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Staff
CURRENT OPENINGS:
Associate Legal Director (Miami)
Legal Staff ASsistant (Miami)
Regional Director (Jacksonville)
Miami Office - State Headquarters
Executive Director
Howard Simon came to the ACLU of Florida as Executive Director in October 1997, after serving for 23 years as the Executive Director of the ACLU of Michigan. Originally from New York, he received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in legal and political philosophy and social ethics. Prior to his work with the ACLU, he taught philosophy at the University of Minnesota and DePauw University.
Deputy Director
Beth Wilson joined the ACLU of Florida as Deputy Director in October 2007 after working for the ACLU of Kentucky for 14 years; first, directing that affiliate?s Reproductive Freedom Project and serving the last four years as the Executive Director. Wilson, a Cincinnati native, is a former newspaper reporter and later worked as a reproductive rights advocate and counselor before joining the ACLU. She holds a journalism degree from Eastern Kentucky University and a master?s degree in social work from the University of Tennessee. As Deputy Director in Florida, Wilson works closely with the Executive Director to further advance civil liberties in the Sunshine State by expanding staff, volunteers and infrastructure. She champions the rapid expansion of the ACLU of Florida, now totaling over 30,000 members, 18 local chapters and 40 employees working in Miami and six Regional Offices around the state. In addition to assisting the Executive Director with management and fund raising, Wilson coordinates the efforts of the regional offices across the state, and various departments and projects, balancing the priorities at the local, state and national levels.
Legal Director
Randall C. Marshall joined the ACLU of Florida in August 2000. A former Florida Assistant Attorney General, Marshall also worked as an Assistant City Solicitor in Pittsburgh, a visiting professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, a staff attorney with Texas Rural Legal Aid in Hereford, Texas, and a staff attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality in Toledo, Ohio. He has extensive experience in class action civil rights litigation and representation of migrant farm workers. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and sociology from the University of Northern Colorado, and received a master's degree in mathematics as well. He received his J.D. with honors from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1982.
Director of Finance & Administration
Sandy Vancol started her career with the National ACLU in 1997 as an administrative assistant and quickly worked her way up to become operations manager of the organization's headquarters in New York. She held that position for two years before transferring to the ACLU of Florida in April 2001. A graduate of the College of New Rochelle, Sandy received her bachelor's degree in Political Science. As Assistant Director, she is responsible for a variety of different tasks, including foundation relations, gift planning, financial management and auditing.
Director of Communications
Brandon Hensler joined the ACLU of Florida in 2006 as Director of Communications. Hensler oversees a variety of communications-related tasks including: media relations, internal communications, the ACLU of Florida Web sites, PR strategy, community relations and more. He leads other PR professionals as the President of the Public Relations Society of America's Gulfstream Chapter, and also sits on the Sunshine District PRSA Board. A five year veteran of PR Newswire, a global news distribution organization, he has a diverse background working with media and in the corporate world. Prior to PR Newswire, Hensler spent time with D.C.-based Self Reliance Foundation & Hispanic Radio Network working to increase availability of bilingual resources to Spanish-speaking persons in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In addition he wrote and produced radio shorts on myriad subjects ranging from immigration to health issues. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Brandon holds a B.A. in International Studies from Miami University of Ohio.
Senior Director of Development
Mark Haney serves as the Senior Development Director for the ACLU of Florida. In this role, he oversees the fundraising department and works with the Executive Director and the ACLU State Board of Directors to raise money to help ensure the future sustainability of the organization. Previously, Mark worked with the Zoological Society of Florida to raise money for programs to educate people about wildlife and conservation. Prior to that, he was the Director of Development for the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. In this role, he developed funding for programs in maternal and child health, epidemiology, biostatistics, and environmental health sciences. Mark is a graduate of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
Courtenay Strickland, who has been working in the civil rights field since 1998, re-joined the ACLU of Florida in 2007 to lead the ACLU's legislative and field operations at the local and state levels as well as Congressional lobbying. As the past President & CEO of Verified Voting, Courtenay worked to achieve reforms that would ensure publicly verifiable elections without sacrificing voters' privacy and independence at the polls. In her five years as Voting Rights Project Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Courtenay lobbied the Florida Legislature concerning post-2000 reforms such as provisional balloting and worked to end Florida's system of felony disenfranchisement. After the failed 2002 primary elections in South Florida, Courtenay co-founded the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition, a community-based group recognized nationally for its work at the local level. Courtenay also served on the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County, and as Public Relations Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Yale University.
Director, Racial Justice / Voting Rights Projects
Muslima Lewis joined the ACLU of Florida in March 2006. A former Senior Trial Attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Lewis' practice has included work in the Miami office of Akerman Senterfitt and serving as General Counsel at Alliance Entertainment Corp., and as a staff attorney for The New York Times Company. Lewis was a founding member of CARE (Community Alliance for Reform in Education) in Palm Beach County, and has been an active volunteer in the area of voting rights restoration and with the Election Protection coalition. Lewis is a past president of the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association (formerly, the Black Lawyers Association of Dade County). She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Barnard College/Columbia University, and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
Controller
Laurence R. Brown, a Certified Public Accountant since 1985, started his public accounting career working for an international certified public accounting firm. Since then Larry has worked for a large regional accounting firm in Florida and for his own firm. He services primarily non-profit organizations by providing audit, accounting, management consulting and tax services. In January, 2007, Larry joined the ACLU Foundation of Florida, Inc. and ACLU of Florida, Inc. as Controller. Larry is also a Certified Internal Auditor and holds a Masters in Management Information Systems Auditing from New York University. Currently, Larry is a doctoral candidate in accounting.
South Florida Staff Counsel
A native of Puerto Rico, Rosalind J. Matos is the South Florida Staff Counsel for the ACLU of Florida state office. She will be assisting in all aspects of ACLU litigation, primarily focusing on civil liberties issues arising in Miami-Dade County, which include racial profiling, police misconduct, immigration, discrimination and racial, ethnic and language diversity. Rosalind received her B.S. (cum laude) from Florida International University in Miami, and her Juris Doctor (cum laude) from the University of Puerto Rico in June 2000. She was a highly regarded clerk to the Solicitor General of the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico.
Director, LGBT Advocacy Project and John C. Graves Fellow
Attorney Robert Rosenwald Jr. was named the John C. Graves Fellow, thanks to a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Broward. He leads the ACLU of Florida's statewide GLBT Litigation Project. Rob has been in private law practice in Miami since 1998. He is a 1997 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Law School, and clerked for the legendary former U.S. District Judge C. Clyde Atkins. Rob will focus on a variety of public policy issues that impact the gay community, including the anti-gay initiative threatening protections for the families of same-sex couples, as well as discrimination in Florida's adoption policies, and discrimination and harassment against gay youth, especially in public schools.
Director, Reproductive Freedom Project
Susan Derwin joined the ACLU of Florida in February of 2006 from a women's clinic in Indianapolis where she served as Assistant Director for eight years. She also spent two years with the Protective Order Pro Bono Project of Greater Indianapolis. Derwin served on the boards of the Pro Choice Coalition of Indiana and the Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault before moving to Florida. She holds a B.A. in English and Theater from Lenoir-Rhyne College in North Carolina and a M.F.A. in Theater from the University of Louisville. While earning her J.D. from the Indiana University School of Law, Susan founded the school's Feminist Law Society and was coordinator of the school's chapter of Law Students for Choice. Among Susan's many accomplishments, she co-founded and directed the Becky Fund to assist Indiana women who otherwise could not pay for an abortion. Susan's talents will greatly benefit the organization as she directs the Reproductive Freedom Project.
Assistant Director of Communications
Alexandra Bassil joined the ACLU of Florida in 2007 in the expanding communications department. She is responsible for assisting the Director of Communications in a variety of communications-related tasks including media relations with reporters from all types of media seeking sources on civil liberties issues, reviewing and editing press releases submitted by local ACLU chapters and more. A second-generation native Miamian, Bassil was previously employed with an Omnicom agency, Bernard Hodes Group, leading public relations efforts for their clients in the human resources/recruiting and staffing industry. She previously worked in local non-profit organizations in the higher education and public health areas including reproductive rights and HIV/AIDS. Formerly she also served as host for public broadcast cable TV and radio talk shows. She earned her M.S. in Communications from Florida International University in 2005, and holds a B.S. in Journalism/Public Relations from the University of Florida.
Field Coordinator
Kileen Marshall serves as the ACLU of Florida's Field Coordinator. As a part of the Public Policy Department, Kileen is a key component of all grassroots organizing efforts of the ACLU of Florida. Additionally, she serves as the liaison and primary resource for the Affiliate's 18 chapters and multiple student clubs around the state. Kileen graduated from the University of Miami in May, 2005 with a triple major in International Studies, Communication Studies and Religious Studies, and a minor in French. Kileen has held several positions with the ACLU of Florida, including intern, Development Assistant and Interim Legal Program Associate. In her spare time, Kileen enjoys rock climbing and mountain biking.
Human Resources Manager
Laura Agostina began working at the ACLU in March 2003. As the special assistant, Laura provides administrative support to the executive department and the administration and finance department. She works closely with Assistant Director Sandy Vancol and Executive Director Howard Simon. Laura recently relocated to South Florida from New York City, where she had more than 25 years of experience in a variety of administrative and managerial positions. She has worked for the Theater Development Fund and the NYC School Construction Authority, which is responsible for building and renovating New York City schools. In addition to her duties at the ACLU, she is providing accounting services to a number of other clients.
Manager of Foundation Relations
Sucheta Sharma, originally from Atlanta, received her B.A. from Columbia University in New York with a double major in Political Science and Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures and a minor in Economics. She received her Juris Doctor from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University in New York in June 2003 and is a member of the Georgia Bar Association. She has a committed background in advocacy and in promoting justice issues both in the U.S. and in India. She serves on the International Advisory Committee for the International Museum of Women, and is an avid writer. She has worked, lived, and traveled extensively overseas and is fluent in nine languages.
Director of Planned and Annual Giving
Scarlett Aldebot joined the ACLU of Florida in 2007 in the expanding Development department. While in law school, Aldebot held intern positions with several organizations including: the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, The Hague, Netherlands; the San Diego Public Defender's Office, Juvenile Delinquency Dept., San Diego, California; and the United States Attorney's Office, San Diego, California. Prior to law school, Aldebot worked as the Volunteer Coordinator for El Centro Latino in Carrboro, North Carolina. Aldebot holds a B.A. from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a J.D. from California Western School of Law in San Diego, California.
Manager of Development Services
Monique Lebron has joined the staff of the ACLU of Florida as Development Associate and quickly became an integral part of the Development team. She was promoted to Manager of Development Services in 2007. Monique is a recent graduate of the University of Miami, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication. She held an internship at WPLG-Channel 10 and she was an information and referral coordinator assistant at the Alpha-1 Foundation in Coral Gables for a year and a half during her undergraduate studies. Monique is assisting Senior Director of Development Mark Haney in meeting and surpassing fundraising objectives for the ACLU's state and national organizations.
Racial Justice Project Associate
LaRhonda Odom joined the ACLU of Florida in October, 2007 as Racial Justice Project Associate. She will advance our felon enfranchisement advocacy work (including supporting the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and broadening the reach of our Restoration of Civil Rights assistance workshops) and she will work on the on the full range of the ACLU of Florida's voting rights and racial justice initiatives. LaRhonda previously worked as an Organizer at ACORN in Jackson, MS and as a college researcher and instructor. She also has extensive volunteer experience on social justice issues, having most recently served as Assistant Secretary for the A. Philip Randolph Institute in Jackson.
Executive Assistant to Executive Director
Nathalie Shortal assists the Executive Director with tasks related to the day-to-day operations of the ACLU of Florida, including assisting in research. She has worked in the fields of political activism and community relations for numerous years. While working as a Congressional Aid to Congressman Peter Deutsch, Nathalie acquired an in-depth knowledge of the governmental process, both at a national, state and local level. Her daily duties allowed her to serve as a community outreach coordinator between Congressman Deutsch's office and both county and city officials. Nathalie is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Membership and Communications Coordinator
Vivienne Jackson joined the ACLU of Florida in December 2000 as an intern and quickly became a member of the staff as Administrative Assistant in 2001. In her expanded role, Vivienne assists in the development department, with public education materials as well as general office management. Her main responsibility is to maintain the membership records, distribute materials and publications to members around the state and maintain databases. She holds an Associate Degree in Fashion Design from Clark Atlanta University and has a Bachelor's in secondary school (English) education from the Union Institute & University located in Miami.
Rights Restoration Assistant
Elton Edwards joined the ACLU of Florida in October 2003. He has worked inside the Florida Department of Corrections as a certified legal law clerk. In that capacity, he has assisted numerous clemency applicants in applying for restoration of their civil rights or other forms of clemency. Elton assists with operations for the ACLU of Florida's Rights Restoration Advocacy Centers - where people can receive ongoing assistance with their applications for restoration. Elton also has organized numerous public education efforts over the past several years. He also is responsible for assisting the Public Education Department with communications activities.
Legal Program Associate
Layssa Zamora, of Mexican and Cuban heritage, has recently joined the ACLU as Legal Program Associate to oversee the process by which the ACLU of Florida reviews and screens requests for assistance on potential civil liberties litigation. A long-standing respect for multi-culturalism, civil liberties, public awareness and environmental protection led her to seek out a position with an organization such as the ACLU. Layssa holds a B.A. in Anthropology/Sociology and a certificate in Latin American studies from Florida International University. She aspires to continue her studies in the future with the ultimate goal of receiving her Masters and PhD in Anthropology.
Development Associate
Dave Womack joined the ACLU of Florida in 2007 as the Development Associate. In his role he will assist the Development Department with various tasks including letters, mailings and reporting to help ensure the organization meets and exceeds its fund-raising goals. Womack previously worked for the Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services in New York City. While there his work was concentrated in the Project Liberty division, a mental health program servicing direct and indirect victims of 9/11. He earned his B.A. in Theater Arts from the University of the South in 2002.
Receptionist
Edward Beil joined the staff in March of 2003 as Rights Restoration Assistant, and has since joined the Communications Department as Staff Assistant. Ed has a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts and an Associate's Degree in Computer Consulting. He has 25 years background experience in retail design and has worked in non-profit and community outreach programs for four years.
Central Florida Regional Office (Orlando and surrounding areas)
Director
Glenn Katon became the Director of the ACLU of Florida's Central Florida Office in October 2006. He has practiced law as a shareholder with the Tampa law firm of Bush Ross, P.A., trial attorney with the Department of Justice, Tax Division, in Washington, D.C., litigation associate with a large Dallas law firm, and law clerk to the Honorable Terry R. Means, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas. Katon first became involved with the ACLU of Florida as a volunteer attorney with the PATH Project. He has also taken criminal defense and race discrimination pro bono cases, held leadership positions on a subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Litigation Section and the Community Liaison Committee of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and been involved with the Human Rights Committee of the ABA's International Law Section. Katon graduated on the Dean's List at St. John's University School of Law, where he served as an editor of one of the school's law journals, and he received a B.A. from George Mason University. Before law school, he worked as a staff writer for the National Committee for an Effective Congress on Capitol Hill.
Staff Associate
Matthew Henry De Vlieger recently graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in Political Science and Broadcast Journalism. Joining the ACLU as a staff associate in the Central Region Office was a natural transition for De Vlieger who has a strong track record in activism and organizing both on campus and in the Central Florida community. It was through this work that he learned to plan events, work with the media, coordinate public outreach and implement long term strategy through a variety of tactics.
Northeast Florida Regional Office (Jacksonville and surrounding areas)
Staff Counsel
Zeina N. Salam joined the ACLU of Florida as staff attorney in the Tampa Regional Office in September 2006, and in January 2008 she transferred to our newest Regional Office in Jacksonville. Zeina has taken on protestors? rights, voting rights and student rights pro bono cases and helped revamp the sex education system in Hillsborough County. She has been involved in the Civil Rights Committee of the Public Interest Law Section of the Florida Bar, in local chapters of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and is in the process of joining the Jacksonville Bar. She will be assisting in all aspects of ACLU litigation, primarily focusing on civil liberties issues arising in the northeast region of the state, which include, racial profiling/police misconduct, church-state, immigration and LGBT issues. Zeina received her JD, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law in 2003, and her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining the ACLU staff, she was cooperating attorney for the ACLU and sat on the Board of Directors of both the State and local levels of the ACLU of Florida; co-chaired the legal panel of the Broward Chapter; chaired the State By-Laws Committee; clerked for a state trial court judge in Miami and worked as in-house counsel for a Florida-based publicly traded company. Zeina is originally from Beirut, Lebanon and speaks fluent Arabic.
Northwest Florida Regional Office (Panhandle)
Director
Susan Watson first came to the ACLU as one of the plaintiffs in the voucher lawsuit. She began volunteering in 2000 as the Panhandle Chapter Chair and a member of the State Board of Directors of the ACLU of Florida. Beginning in June of 2005, Susan joined the staff as a regional director. She is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the ACLU in North West Florida. For eleven years, Susan worked as a registered nurse in hospitals in Florida and Illinois. Most recently she worked as the computer network administrator for the University of West Florida's public radio station.
Staff Attorney
Benjamin James Stevenson is the staff counsel for the ACLU of Florida's Northwest Regional Office, which covers the Panhandle region of the state. Stevenson joined the ACLU after a sabbatical traveling extensively throughout the world. Previously, he worked at the Tallahassee firms of Andrews Moyé, LLC, and Fowler White Boggs Banker, P.A., where he handled all aspects of his clients' litigation needs. Stevenson also directed Florida's False-Claims-Act cases by overseeing attorney's prosecutions and settlements while in Tallahassee. Stevenson graduated as a member of phi beta kappa from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, before pursuing his J.D. at Florida State University's College of Law from where he graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif.
West Central Florida Regional Office (Greater Tampa and surrounding areas)
Director
Rebecca Harrison Steele is the Director of the ACLU of Florida's West Central Florida regional office, and heads the ACLU of Florida's Religious Freedom Project. She came to the ACLU from private law practice with her own law firm, which she formed after working as an attorney with the Trenam, Kemker and Holland & Knight law firms.
Ms. Steele is an experienced appellate attorney who clerked for the Honorable Charles R. Wilson for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She received her law degree, magna cum laude, from the Stetson University College of Law, where she was an articles and symposium editor for the Stetson Law Review. Ms. Steele has served as an adjunct professor at Stetson University College of Law, and writes and speaks frequently on civil rights issues. In 2006. she was an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida, teaching "Women and the Law."
Before becoming a lawyer, Ms. Steele was a stage director and an adjunct professor of theater at the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa. She is a past president of the Board of Directors for the community radio station WMNF-FM, and is also a past president of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers. Currently she serves on the boards of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (President-Elect), the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Trial Lawyers Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (President-Elect). Recent honors include receiving an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell as well as being listed in the 2006 and 2007 "Florida Superlawyers" and the 2006 Florida Trend Legal Elite.
Assistant Director
Mary Jane ("MJ") Williamson has been working for progressive causes and organizations for more than a decade, coming to the ACLU of Florida by way of the Florida Consumer Action Network, a consumer and environmental lobbying organization, and Tampa Bay Community Network public access television. Williamson began working on October 11 as the Assistant Director of the ACLU's West Central Florida office. That office, headed up by Director Rebecca Steele, will be working closely with the Tampa Bay area chapters to build membership and advance ACLU issues.
Tallahassee Legislative Office
Legislative Staff Counsel
Larry Helm Spalding , the ACLU of Florida Legislative Staff Counsel, was born in San Antonio, Texas. Most of his youth, except for a period of time when his father was stationed with the United States Air Force in Broadstairs, Kent, England, was spent in the Central Kentucky town of Lebanon which is located about sixty miles from both Louisville and Lexington. Larry received both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He also has a LL.M degree in International and Comparative Law from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He has served the organization as a cooperating attorney, chapter president, affiliate president, national board representative and today as ACLU Legislative Counsel in Tallahassee. He established Capital Collateral Representative (CCR) as the first state agency in the country whose sole function is the defense of deathsentenced inmates in capital postconviction proceedings. Larry also served as law clerk to the Honorable Irving L. Goldberg, Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals, in Dallas, Texas. Since 1994, Larry has served as the ACLU of Florida's voice before the Florida Legislature.
