Ann Mei Chang on how data will shape the next era of nonprofit work

Ann Mei Chang is the CEO of Candid, a nonprofit that provides the most comprehensive data about the social sector—where money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. She is also the author of Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good. A leading expert on social innovation, Ann Mei previously served as the Chief Innovation Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Mercy Corps, and Pete for America. As the first Executive Director of the US Global Development Lab, she harnessed best practices for innovation to accelerate the impact and scale of solutions to the world’s most intractable challenges.

Prior to her work in the public and social sectors, Ann Mei was a seasoned technology executive, with more than 20 years of experience at Google, Apple, and Intuit, as well as at a range of startups. As senior engineering director at Google, she led worldwide engineering for mobile applications and services, with a mission to bring the next billion people online.

She was recognized in The Nonprofit Times 2024 “Power & Influence Top 50, “Women in the World: 125 Women of Impact” by Newsweek/The Daily Beast in 2013, and “The 23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech” by Business Insider in 2019.

Ann Mei earned a B.S. in computer science from Stanford University and is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Henry Crown Fellows class of 2011.

Sam Caplan is the Vice President of Social Impact at Submittable, a platform that foundations, governments, nonprofits, and other changemakers use to launch, manage, and measure impactful granting and CSR programs. Inspired by the amazing work performed by practitioners of all stripes, Sam strives to help them achieve their missions through better, more effective software.

Sam formerly served as founder of New Spark Strategy, Chief Information Officer at the Walton Family Foundation, and head of technology at the Walmart Foundation. He consults, advises, and writes on social impact technology, strategy, and innovation.

Connect with or follow Sam on Linkedin, listen to his podcast Impact Audio, and subscribe to his bi-weekly newsletter The Review.