Our Team
Experienced professionals working to safeguard children’s wellbeing in an AI-powered world
John Zoltner, Founder and CEO
Chile, Santiago
Our Founder and CEO, John Zoltner, has worked at the intersection of technology and social impact for more than 25 years. Today, he is a leading global advocate for urgently addressing the potentially harmful effects of artificial intelligence on child development so society can benefit from AI while keeping children safe. John has served in advisory roles with the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, the WeProtect Global Alliance, and other influential organizations. A serial social entrepreneur, Zoltner established the Safe Digital Childhood initiative at Save the Children, one of the world’s largest NGOs, and founded both the TechLab at FHI 360 and the AI4SocialImpact Public Benefit Corporation. For more than two decades, he has applied technology to expand opportunity, strengthen nonprofit programs, advance humanitarian action, and protect children and other vulnerable populations while limiting technology’s potential harms.
Rose M. Donna, COO
USA, Washington DC
Rose M. Donna (Washington DC, Baltimore area), a Global Technology and Humanitarian Operations business leader, brings more than 25 years of experience in ICT for Development (ICT4D), international project management, and humanitarian operations. As co-founder and COO of Magpi, she scaled mobile data collection solutions across 40+ countries. She has also led multi-country humanitarian programs with the American Red Cross, combining strategic partnerships, donor engagement, and digital transformation to strengthen organizational resilience worldwide.
Andrea Urqueta Alfaro Fellowship Director
USA, Alexandria
Andrea Urqueta Alfaro (Washington DC, Baltimore area) is a Developmental Psychologist with international experience leading research and program evaluation that enable sociotechnical solutions to societal challenges. Her expertise encompasses lifespan development, disabilities, AI fairness, mixed-methods, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Her experience includes evaluating Chilean universities’ teacher training programs; leading research in the U.S. and Canada focused on enhancing the development of children with disabilities; and delivering developmental services and trainings to immigrant families in the U.S., and for educators and therapists in Palestine. Most recently, Andrea served as Director of Research of the National Disability Institute (Washington, D.C.), and as Principal Scientist at MITRE, a not-for-profit organizations operating U.S. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers. As a UN online volunteer, Andrea supports ERONet, an NGO that empowers rural communities in northern Uganda.
Nicolas Chehade, Senior Research Lead
USA, Washington DC
Nicolas Chehade (Washington DC, Baltimore area) is a Social Development, Global Mental Health, and Digital Safeguarding expert with a decade of experience designing and integrating protection systems across 12+ countries and fragile states. Nicolas’ expertise focuses on the mainstreaming of mental health guidance and practices into cross-sector programming, digital safeguards and frameworks that have shaped policy, funding, and implementation for major international organizations. Nicolas leveraged neuroscience evidence to inform policy and strategy for digital platforms, focusing on violence prevention, deliberative decision-making, and social cohesion. Nicolas’ work has helped institutions significantly increase harm detection and ground technological innovation in clinical expertise. From co-founding a mental health app to directing a multi-million-dollar program on tele-mental health research and digital safeguarding, Nicolas is dedicated to architecting ethical safeguards and scalable solutions in complex environments.