Connected by a commitment to Myanmar.
Better Burma brings together people with deep connections to Myanmar and experience across humanitarian action, human rights, education, philanthropy, media, and community engagement.
Our Leadership
Our leadership brings together decades of connection to Myanmar with experience in humanitarian action, human rights, education, philanthropy, media, and nonprofit development.
Joah McGee
Joah McGee is the Founder and Executive Director of Better Burma and the founder and host of the Insight Myanmar Podcast. His relationship with Myanmar spans more than two decades, beginning with his first visit in 2003 and deepening when he moved there in 2007.
What began as a personal exploration of Burmese meditation traditions grew into years of immersion in the country’s spiritual, cultural, and civic life. He led the creation of Shwe Lan Ga Lay (The Golden Path), an extensive meditator’s guide to Myanmar, later organized pilgrimages connecting practitioners with monasteries and teachers, and worked at the American Center at the U.S. Embassy Yangon supporting educational programs for Myanmar’s emerging civil society.
In 2019, Joah founded the Insight Myanmar Podcast, creating a platform for the voices and experiences shaping Myanmar’s spiritual, political, and social landscape. Following the 2021 military coup, the relationships and trust built over nearly two decades became the foundation for Better Burma, transforming a long-standing connection to the country into direct humanitarian action.
Today, his work brings together storytelling, advocacy, and grassroots relief, connecting international audiences and supporters with the people and communities of Myanmar.
Phil Robertson
Board MemberPhil Robertson is a veteran human rights advocate with decades of experience working across Asia, with particular expertise in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. Formerly the Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, he now serves as Director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates.
A longtime advocate for migrant and refugee communities, Phil brings deep regional knowledge and a commitment to ensuring that the experiences and rights of vulnerable communities remain at the center of humanitarian and human rights work.
Jonathan Crowley
Board MemberJonathan Crowley is a nonprofit development professional with over a decade of experience in major gift fundraising and more than two decades in nonprofit and private-sector program management.
His decades-long meditation practice eventually brought him to Myanmar, where he developed an enduring connection to the country and its people. He brings to Better Burma extensive experience in philanthropy, donor engagement, and nonprofit development.
Ken Pransky
Board MemberKen Pransky is an educator, author, and longtime contributor to Better Burma whose connection to Myanmar grew through his meditation practice and deep engagement with the country’s Buddhist traditions.
He worked closely with Joah McGee as an editor on Shwe Lan Ga Lay (The Golden Path), has been part of Insight Myanmar since its earliest days, and has remained actively involved since the inception of Better Burma.
Eaint Thiri
Board MemberThiri is a Burmese media expert, democracy advocate, human rights documenter, and movement educator whose work has been deeply rooted in Myanmar’s struggle for human rights, dignity, and democratic freedom.
Since the 2021 military coup, she has remained closely engaged with networks inside Myanmar and across the diaspora. As a member of Better Burma’s board, she brings professional expertise together with the perspective of someone whose connection to Myanmar is profoundly personal.
Our People
A team connected by commitment to Myanmar.
Better Burma's work is carried forward by a distributed team of humanitarian workers, producers, writers, researchers, translators, field partners, volunteers, and supporters working across Myanmar and around the world.
Because of the security environment surrounding work connected to Myanmar, we do not publicly identify or display all members of our team and partner network.
This helps protect people whose work, location, or community relationships could place them at risk.