I’m Fatima Hessabi, The 19th’s chief financial officer. As CFO, I oversee our financial strategy and lead the charge on budgets, audits and all the behind-the-scenes financial infrastructure to support our awesome journalism. I’ve spent the last two decades (my entire career) working with mission-driven organizations. I’ve worked with all kinds of nonprofits — ones focused on mental health, supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, crisis support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking, youth programs, statewide advocacy groups, and now, nonprofit journalism. The 19th is the first news organization that I’ve ever worked with.
Working behind the scenes to help mission-driven organizations like ours do bold, important work, allows me to use my numbers- and spreadsheets-driven profession to make a meaningful impact in the world.
I’m an Afghan immigrant. I’m a licensed CPA and have an MBA and dual undergraduate degrees in managerial economics and sociology from the University of California, Davis. I live in Northern California with my husband and our cat, Louie.
My work is free to consume and free to republish because of contributions from readers like you. A donation of $19 goes a long way toward sustaining our nonprofit newsroom.
