Until November 2012, Ari Korpivaara was director of publications at the Open Society Foundations. His publications for Open Society and others have received more than a dozen Council on Foundations awards for excellence.
He previously worked for the Herald Tribune and Associated Press, handled sound for a documentary film crew traveling around the world, worked off his fare on freighters crossing the Atlantic, and served in the Finnish navy. His stories, including interviews with French film actresses and Louisiana sweet potato farmers, appeared in publications ranging from Ms. Magazine to the Finnish daily Aamulehti.