ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) announces that Dr. Simon Adams will resign from his role as president and CEO, effective January 2, 2026.

Adams joined CVT in October 2021 and led a period of expansion for both global healing initiatives and human rights work in support of survivors of torture and violent conflict. Under Adams’ leadership, CVT’s growth included expanded healing programs across many locations, innovations in support of human rights defenders, partner organizations and healing centers, as well as critical infrastructure investments.

“It is very difficult for me to leave the Center for Victims of Torture and the clients, colleagues and supporters who have been such a key part of all our success, and who have meant so much to me over these years. Yet for personal and family reasons, I need to take this step,” Adams said. He is moving home to Perth, Australia, where he will serve as professor of human rights in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Murdoch University.

“I know very well that this team’s talent, expertise and compassion will continue to advance CVT’s mission to bring healing and justice to people who have survived torture and those who support them,” Adams said. “I am proud of all we have accomplished and look forward to watching the continued success of this team.”

During Adams’ tenure, CVT grew from a budget of $26 million to over $36 million, allowing program expansion that reached thousands of survivors with life-saving care, as well as skills and capacity development for countless civil society partners and human rights defenders. He oversaw steady increases in client numbers, which more than tripled from the time he arrived, with CVT extending care to just under 24,800 survivors and family members in 2024, a record high post-pandemic.

Notably, Adams also led the organization through the wrenching U.S. foreign aid funding cuts beginning January 24, 2025. Newly-inaugurated President Trump halted funding for 75% of CVT’s overseas work, forcing CVT to abruptly stop healing programs for survivors and place hundreds of staff on furlough. In response to the funding cuts, Adams took immediate steps to mobilize action teams to work with clients and complete shut-downs across the affected locations. He also quickly led efforts to secure alternative sources of funding and set a process to pivot to new opportunities aligned with the budget realities facing CVT. With the board of directors and staff, he brought on a consulting agency to create a pathway to the future of CVT; this work completed in June 2025, and new initiatives are well into planning and implementation phases across the organization.

“All of us on the board are deeply grateful for the inspiration and talent Simon brought to CVT as well as his steady guidance over these past four years, a time period that changed the lives of so many survivors of torture around the world,” said Julia Classen, chair of CVT’s board of directors. “Under Simon’s leadership, CVT saw consistently increasing impacts for survivors of torture, both in numbers of clients and quality of care as well as numbers of partners, clinicians and activists who received training and mentorship services around the world.”

The CVT board of directors is working closely with Adams on transition activities and has hired Korn Ferry to recruit for his replacement. They hope to have the new person hired by December. Any inquiries about the position should be sent to Korn Ferry at this email address: [email protected].

“While it is painful for me to leave my esteemed colleagues and all our supporters and partners, I go knowing that CVT is well placed to make a difference in the lives of many more thousands of survivors of torture,” Adams said. “The scourge of torture must be eradicated. And the Center for Victims of Torture is still the main global organization to carry out this mission of healing, accountability and justice.”

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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization with offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, United States and additional project sites around the world. Visit www.cvt.org