Ben Smilowitz
Ben Smilowitz founded the Disaster Accountability Project as a way of improving the nation's disaster management systems through public accountability, citizen oversight and empowerment, whistle-blower engagement, and policy research. With a background in civic engagement and issue campaigns, Smilowitz began the project after directly witnessing the failed response to Hurricane Katrina. In August 2008, the Disaster Accountability Project received a highly competitive Echoing Green Fellowship, awarded to social entrepreneurs addressing the root causes of societal challenges by starting new, cutting-edge ventures.
Smilowitz received a B.A. in political science and an advanced graduate certificate in nonprofit management from Washington University in St. Louis. He recently received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he served as president of the Student Bar Association.
Workshop Abstracts
The Disaster Accountability Project: Latest Initiatives
With Peter Hanink
Between Snoopy and McGruff: Disaster Watchdogging in Concept and Practice
With Peter Hanink
Related Resources from Speaker
Report On The Transparency of Relief Organizations Responding to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake
Disaster Accountability Project, July 12, 2010