Tony Sebro Joins Change.org as General Counsel

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Change.org announced that Tony Sebro has joined as General Counsel of the nonprofit-owned tech platform for social change. Tony will oversee the organization's Policy and Legal team and serve as a member of the executive leadership team (C-Team).

"I'm excited to join Change.org because of the unique role it plays in supporting the kind of civic infrastructure needed to advance a variety of advocacy issues around the world," said Sebro. "I look forward to serving as a strategic thought partner and ensuring that we effectively manage risk and our obligations in ways that reflect both our values and the urgency that our mission requires."

In his role, Sebro will be responsible for ensuring the open platform remains a space that people with very different and sometimes competing perspectives, experiences and interests can all use safely and effectively. He will ensure that the rights and responsibilities of its half a billion users worldwide remain protected and enforced—enabling anyone, anywhere to create the change they want to see. Sebro will oversee all legal, trust and safety, platform policy, and public policy functions, and will provide strategic advice and counsel to help Change.org achieve its long-term vision.

"Tony's wealth of experience in legal and policy operations will help us to set the standard for how mission-driven platforms should operate. Ensuring our business practices embody our organization's values is critical as we aim to maintain an open environment for our users that is not just effective but safe," said Nick Allardice, CEO of Change.org. "It is vital that online platforms are consistently assessing and evolving their policies and practices to ensure that the internet is a safe and empowering place for everyone, particularly on platforms like ours which engage hundreds of millions of users around the world. We're thrilled to have Tony on board to lead the charge on this."

Sebro steps into this role following the organization's historic transition to a nonprofit-owned governance structure that establishes the permanent independence of the platform and secures the long-term stewardship of Change.org as a digital public utility committed to the public interest. This new structure also positions the organization for its next phase of growth: from a single product company focused on petitions to a civic infrastructure platform that empowers people everywhere to use their voice, money, and time to build healthier, more participatory and responsive societies.

Prior to joining Change.org, Sebro was the Deputy and Interim General Counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that supports Wikipedia and its related projects. He also served as the General Counsel for Software Freedom Conservancy, a nonprofit centered around ethical technology that acts as the home for more than 40 free and open source software projects, including Git, Selenium and Samba. Sebro has also spent time in private practice with PCT Law Group and Kenyon & Kenyon, and as an intellectual property licensing and business development professional with IBM.

Sebro earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; an MBA from the University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business; and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. In 2017, Sebro received an O'Reilly Open Source Award for leadership and outstanding contribution to open source.

About Change.org
Change.org is the world's largest platform for people-powered, social change. More than 450 million people across more than 196 countries use our technology-driven petition and campaign tools to speak up on issues they're passionate about. Approximately 70,000 petitions are created and supported on our platform every month, with 1.7 million new people joining our global network of users every week.

Every day, our users collaborate to organize on local, national and global issues; hold corporations to account; and demand action from decision makers at the highest levels of government and business. Our platform is nonprofit-owned, free to use, open to all, and completely independent because it's funded by the people who use it. This independence also makes Change.org a trusted resource for decision makers, who turn to the platform to hear from and respond to the communities they represent. People on Change.org have powered tens of thousands of campaign victories worldwide, and more are winning every week.

As an organization, Change.org is committed to providing the tools, resources and support needed to help empower anyone, anywhere to create the change they want to see in the world.

SOURCE Change.org, PBC