Amy Weaver will become the new CEO of Direct Relief, the Santa Barbara-based humanitarian aid organization, effective May 5.
Weaver is currently the president/CFO at Salesforce and previously served as chief legal officer for the Fortune 500 company.
In a letter to Direct Relief employees, Mark Linehan, chair of the Board of Directors, wrote:
“Amy is a truly accomplished professional and an outstanding human being. In selecting Amy, we sought a leader with the caliber, passion and experience to guide Direct Relief through the accelerating scale and complexity of the humanitarian challenges that lie ahead.
“She is widely known for being a deeply strategic and deliberate thinker–a force for change who always puts people first.”
“Over the past 75 years, Direct Relief has established a powerful legacy of delivering meaningful impact to those in need,” said Weaver. “I’m honored and excited to build on that foundation and help shape the future of humanitarian response.
“As global challenges grow more urgent and complex, Direct Relief has a responsibility not just to meet the demand for medical aid, but to lead the way in reimagining how we respond to a rapidly changing world.
“I’m inspired by the dedication and expertise of this incredible team, and I look forward to working together to drive innovation and make an even greater difference,” Weaver said.
Weaver is a longtime advocate for affordable housing and disaster response. She served on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity International; provided on-the-ground volunteer support to Habitat in Kenya, Poland, and Puerto Rico; and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Her professional background spans business, law, finance and operations. In 12 years at Salesforce, she led the global finance organization, the global legal and corporate affairs organization as chief legal officer, and oversaw a variety of functions across the business including global communications, real estate and workplace services, corporate development, accessibility, government affairs, audit, and ethics and compliance.
Prior to Salesforce, Weaver was an EVP and general counsel at Univar and SVP and deputy general counsel at Expedia Group.
As an attorney, Weaver has in private practice in both the U.S. and Hong Kong, and as a legislative aide to a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. She began her legal career as a clerk on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In her new role, Weaver succeeds Thomas Tighe who led Direct Reflief for 24 years, expanding its reach to become the fifth-largest charity in the United States, and among the largest providers of charitable medications within the U.S. and globally.
Dr. Byron Scott will continue to serve as the interim CEO until May 4, after which he will continue to serve as the interim COO until that position has been filled.