Karen Curry, Communications Director of the national ACLU

NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union announced today the recent appointment of Karen Curry as Communications Director of the ACLU.

“Karen is a remarkable talent with an enormously creative mind and extensive experience in the world of media,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director. “She is the perfect person to lead our Communications Department in the years ahead as we get our message out about the importance of preserving civil liberties during these critical times when they are under constant threat.”

In her role as Communications Director, Curry will oversee several facets of the Communications Department including media relations, web operations, campaigns and special projects and production. She will work closely with Romero and other senior management to promote the organization’s work through public education and media outreach, helping to shape the ACLU’s messages about its important and varied work in areas including human rights, national security, racial justice and religious freedom, to name just a few. In these efforts, Curry’s extensive experience in broadcast journalism and multimedia will be a great asset.

“I am thrilled to be part of this extraordinary and enduring organization, and to have the opportunity to work with Anthony Romero and his stellar staff,” said Curry.  “I am privileged to be part of the steadfast mission of the ACLU to protect our democracy and civil liberties.”
 
Curry has over 30 years of experience working in television news. She was CNN Vice President and Northeast Regional Bureau Chief from 1999-2005. She ran the New York Bureau with editorial responsibility for newsgathering and was responsible for a budget of more than $18 million and a staff of more than 150 people.

Prior to her work at CNN, Curry was NBC News London Bureau Chief, where she managed the largest NBC News bureau outside the U.S. covering the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and provided news coverage for the NBC network, MSNBC, MSNBC.com and CNBC. She also served as NBC News Executive Producer, Morning News Programming and NBC News London Foreign Affairs Producer for NBC’s Today show. Before coming to the ACLU, Curry was Editorial Director at Mochila – the world’s first online media marketplace.

Curry is a graduate of Fordham University in the Bronx, and just completed a term as Chair of the Fordham College Board of Visitors.  She began work at the ACLU on April 21.

Headquartered in New York City, the ACLU has 53 staffed affiliates nationwide and more than 300 chapters nationwide, and a legislative office in Washington, D.C.  Founded in 1920 by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Albert DeSilver, Jane Addams, Felix Frankfurter, Helen Keller and Arthur Garfield Hayes and others, the ACLU celebrates its 87th anniversary this year.