officer at The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. In this role, he helps lead the organization’s emerging grantmaking in support of a thriving, pro-equity democracy in the United States.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ben was a Program Officer for Civic Engagement at the Houston Endowment, where he helped oversee a $20 million portfolio to increase nonpartisan voter turnout, improve elections administration, and support pro-voting policies.
Previously, Ben directed policy and innovation efforts at the Harris County Elections Department as the Senior Advisor for Policy and Innovation. There, he helped lead the effort to create drive thru voting, a first-in-Texas service that nearly 130,000 residents used to vote during the November 2020 election. He has significant public policy experience, having worked for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. He has also managed and worked on a number of political campaigns ranging from school board to President of the United States in Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, and Texas.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science, Asian studies, energy policy studies from Rice University as well as an MBA and J.D. from Northwestern University. He is a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, Harry S. Truman Scholar, and Morris K. Udall Scholar.
It is a tragic reality that hateful ideology has found fertile ground online and offline, with consequences affecting not only Americans but people around the world. We cannot stand idle in the face of bias, bigotry, and extremism. Together, at the Eradicate Hate Summit and beyond, the collective will of individuals and organizations is needed to galvanize all people of good will to protect and defend our communities.
