Anthony D. Romero is the ACLU's sixth executive director, and the first Latino and openly gay man to serve in that capacity. He came to the organization from the Ford Foundation's Human Rights and International Cooperation Program, Romero also served for nearly five years as a Ford Foundation Program Officer for Civil Rights and Racial Justice; and for two years on the program staff of the Rockefeller Foundation.
In the past, he was the Vice Chairman of the White House Internship Advisory Committee and acted as Co-Chairman of the Funders' Committee for Citizen Participation. He was also Director of Human Rights and International Cooperation at the Ford Foundation, which turned "into Ford's largest and most dynamic grant making unit" under his leadership [2]. Prior to this position, he served as Program Officer for Civil Rights and Racial Justice for the Ford Foundation. He has also been part of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Puerto Rican Ancestry.
Recognition
In 2005, he was named one of Time Magazine's 25 Most Influential Hispanics. Additionally, Time has named him "The Champion of Civil Rights."