Ann Mei Chang

Ann Mei Chang is all about transparency. That’s why she’s the CEO of Candid, a nonprofit that collects data on foundations and nonprofits to help donors and researchers better understand how and where funds are allocated. A pioneer in social innovation, the Stanford University alumnus has also served as chief innovation officer at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mercy Corps, and Pete for America. She spent more than 20 years in the tech industry at companies including Google, Apple, and Intuit. Those experiences culminated in her book Lean Impact, in which she explores how nonprofits can adapt the same strategies as startups to maximize social impact. Chang’s love of technology began early. At 12, she convinced her parents to buy her an Atari 400 and taught herself to program, a skill that continues to influence her work to this day. She says, “Since getting into tech, the field just seems to keep getting more interesting and impactful—from personal computers to the advent of the web to smartphones becoming ubiquitous and now the incredible pace of AI advancements.” –ER