PHILADELPHIA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania announced today that it has hired Mike Lee as its next executive director. A lifelong Philadelphian, Lee joins the organization after serving for six years in the administration of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Lee is also the founder and former executive director of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, a nonprofit legal aid firm that helps Pennsylvanians expunge their criminal records.
He succeeds Reggie Shuford, who served as ACLU-PA’s executive director from September 2011 to December 2022, and Claire Landau, who has been the organization’s acting executive director since Shuford’s departure last January. Landau returns to her role as the ACLU of Pennsylvania’s deputy director.
“I am excited and humbled to begin my service this week as the next executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania,” Lee said in a statement. “I am ready to get to work to protect and advance the civil liberties of everyone in the commonwealth.
“I am excited to share my experiences with ACLU members and other stakeholders and hear their experiences and feedback as I begin my journey in this role. I am particularly thrilled to travel to the many beautiful counties of Pennsylvania to meet our partners and gain appreciation for the impact ACLU-PA has on their lives and the lives of others.”
Lee’s hiring ends a year-long search for Shuford’s successor, a search that was led by the firm Isaacson, Miller and members of ACLU-PA’s board of directors.
“We conducted an exhaustive, nationwide search after Reggie’s departure, and yet I’m not surprised that our search ended right here in Pennsylvania, which is home to so many highly competent, thoughtful nonprofit leaders,” said Peter Goldberger, president of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. “Mike has been a dedicated civil libertarian his entire adult life, as well as an ACLU volunteer, and has demonstrated an ability to inspire teams both in government and in the private sector. We’re excited that he’s joining ACLU-PA as our new leader.”
The ACLU of Pennsylvania is in the third year of a three-year strategic plan in which the organization has prioritized voting rights, decarceration, and police reform while giving itself room to work on emerging issues, such as abortion access, censorship in schools, and LGBTQIA+ equality.
More information about the latest work of the ACLU of Pennsylvania is available at aclupa.org.