Deborah N. Archer

Deborah Archer is the President of the ACLU, the first person of color to serve in that role in the organization’s history, and a nationally recognized expert on civil liberties, civil rights, and racial justice. She is also the Margaret B. Hoppin Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Community Equity Initiative at New York University School of Law. She is an award-winning teacher and legal scholar whose articles have appeared in leading law reviews and national publications, and she has offered commentary for national and international media.

Prior to fulltime teaching, Archer worked as an attorney with the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where she litigated in the areas of voting rights, employment discrimination, educational equity, and school desegregation. She previously served as Chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, the nation’s oldest and largest police oversight agency. Archer is a Trustee of Smith College and received the Smith College Medal the highest honor the college awards to an alum. She is also the author of the best-selling book Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality.