Since becoming the Executive Director/CEO of one of the nation’s largest and most high-visibility organizations, Anthony D. Romero has led the ACLU through historic growth and transformation while navigating complex challenges with sound judgment and executive stewardship. He also serves as Board Director of Ariel Investments and is the Chair of the Talent/Compensation Committee.Taking the helm of the ACLU just seven days before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Anthony transformed an under-resourced organization of 494 employees nationwide and scaled it into one of the most impactful, iconic NGOs with 2,200 purpose-driven employees across the country. Through dynamic realignment, aggressive growth and recruitment, and change management, Anthony grew revenues from $30M to $400M, and increased assets from $100M to an excess of $1 billion. Today, Anthony continues to provide visionary strategy and execution, as well as oversight across finance, IT, media, audit, fundraising, legal, lobbying, privacy, and advocacy for its headquarters and 53 state affiliates.As Board Director of Ariel Investments, a private, global value-based asset management firm, Anthony advises on governance, talent, compensation, fundraising, ESG, and on Ariel’s growth and expansion strategy. Anthony is a well-known, high-profile and respected national spokesperson, regularly appearing in widely varying print media and on radio and television programs including “60 Minutes,” “Meet the Press,” “The Rachel Maddow Show,” “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” “ABC World News,” “Univision Noticias,” "Daily Show with Trevor Noah," and “Real Time with Bill Maher.” His 2017 TED talk, “This Is What Democracy Looks Like,” has been viewed over 1.2 million times, and has been translated into 23 foreign languages.Among dozens of awards, Anthony received “Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson Award” (its most prestigious alumni award), Time Magazine’s “The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America,” and honorary doctorates from CUNY School of Law and Marymount Manhattan College. Dedicated to advancing equality and harvesting merit among overlooked populations, Anthony serves on the Board of Trustees of Princeton University, and on the Board of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. He previously served on the boards of Physicians for Human Rights, National Women’s Law Center, and on the Racial Justice Task Force of the Robin Hood Foundation, among others.For speaking invitations, please see the form linked at the end of this bio: https://www.aclu.org/bio/anthony-d-romero
