Dorothy M. Ehrlich, Deputy Executive Director

Dorothy M. Ehrlich, Deputy Executive Director of the national ACLU

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Dorothy M. Ehrlich is Deputy Executive Director of the national American Civil Liberties Union, the nation's premier defender of liberty and individual freedom.

Previously, Ehrlich served as Executive Director of the ACLU of Northern California, the largest ACLU affiliate in the nation, for 28 years.

She directed the 72-year-old Northern California affiliate during a period of extraordinary growth similar to that of the national organization, setting strategies and overseeing the work of lawyers, lobbyists, and other staff. Before becoming the Executive Director of the ACLU of Northern California, she served as its Development Director, was the editor of the ACLU News, and acted as the liaison to 15 local ACLU chapters and helped establish the Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter. Prior to that she worked for the ACLU of Southern California.

Ehrlich has led civil liberties campaigns around reproductive rights, opposition to the death penalty, censorship, and civil rights, launched projects focused on youth, racial justice and reproductive rights. She was the driving force behind the affiliate's vigorous response to the federal erosion of civil liberties since September 11, 2001.

At the same time, Ehrlich played a leadership role in the national ACLU, recently ending a six-year term as chair of its Executive Directors' Council.

An accomplished spokesperson and writer, Ehrlich has been a frequent contributor to KQED Radio's Perspectives Series, the Daily Journal's "Taking Liberties" column, the San Francisco Chronicle's "Open Forum," and other publications. Ehrlich has received civil rights leadership awards from the Asian Law Caucus and Equal Rights Advocates and was also honored with the Mario Cuomo Acts of Courage Award from Death Penalty Focus. She was awarded a Gerbode Fellowship in 1992.