Wendy Via
CEO & Co-Founder
@wendyvia
Wendy Via is an expert in the intersection of technology, democracy, and far-right extremism, as well as in achieving change and influencing narratives and actions around some of the most pressing civil and human rights issues of our time, including far-right extremism, systemic racism, economic inequality, immigration, criminal justice reform, and LGBTQ+ rights. For the last two decades, she has successfully directed high-impact philanthropy initiatives, exposed hate and extremism in institutional systems, designed influential policy and advocacy campaigns, leveraged research, and highlighted storytelling to educate the public and create lasting change.
In 2020, Via co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) to address the transnational nature of hate and far-right extremism and how these movements harm flourishing and diverse democracies. She serves on the core committee of the Christchurch Call Advisory Network, founded by the governments of France and New Zealand, which seeks to stop the proliferation of online violent extremism and terrorism, and is the author of numerous reports on the impact of far-right extremism on democracy and transnational extremism. Via’s expertise—on topics such as the rise of authoritarianism, the global spread of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-woman policies, global neo-Nazism and white supremacy, extremist activity online, and more recently the negative impact of Project 2025 and Christian nationalism on the U.S. —has been cited by The Guardian, The New York Times, WIRED, NBC News, USA Today, the BBC, and El PaÃs. She regularly provides expert advice to members of Congress, including testimony to the January 6 Select Committee and the Canadian Parliament, and international and governmental bodies, and serves as advisor to various tech companies.
Prior to co-founding GPAHE, Wendy was the Chief Communications and Development Officer at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she led numerous teams. She also helped launch Justice for Migrant Women, dedicated to ensuring that migrant women can live and work with dignity and free from violence, and worked with Jeremiah Program, dedicated to disrupting generational poverty for single moms and their children. She holds a BA from Auburn University, Montgomery.
GPAHE has become a critical voice in exposing and confronting global far-right networks and their mainstream enablers. The organization’s work is widely used by lawmakers, journalists, educators, and civil society advocates to understand and counter the spread of authoritarianism, religious nationalism, and white supremacy. In an era of rising democratic backsliding, GPAHE plays an essential role in identifying threats, informing policy, and building international coalitions for rights-based resistance.
Wendy Via
CEO & Co-Founder
@wendyvia
Wendy Via is an expert in the intersection of technology, democracy, and far-right extremism, as well as in achieving change and influencing narratives and actions around some of the most pressing civil and human rights issues of our time, including far-right extremism, systemic racism, economic inequality, immigration, criminal justice reform, and LGBTQ+ rights. For the last two decades, she has successfully directed high-impact philanthropy initiatives, exposed hate and extremism in institutional systems, designed influential policy and advocacy campaigns, leveraged research, and highlighted storytelling to educate the public and create lasting change.
In 2020, Via co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) to address the transnational nature of hate and far-right extremism and how these movements harm flourishing and diverse democracies. She serves on the core committee of the Christchurch Call Advisory Network, founded by the governments of France and New Zealand, which seeks to stop the proliferation of online violent extremism and terrorism, and is the author of numerous reports on the impact of far-right extremism on democracy and transnational extremism. Via’s expertise—on topics such as the rise of authoritarianism, the global spread of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-woman policies, global neo-Nazism and white supremacy, extremist activity online, and more recently the negative impact of Project 2025 and Christian nationalism on the U.S. —has been cited by The Guardian, The New York Times, WIRED, NBC News, USA Today, the BBC, and El PaÃs. She regularly provides expert advice to members of Congress, including testimony to the January 6 Select Committee and the Canadian Parliament, and international and governmental bodies, and serves as advisor to various tech companies.
Prior to co-founding GPAHE, Wendy was the Chief Communications and Development Officer at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she led numerous teams. She also helped launch Justice for Migrant Women, dedicated to ensuring that migrant women can live and work with dignity and free from violence, and worked with Jeremiah Program, dedicated to disrupting generational poverty for single moms and their children. She holds a BA from Auburn University, Montgomery.
GPAHE has become a critical voice in exposing and confronting global far-right networks and their mainstream enablers. The organization’s work is widely used by lawmakers, journalists, educators, and civil society advocates to understand and counter the spread of authoritarianism, religious nationalism, and white supremacy. In an era of rising democratic backsliding, GPAHE plays an essential role in identifying threats, informing policy, and building international coalitions for rights-based resistance.
