Melody Patry

About

Melody Patry co-manages the Civil Society program’s Civic Space grantmaking. She’s responsible for Mott’s work on advancing digital rights that enhance civic space and addressing the root causes of closing civic space.

Patry has more than a dozen years of experience working at the intersection of civic space and fundamental rights. Before joining Mott, she worked as a senior director for Technology, Media and Democracy at Internews, where she led research and supported programs focused on technology and democracy. In this role, she looked not only at threats, but also at innovative policy and technological solutions to the challenges posed by repressive laws, disinformation, hate speech and targeted surveillance.

Prior to working at Internews, Patry worked for Access Now as an advocacy director. At both Internews and Access Now, she was involved in developing grantmaking strategies and building and managing relationships with partners in various countries, especially in Latin America and Africa.

Patry is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Guadeloupean Creole. She also speaks basic Arabic. She is based in the Mott Foundation’s London office.