Nighat Dad is a Pakistani lawyer and a founder of Digital Rights Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on cyber harassment, data protection and free speech online in Pakistan and South Asia. As a feminist and pioneer for women’s rights activism in Pakistan, Dad has raised awareness of Pakistani patriarchy and illuminated her own experience as a women engaged in digital rights activism. Her accomplishments include being named a Next Generation Leader by Time Magazine in 2015, the Dutch Human Rights Tulip Award in 2016, a TED Global Fellowship in 2017, and nomination as a Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum in 2018. Most recently, she was listed among 2019’s 21 Young Leaders from Asia by Asia Society.
American Academy President Laurie Patton to Receive Concordia’s 2026 Leadership Award for Civil Society
The Concordia Leadership Council is proud to announce Dr. Laurie L. Patton, President of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as the second of three recipients of the 2026
