The IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB) inspires and empowers IEEE volunteers around the world carrying out and supporting impactful humanitarian technology activities at the local level.

The IEEE HTB mission is to support impactful and ethically informed volunteer-led initiatives, programs and projects, and mutually beneficial partnerships, as well as to inform policy formulation that harness technology and innovation to address societal challenges (including disaster recovery) in a responsive, effective, and sustainable way.

IEEE HTB was formerly the IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee and was elevated to a Board in November 2022. 

How HTB fits into the IEEE Strategic Plan 2020 – 2025:

The IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) was launched in 2016 as a committee of IEEE reporting to the IEEE Board of Directors (BoD). HAC was an outgrowth of the IEEE Humanitarian Ad Hoc Committee (HAHC) that was appointed at the end of 2011 by IEEE President Moshe Kam and finished in 2015 with the successful approval by the IEEE BoD of the HAC governance documents.

in November of 2022, the IEEE Board of Directors approved to re-establish the Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) as the IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB). 

The elevation of HAC to the new board is commensurate with the growing numbers of SIGHT membership, project proposals, and funded teams, in addition to the 30% of all active IEEE members (and 60% of active IEEE student members) who indicate an interest in humanitarian programs at IEEE when they join the association or renew their annual membership. It also demonstrates the support of IEEE leaders, who have provided the structure to expand upon the significant achievements of HAC in its eleven years as an ad hoc committee and “standing” committee reporting to the IEEE Board of Directors. Humanitarian technology activities are important to IEEE members and are intrinsic to IEEE’s identity and mission.

• Lwanga Herbert (2023) – First Humanitarian Technologies Board Chair
• Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan (2021-2022)
• Kartik Kulkarni (2019 – 2020)
• Paul Cunningham (2018)
• Laura Edelson (2016 – 2017)
• Mike Lightner (2014 – 2015)
• Adrian Pais (2013)
• Amarnath Raja (2011 – 2012)

• HTB Operations Manual (PDF)
• IEEE Constitution and Bylaws (PDF) – see I-305.14 for the relevant bylaw
• Conflict of Interest

Email us at htb-office@ieee.org.