Mara Kimmel has been named the ACLU of Alaska’s Executive Director.
“In these turbulent and trying times, the ACLU of Alaska is doing the work it takes to ensure that all Alaskans have the equal protection and equal opportunity promised under the Constitution. It is an honor and an inspiration to join in this work, where every day the team's passion for a better community demonstrates a belief in our core values of individual liberties, civil rights, and racial justice,” said Kimmel.
Kimmel’s distinguished career includes decades of public policy, legal, and advocacy work in justice, immigration, and tribal subsistence. She has also been faculty at the Seattle University School of Law, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska Pacific University and served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Anchorage Museum.
Kimmel has also been involved in several Alaska initiatives focused on equity, resilience, combating human trafficking, and she’s led the development of Welcoming and Resilience initiatives at the Municipality of Anchorage.
She takes the reigns from interim executive director Susan Orlansky during a soft transition in May. Kimmel will start full-time with the organization June 1. Orlansky will continue to volunteer with the organization as cooperating council.