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1st Charis Awards
Architecture & Fashion Chairwoman
Head of Product, Trust & Safety and AI · Nextdoor
Fay Johnson is a world renowned expert in responsible innovation and ethical behavior change. With over two decades of experience working with businesses, civil society, philanthropists and governments to move the needle on social impact initiatives, Fay has been at the forefront of how technology can be used to drive positive impacts and bring communities together.
As the former Head of Product for Neighborhood Vitality at Nextdoor, Fay reshaped the product experience to promote civil and collaborative exchanges between neighbors. Her role encompassed overseeing trust and safety, consumer privacy, content moderation, and fostering respectful conversations on the platform. Fay's proficiency in building bridges between technology and community welfare is exemplified in innovative features her team has developed from Kindness Reminders and educational modules about how to manage conflict online. Prior to joining Nextdoor, Fay was a Director of Product Management at X (fka Twitter), focusing on Trust and Safety and Consumer Privacy, where she integrated procedural justice features such as reporting, appeals and privacy controls into the product.
With a notable stint at Facebook from 2017 to 2021, Fay's impact reached unprecedented heights. She spearheaded initiatives to enhance transparency, fairness, and oversight of content moderation, developing and executing on the product strategy for Facebook's Oversight Board and driving compliance with global regulations such as GDPR. Her expertise extended to leading efforts for fairness in machine learning and enforcement actions, underscoring her commitment to ethical technology development.
Born in South Africa and raised in Silicon Valley, Fay is a global soul with a deep curiosity about what makes people and places unique. Fay brings a global perspective to her engagements. A sought after public speaker and facilitator, Fay leverages both playfulness and a deep understanding of neuroscience in her work.
Fay holds a master's degree from Georgetown University in Behavior Change and a bachelor of arts from UCLA in International Development, Africa Policy and Political Science.