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<\/a><\/span><\/div>\nACLU of New Jersey Expands Team with Addition of Three New Senior Positions\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The organization has hired a deputy director and chief operating officer, director of finance, and deputy policy director, bringing full-time staff to 30 strong<\/em><\/p>\n For Immediate Release:\u00a0<\/strong>March 16, 2022<\/p>\n NEWARK \u2013 The ACLU of New Jersey today announced the appointment of three leaders to newly created positions: Carla Chavez joins the organization as Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer; Harold Weaver as the Director of Finance; and Jim Sullivan as the Deputy Policy Director. Their additions bring the ACLU-NJ\u2019s full-time staff to 30 strong, with the majority of the team identifying as people of color, and signal the organization\u2019s growing influence defending and advancing liberty and justice for all New Jerseyans.<\/p>\n Expanding the ACLU-NJ team is an essential step in working toward the organization\u2019s vision of building a just and fair New Jersey. The ACLU-NJ\u2019s integrated advocacy in the courts, in the legislature, and in our communities \u2013 from leading the way on cannabis legalization to passing the Public Health Emergency Credit Act that resulted in thousands of early releases from prison \u2013 have enabled the organization to bring in creative leaders who will be instrumental to future campaigns. The ACLU-NJ continues to protect and expand the rights guaranteed by the U.S. and New Jersey constitutions, furthering the organization\u2019s mission in accordance with its values.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to have Carla, Harold, and Jim join the ACLU-NJ team,\u201d said\u00a0ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha<\/strong>. \u201cTheir years of experience in crafting and implementing creative, inclusive policies will be instrumental to our vision of building a fair and equitable New Jersey for all, and their arrival is a testament to the ACLU-NJ\u2019s leadership in advocacy spaces across the state. I am proud to see our organization expand its reach, develop its infrastructure, and amplify its political power in pursuit of justice for all New Jerseyans.\u201d<\/p>\n As the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer for the ACLU-NJ, Carla Chavez oversees day-to-day management of the organization and ensures effective collaboration, systems management, and workflows across departments. Carla has over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector, having primarily focused on expanding organizational capacity and strategic planning. After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, she moved back to the Island to support recovery and reconstruction efforts at Foundation for Puerto Rico, where she served as Chief of Staff and oversaw the proper usage of federally granted funds. She later joined the Puerto Rico Financial Management and Oversight Board as Chief of Staff, where she oversaw the internal operations of the organization tasked with negotiating Puerto Rico\u2019s exit from bankruptcy. Prior to her time in Puerto Rico, she worked as Deputy Director for the Seattle non-profit organization Transportation Choices Coalition.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to join the team at the ACLU-NJ who have brought milestone victories to New Jersey since the organization\u2019s founding in 1960,\u201d said\u00a0ACLU-NJ Deputy Director and Chief Operating\u00a0Officer Carla Chavez<\/strong>. \u201cThe ACLU-NJ\u2019s mission to preserve and expand rights and liberties for all is as important now as ever, and I know our work will continue moving us toward a fairer, more just New Jersey in 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n Harold Weaver is the Director of Finance for the ACLU-NJ and is responsible for the organization\u2019s financial and strategic management. With nearly 30 years of experience in finance and accounting, Harold has extensive knowledge in providing accounting, budgeting, and financial modeling in the non-profit sector. Providing evaluation and analysis for long-range planning, Harold has helped several organizations to implement measures that support the strategic directions, including Family Intervention Services, Inc, Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Catholic Charities of New Your, and The Salvation Army of Greater New York.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 30 years of advising in the non-profit space, I\u2019m excited to bring my experience to the ACLU-NJ,\u201d said\u00a0ACLU-NJ Director of Finance Harold Weaver<\/strong>. \u201cAs the organization continues to grow, it allows for even more work in every corner of the state to bring about meaningful change and cement New Jersey as a national leader in centering racial justice and building an equitable future.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim Sullivan is the Deputy Policy Director for the ACLU-NJ, where he leads the development of campaigns on police and prosecutorial accountability and transparency. Jim joins the ACLU-NJ after serving as the political director for the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas \u2013 the largest union in Nevada \u2013 where he focused on passing policies that advanced workers\u2019 rights, immigrants\u2019 rights, and housing justice. He also spearheaded the Union\u2019s criminal justice reform program, which helped pass bills to provide compensation for wrongfully convicted people, and to restore voting rights for people with criminal records. He was previously active in the movement for economic and racial justice in the Philadelphia area. Jim is justice-impacted, having experienced incarceration and probation, parole, and collateral consequences, all of which informs his expertise and passion for reforming the criminal legal system.<\/p>\n \u201cThe opportunity to join one of the most influential policy and political teams in the state is one I\u2019m immensely proud of,\u201d said\u00a0ACLU-NJ Deputy Policy Director Jim Sullivan<\/strong>. \u201cAs a formerly incarcerated person, it\u2019s moving to know that our work to reshape the criminal legal system will directly impact the lives of so many, like the Public Health Emergency Credits Law that resulted in the release of more than 6,000 people from New Jersey prisons during the Covid-19 pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n The ACLU of New Jersey has defended liberty and justice guided by the vision of a fair and equitable New Jersey for all since our founding in 1960. Our mission is to preserve, advance, and expand the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the state and federal constitutions in courts, in the legislature, and in our communities. We strive to be anti-racist and are actively committed to advancing racial justice for the people of New Jersey. We are a non-partisan organization that operates across political, legal, and cultural fronts to bring about change and build a more equitable society.\u00a0www.aclu-nj.org\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/div>\n