Ann Strimov Durbin is inaugural Associate Director of the Donna and Spencer Gilbert Global Justice and Human Rights Center and Clinical Supervising Attorney at USC Gould School of Law. She is an international human rights attorney, policy advocate, and philanthropic strategist, driven by her parents’ refugee experience to work tirelessly to ensure no person is targeted for who they are or what they believe. She leverages legal tools, advocacy, and strategic program design to challenge hate and oppression, counter impunity, and empower structurally excluded communities locally and globally.

In her consulting practice as a member of Strategy for Humanity, Durbin has taken on executive leadership roles for her clients, crafted impactful grantmaking portfolios, and designed and overseen multiple programs promoting systems innovation across the sustainability, community development, atrocity prevention, and peacebuilding fields.

For several years, Durbin directed global advocacy and on-the-ground programming for Jewish World Watch, working in coalition with other nonprofit organizations, funders, elected officials, educational institutions, survivors, and diaspora communities to secure passage of important human rights and anti-atrocity legislation. Durbin also designed, supervised, resourced, and monitored programs for communities in challenging environments, including in Chad for Darfuri refugees, Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees, Syria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. At the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, Durbin managed a portfolio focused on human rights and international justice, while also engaging in donor education and developing new programmatic areas.

Durbin has worked as a civil rights litigator with V. James DeSimone Law, prosecuting discrimination and constitutional rights violations, as well as advocating for law enforcement, criminal justice, and educational policy reform. She has also practiced international civil litigation alongside Paul Hoffman, holding perpetrators, including multinational corporations, to account for committing international law violations and atrocity crimes.

Durbin holds a JD from the UCLA School of Law, with certification in Public Interest Law and Policy, a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and BA degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from Columbia University. Durbin is a fluent Russian speaker and proficient in French.