Duolingo Appoints Dr. Kendra Ross as Head of Social Impact

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[{"type":"text","content":"New Role Will Focus First on Local Impact in Pittsburgh\nPITTSBURGH, Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Duolingo (NASDAQ: DUOL), makers of the world’s leading mobile language learning platform, recently appointed Dr. Kendra Ross to a newly created role as Head of Social Impact. This role will be located in the company’s Pittsburgh headquarters, and is Duolingo’s first full-time position dedicated to social impact. The initial goal of the social impact function at Duolingo is to channel the company’s people and resources towards making a positive impact in the local community. “Pittsburgh has been a key part of Duolingo’s success, and we want that to translate back into success for our local community,” said Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo. “By creating this role and hiring Kendra to lead our social impact efforts, it allows us to better plan and operationalize our efforts with greater intention and scalability.” “One thing I’ve learned in my time at Duolingo so far is that this is a very mission-driven company that attracts a lot of employees who are socially aware and want to engage with the local community,” said Dr. Kendra Ross, Head of Social Impact at Duolingo. “I see my role as the connector between the business, our employees and the community around us. I want to partner with more organizations in the local community that are already meeting the needs of residents here. We are finding the experts who already do this work, so that we can then direct Duolingo’s people and resources towards existing opportunities to get involved and provide support.” Duolingo’s social impact efforts primarily focus on three key areas: funding local artists, supporting organizations aligned with our mission through financial and in-kind donations, and connecting Duolingo staff to volunteer opportunities. Some of Duolingo’s previous community engagement efforts include a commitment of $150,000 to support community arts, sponsorship and volunteer support of local organizations like the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Catapult Pittsburgh, 412 Food Rescue, Hello Neighbor, Casa San Jose and more. This includes sponsorships, donations of laptops, clothing, food, and other needed items. \"Kendra has been an invaluable partner to the arts community here in Pittsburgh and we are so excited to see the incredible work that she will continue to fos...

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