Darian Weltman Swig
Co-Founder and Board Chair

Darian Weltman Swig is Co-Founder and Board Chair of Article3.org, a nonprofit focused on strengthening the human rights philanthropy ecosystem, and Founder and President of Article 3 Advisors, a not-for-profit consultancy working at the nexus of human rights and strategic philanthropy. Darian dedicates her time and resources - professional and philanthropic - to promoting universal human rights and best practice philanthropy. In doing so, she has helped to build the field of human rights philanthropy within the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

Article3.org and Article 3 Advisors are the culmination of over two decades of extensive experience in human rights related causes and projects. Article3.org curates the annual Human Rights Day Program to convene key stakeholders, foster thought leadership and commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In 2018, Article3 established the Human Rights Global Treasure Award, which recognizes exemplary individuals for their extraordinary service to the human rights movement. 

Darian is Director Emeritus of the International Board of Human Rights Watch. During her 12 year Board tenure with HRW, she served in numerous leadership roles including chair of the Nominating and Governance committees and inaugural chair of the U.S. Program Advisory Committee. Darian serves on the advisory committee of the Human Rights Center at U.C. Berkeley and as advisor to the Stanford Center for Human Rights and International Justice. Past board service includes the Fund for Global Human Rights, Global Witness, World Affairs Council, Commonwealth Club, USA for UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency), and Founding Board member of The Philanthropy Workshop West and Genocide Intervention Network as well as past advisory committee member of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University and the Coalition for the International Criminal Court.

Darian began her career managing the Mayor’s Office of Protocol for the City & County of San Francisco and also served as the Mayor’s liaison to the Consular Corps. Darian established Weltman Protocol Group in 1995, a boutique consulting firm specializing in dignitary coordination and Head of State visits. 

Prior public service includes mayoral appointments to the San Francisco Public Library Commission and Civil Grand Jury for the City & County of San Francisco as well as senatorial appointment to the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE), a public-private program with the U.S. Department of State.

Darian holds an M.A. in Political Science, M.A. in International Area Studies, and B.A. in Social Science from the University of California at Berkeley. 

Born in Germany, Darian resides in San Francisco, California with her husband, Rick Swig.