James Lyall, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Arizona, has been named the new executive director of the ACLU of Vermont.
Lyall will take over from Allen Gilbert, who has led the Vermont organization for 12 years.
Lyall has been with the ACLU in Arizona since 2011 and established the organization’s Tucson office to focus on civil liberties issues in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
Prior to his work in Arizona, he was a lawyer with Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project in Los Angeles.
In a statement, ACLU-VT board chair Jim Morse said there had been a number of strong Vermont applicants for the job, in addition to candidates from other states and several foreign countries.
“James stood out as someone with diverse talents, dynamo-like energy, and an ability to work closely and effectively with others in bringing about significant change,” Morse said.
Lyall is a graduate of Middlebury College. He will begin work at the ACLU Vermont’s Montpelier office in late July.
