Ann Mei Chang

Ann Mei leads Candid in harnessing the precision of data, the power of technology, and the compassion of the social sector to increase its collective ability to do good during these unprecedented times of disruption and need.

She is a leading expert on social innovation and the author of Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good. Ann Mei served as chief innovation officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the first executive director of its U.S. Global Development Lab. In addition, she was chief innovation officer for Pete for America, chief innovation officer at Mercy Corps, and senior advisor for women and technology at the U.S. Department of State.

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 as one of the “Women in the World: 125 Women of Impact” by Newsweek/The Daily Beast in 2013, “23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech” by Business Insider in 2019, and “20 Top LGBTQ+ Entrepreneurs, Executives and Thought Leaders” by Global Shakers 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.