Executive Director

The Executive Director of ACLU of Georgia has the opportunity to lead an organization with an extraordinary legacy, poised for continued impact. The Executive Director will lead with responsiveness and fortitude, anchoring long-term progress while meeting urgent threats with resolve and strategic clarity.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director provides leadership, vision, and management of the ACLU of Georgia. They lead a renowned mission-driven civil liberties organization operating at the intersection of law, policy, advocacy, and grassroots engagement in a rapidly evolving political and legal landscape.

The Executive Director will demonstrate discretion in prioritizing and marshaling resources; they will balance responding to opportunities and needs with the discipline of coordination toward long-term goals. Together, this requires bold action, judicious decision-making, strategic planning, coalition-building, collaboration, good management, and tenacity.

Few leadership roles combine high-stakes public advocacy, complex legal and policy engagement, organizational leadership, and movement-building at this scale. This role is well-suited for a leader who is called to public service and impact-driven work under public scrutiny, and who is energized by the opportunity to contribute to the extraordinary legacy and accomplishments of ACLU of Georgia.

The Executive Director will bring a demonstrated commitment to the full scope of the ACLU’s mission and values, including racial justice, immigrants’ rights, reproductive rights, voting rights, LGBTQ+ equality, free speech, and criminal justice reform. This leader will center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging across all aspects of organizational life, embedding these values into programs, policies, culture, and staff development.

To fully realize the role’s potential, the Executive Director will serve as a persuasive advocate and a credible public voice for the organization while building and sustaining trust with staff, board members, partners, and supporters. They will strengthen organizational systems, culture, and long-term effectiveness to support sustained, demonstrable impact.

This high-visibility leadership role requires integrity, sound judgment, and a strong ethical compass. The successful candidate will serve as a persuasive advocate, credible public voice, and trusted organizational steward, guiding strategy, people, partnerships, and impact at a pivotal moment for civil liberties in Georgia and the South. The Executive Director will have overall responsibility for the following core leadership domains for ACLU Georgia:

• Advance a deep and demonstrated commitment to the ACLU’s mission and values, embedding principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging across organizational life
• Lead with integrity, sound judgment, a strong ethical compass, and fortitude, including when guiding high-visibility initiatives under public scrutiny
• Lead state-level advocacy, policy initiatives, legal strategy, grassroots mobilization and legislative strategy across core civil liberties issues
• Serve as a recognized and persuasive public voice for the organization, engaging media and communicating effectively in high-stakes environments
• Translate complex legal and policy issues into compelling, accessible narratives for diverse audiences
• Build credibility and relationships across Georgia’s civic, advocacy, and grassroots ecosystem, connecting present work to the state’s civil rights legacy.

• Build, manage, and retain cohesive, high performing teams across litigation, policy, communications, development, operations, and community engagement
• Foster a healthy, mission-driven organizational culture grounded in trust, accountability, and respect
• Lead with emotional intelligence, empathy, and strong interpersonal judgment
• Set priorities, make and communicate difficult decisions, and maintain clarity and momentum during periods of change or uncertainty
• Navigate conflict constructively and resolve obstacles collaboratively.