The Sentry Announces Justyna Gudzowska as New Executive Director to Lead Fight Against Illicit Finance

Seasoned Expert on Countering Illicit Finance, Transnational Crime, Terrorism, and Kleptocracy to Lead Investigative and Policy Organization’s Next Chapter

March 3, 2025 (Washington, DC) – The Sentry, a leading investigative and policy organization dedicated to countering corruption and illicit finance linked to conflict, is pleased to announce the appointment of Justyna Gudzowska as its new executive director. With two decades of experience spanning the United States government, the United Nations, the private sector, civil society, and academia, Gudzowska brings unparalleled expertise to The Sentry’s mission of exposing and disrupting the illicit financial networks fueling conflict and repression.

“I am deeply honored that the board has chosen me to lead The Sentry into its next chapter and work with our talented staff to counter illicit finance around the globe,” said Gudzowska. “The Sentry has an incredibly important role to play because it offers something truly unique, combining cutting-edge policy analysis with actionable intelligence through groundbreaking investigative work.”

“Justyna is a powerful force in the fight against corruption and illicit finance,” said Bonnie Abaunza, Chair of the Board of Directors for The Sentry, “Her depth of experience in government, international organizations, and the private sector makes her uniquely positioned to lead The Sentry in a moment when our mission is more critical than ever.”

John Prendergast, Co-Founder of The Sentry, said, “In a highly complex, challenging moment for efforts to counter major corruption, human rights abuses, and conflict around the world, The Sentry is fortunate to have Justyna Gudzowska at our helm. Her experience and leadership will make our efforts smarter and sharper to meet the task at hand.”

Gudzowska is a recognized expert in sanctions, corruption, terrorism financing, and money laundering. She began her career in New York law firms before joining the US Department of the Treasury, where she helped design financial pressure strategies, including Executive Orders targeting Iran’s nuclear program and human rights abuses. At the United Nations, she focused on countering terrorist financing during ISIS’s rise, working with dozens of governments and international organizations like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to strengthen global efforts to combat terrorism financing.

In the private sector, Gudzowska served as lead sanctions attorney and an executive director at Morgan Stanley, overseeing sanctions, anti-money laundering, and anti-corruption compliance. She has also taught at Yale Law School and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, shaping future leaders in financial integrity.

Her return to The Sentry marks a full-circle moment, as she previously served as director of Illicit Finance Policy (IFP) for the organization. In that role, she led a globally dispersed team, engaged in high-level advocacy with governments, testified before Congress, and contributed policy analysis to outlets such as Foreign Affairs and Politico.

Under Gudzowska’s leadership, The Sentry will intensify its efforts to expose and dismantle illicit networks that fuel war, mass atrocities, and kleptocracy. Her appointment underscores The Sentry’s deepened commitment to equipping policymakers, financial institutions, and law enforcement with the intelligence necessary to hold perpetrators accountable.

“Looking ahead, I hope to redouble The Sentry’s focus on cross-cutting thematic and transnational issues because the bad actors are not constrained by geography, nor should we be,” said Gudzowska. “We are viewed as a credible partner for governments, private sector entities, and civil society groups worldwide, which creates opportunities to work in tandem to identify and disrupt the malign networks of illicit finance. With mass atrocities, corruption, natural resource trafficking, organized crime, and other forms of illicit finance at a high-water mark, I’m going to work to increase our public and private sector partnerships, because this problem is too pervasive and intricate to be tackled by any one group alone. With collaboration across borders, entities, and sectors and continued support from our donors, we will work to spotlight these issues and networks—and to counter them.”

The Sentry’s recent investigative reports have uncovered the activities of Russia’s Wagner Group and mapped the international facilitators of corrupt and violent regimes, shedding light on the financial networks that sustain repression and conflict.

For interviews and other media inquiries, please contact:
Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, The Sentry, at [email protected]

About The Sentry

(Short descriptor for press use: “The Sentry, an investigative organization that tracks corruption.”)

The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy. Pull back the curtain on wars, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses, and you’ll find grand corruption and unchecked greed. These tragedies persist because the perpetrators rarely face meaningful consequences. The Sentry aims to alter the warped incentive structures that continually undermine peace and good governance. Our investigations follow the money as it is laundered from war zones to financial centers around the world. We provide evidence and strategies for governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold the perpetrators and enablers of violence and corruption to account. These efforts provide new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts. Learn more at: https://TheSentry.org.