Theresa Williamson

Featured this year in Globo and Marie Claire, Theresa Williamson founded Catalytic Communities (CatComm, www.catcomm.org), in 2000, and has served as Executive Director since. Winner of a 2006 Tech Award from the Tech Museum of Innovation in Silicon Valley, and recognized for its 'actionable ideas' by the UN, CatComm makes strategic use of media and networks to link grassroots community groups in Rio de Janeiro with networks of exchange and support. In the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, CatComm is the only organization in Rio working at the intersection of community development, social media, and global networks. Their current work with social media, journalism and video trainings for community organizers are building capacity across the city’s favelas to communicate and attract visibility to community actions and perspectives in the lead-up to these mega-events. Their latest project, RioOnWatch, is Rio's only English-language community news site.