Benjamin Bechtolsheim

As Recoding America’s COO, Benjamin oversees the functions that allow the organization to operate at scale (finance, technology, and people operations) while partnering with the leadership team on overall strategy. He ensures the organization has the right people, tools, and systems to do its best work, because capacity building starts at home.

Benjamin began his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he spent six years helping nonprofits, philanthropies, and public-sector organizations use technology and innovation more effectively to deliver on their missions. During his time, he designed and led the launch of new philanthropic initiatives; helped support operating model overhauls at public agencies; and advised non-profit leaders on new strategic directions.

From 2020 to 2022, Benjamin served in leadership roles across Connecticut’s Health and Human Services agencies. He led the state’s COVID vaccine rollout and then oversaw a major overhaul of benefits administration at the Department of Social Services, making it easier for Connecticut residents to enroll in WIC, SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF. Most recently, Benjamin was Chief Operating Officer at FreeWorld, where he scaled its program to serve over 1,000 returning citizens annually, making it one of the country’s largest prison reentry organizations. Benjamin holds an MBA from University College Dublin and a BA from Brandeis University. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and two children.