18 May Patricia Melendez, appointed as Programme Officer for the Oak Foundation

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Patricia Melendez as the new Programme Officer for the International Human Rights Programme at the Oak Foundation.

“I look forward to being able to start something from scratch, as the role requires, in a new sector (philanthropy) as I come from the NGO world. I think it is exciting to have a new challenge,” explained Patricia, who has a total of 16 years professional experience in different organizations, the last one at Article 19 as Head of Civic Space.

The International Human Rights Programme (IHRP) supports work aimed at protecting the fundamental rights of the individual. Patricia will be responsible for the development of a new stream of grants within the programmer’s strategy to address the production, packaging, and dissemination of malign content (including fake news, deep fakes, and disinformation).

About the process

Patricia was extremely impressed by the way the consultant Zoe Oldham managed her recruitment process for a new role in a new sector, “making sure I was well informed of the process. She was always informative, transparent, and took into account my needs as a candidate”, she stated.

“It was a pleasure to work with Daryl Upsall. Zoe understood quickly the brief, reached a high-quality pool of candidates (some of whom were extended beyond our own contacts) and conducted a smooth process. Service was prompt and competent”, commented Adrian Arena, Director, Oak Foundation.

It has been a pleasure to work for Oak Foundation again, good luck Patricia in your new role!