For more than 26 years, Bettina Stix has been helping shape Amazon’s global impact. First as a business leader across international websites, customer service, and membership programs, and now as the driving force behind Amazon’s community engagement efforts. As Director of Amazon Community Impact, Bettina Stix leads the company’s disaster relief, food security, and education programs, bringing Amazon’s vast logistics network, technological innovation, and passionate employee base to communities in need around the world.
Bettina founded Amazon’s disaster relief program in 2017, transforming the company’s operational strengths into life-saving capabilities. Under her leadership, Amazon has leveraged its delivery network, fulfillment centers, and data-driven insights to provide rapid, effective support during crises from natural disasters to humanitarian emergencies. But her work extends far beyond disaster response. Bettina’s team also leads initiatives that address food insecurity and educational inequality, mobilizing Amazon’s scale to deliver fresh food to families’ doorsteps, support local food banks, and help schools in rural areas continue feeding students even when classes aren’t in session. Talk about making a real difference!
At Amazon, Bettina Stix has spent years at the forefront of community impact and disaster relief building programs that move beyond charity to strategic, data-informed systems that save lives. As the founder of Amazon’s disaster relief program, Stix understands the logistics behind crisis response better than most. Her team’s approach began with a simple question to organizations like the Red Cross: What do you need?
But as Stix recalls, the answer wasn’t always clear. “In the beginning, they told us not to worry, that they had what they needed,” she said. “Then the second hurricane came, and suddenly gloves, cleaning supplies, even chlorine were unavailable. These things take time to move across borders or clear regulations for hazardous materials.”
That experience changed how Amazon structured its disaster relief partnerships. Today, Amazon maintains pre-positioned “disaster hubs” stocked with the supplies most often requested by relief partners, everything from medical kits to cleaning essentials. The idea, Stix said, is simple but powerful: learn from the data of past crises to anticipate what will be needed next time. “You always bucket what people ask for most,” she noted. “Now our partners have certain kits ready before disaster strikes.” It’s all about being proactive and prepared.
When asked about the intersection of AI and reliability, especially amid recent AWS outages and global discussions about automation and layoffs, Stix offered a thoughtful perspective. “AI has its believers and deniers, and both are justified,” she said. “There are ethical challenges, but also enormous opportunities. I compare it to how people once feared trains or the internet — we’ll figure it out.” Let’s hope so!
For Stix, AI’s promise lies not just in large-scale operations, but in how it empowers small community organizations. “A tiny food pantry serving fifty people can use AI to track donations or forecast needs,” she explained. “That saves volunteers hours of bookkeeping and lets them focus on helping people.” Now that’s AI working for the community!
From flood prevention modeling to predictive supply chains, AI tools are already reshaping disaster response. Stix envisions a future where these technologies are accessible even to under-resourced nonprofits, helping them build resilience before the next crisis. “Communities are always resource-trapped,” she said. “Even a small efficiency can make a big difference.” Every little bit helps, especially when it comes to our communities.
For Amazon’s community impact team, that’s the ultimate goal: using innovation not for profit, but for preparedness and turning the lessons of past storms into data-driven hope for the next.
Bettina continues to demonstrate how Amazon’s “customer obsession” and inventive spirit can also serve as powerful tools for community good. Whether supporting disaster recovery, fighting hunger, or strengthening education, her work shows how the same principles that make Amazon a global leader in commerce can also help build stronger, more resilient communities. She’s definitely making a difference in the world!
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity
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Jamie Broadnax
Jamie Broadnax is the creator of the online publication and multimedia space for Black women called BlkCosmo Blerds. Jamie has appeared on MSNBC’s The Melissa Harris-Perry Show and The Grio’s Top 100. Her Twitter personality has been recognized by Shonda Rhimes as one of her favorites to follow. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and executive producer of the BlkCosmo Blerds Podcast.
