Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director
Alessandra Soler Meetze came to the ACLU of Arizona as Executive Director in February 2006. She brings nearly eight years of ACLU experience to Arizona, and is the first Latina to head the statewide civil liberties organization. She served as Communications Director of the ACLU’s fifth largest affiliate in Florida, where she was responsible for spearheading statewide public education campaigns. Before joining the ACLU, Meetze worked as a reporter for The Miami Herald, where she covered local government, business, crime and education. She also worked for a brief period at the Roanoke Times in Virginia. Meetze, who is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, and a minor in Latin American Studies.

Dan Pochoda, Legal Director
Daniel Pochoda comes to the ACLU after ten years of private practice focusing on civil rights and racial discrimination matters. From 1990 through 1996, he served as Special Master for the U.S. District Court in three cases involving constitutional challenges to conditions of confinement in the Arizona prison system. He also was adjunct professor in 2001 at Arizona State University’s School of Justice and Social Inquiry. Prior to relocating to Arizona, Pochoda served as an Associate Professor at the City University of New York School of Law, a position he held from 1986 through 1995. In addition, he taught constitutional law at CUNY’s Center for Urban Legal Studies from 1982 through 1985.  He served as Special Counsel to the New York City Board of Correction and as a staff attorney for the New York City Legal Aid Society Prisoner’s Rights Project, arguing numerous cases at the trial and appellate levels, including before the U.S. Supreme Court. He began his legal career with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Pochoda received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, and his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College.




Greg Polzin, Development Director
Prior to joining the ACLU of Arizona, Greg served as the Director of Resource Development for the Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs, California, where he managed a $3 million development budget and was responsible for leading two major gift programs that raised approximately $1 million annually for the organization.  From June 2003 through January 2006, he served as Executive Director & Chief Development Officer for the Arizona Human Rights Fund & Foundation (AHRF), where he successfully developed and launched the organization’s major gifts program. Prior to working at AHRF, Greg served as the Executive Director & Chief Development Officer for the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Greater Long Beach, California and as Director of Development for Easter Seals Arizona, Inc.  Originally from Spokane, Washington, Greg received his bachelor's in Communications from Seattle Pacific University and later went on to receive a second degree in education from Arizona State University.

Victoria Lopez, Immigrant Rights Advocate
Victoria Lopez has advocated for the rights of ICE detainees in Arizona for eight years. Prior to joining the ACLU, Victoria worked in private practice focusing on removal defense and detention matters. From 2001 through 2007 she worked for the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Florence, Arizona. As an Equal Justice Works Fellow from 2001 through 2003 she provided legal representation and monitored and advocated for changes in detention conditions for immigrant women. Following her fellowship, Victoria remained at the Florence Project as a staff attorney where she conducted legal rights presentations and pro se workshops for detained men and women at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. From 2005-2007 she served as the executive director of the Florence Project. In that capacity, Victoria acted as the organization’s liaison with government agencies and worked with immigrant rights advocates across the country to expand access to legal services and improve detention conditions for immigrants. She served on the steering committee for the Detention Watch Network from 2005 through 2007. She is currently a board member for the Tucson-based Border Action Network. Prior to her work in Arizona, Victoria interned with the Pennsylvania Immigrant Rights Center in York, PA and Centro Romero in Chicago, IL. Victoria received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign.

Annie Lai, Staff Attorney
Annie, who started working for the ACLU-AZ, on September 16, graduated cum laude in May 2006 from the New York University School of Law.  She has extensive experience working in the public interest, both domestically and abroad.  At NYU, where she was a Root Tilden Kern Public Interest Law Scholar, she participated in the Immigrant Rights Clinic and the International Human Rights Clinic.  As a clinic student, she represented clients in removal proceedings and conducted litigation, research and policy analysis to challenge the use of state and local law enforcement resources to enforce immigration law.  She also created a database for a Pakistani community organization to document civil rights and civil liberties violations after 9/11.  In the summers,  Annie worked at the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she presented training workshops on accountability mechanisms for human rights violations and in The Hague, Netherlands, where she assisted womens' rights NGOs to develop war crimes investigations procedures for the International Criminal Court.  In addition, she interned with the Brennan Center for Justice, where she researched legal mechanisms for state governors to restore voting rights to persons with prior felony convictions.  Upon completing her J.D., Annie received the Vanderbilt Medal for outstanding leadership and contributions to the law school.

After graduation, Annie worked as a Staff Attorney at the Urban Justice Center Community Development Project, managing a new line of legal services to expand access to healthcare for uninsured immigrant workers.  She served as a law clerk to the Honorable James C. Francis IV in the Southern District of New York.

Aside from her immigration and human rights work, Annie has substantial experience working closely with Black, Latino, and Asian community organizations on a range of social and economic justices.  Annie graduated summa cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. in Public Policy Studies.  She is admitted to practice law in New York.  She is conversational in Mandarin Chinese and has basic knowledge of Spanish and French.  She recently completed an intensive Spanish immersion program in Mexico.

Jessica Nierad, Legal Assistant & Intake Coordinator
Jessica Nierad is the Paralegal for the ACLU of Arizona. She is responsible for managing the case file system, preparing court filings, and assisting with research. Prior to joining ACLU-AZ, she worked for diverse non-profit organizations in the fields of youth advocacy, health care, education, and the performing arts. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a master’s degree in Literature and Language, and completed an ABA-approved certificate program in Paralegal Studies.

Darrell Hill, Intake Coordinator
Darrell joined the ACLU of Arizona in May 2010. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in May 2009 and began volunteering with our legal department shortly thereafter, drafting legal memos and assisting with public education and advocacy efforts related to our Voting Rights Restoration Project.  While in law school, Darrell worked as a law clerk for the Kasieta Legal Group LLC and also interned at the ACLU of Wisconsin.  Before attending law school, Darrell worked as a project manager for a marketing research company in Chicago.

Adam Leigh, Business Manager
A business management professional for more than 20 years, Adam Leigh came on board in February as our new Business Manager. Adam came to Phoenix from Southern California in 2004, and in his varied career he has provided management and consulting services for many
types of businesses, including real estate, art consulting, medical services and the entertainment industry.

Lindsay Nordstrom, Development and Communications Associate
Lindsay Nordstrom began her career at the ACLU of Arizona in February 2005. Prior to joining the staff, Lindsay was an intern with our Development Department, where she assisted in planning major donor events and campaigns.  She also helped write press releases, brochures and content for the ACLU of Arizona Web site. Lindsay previously worked as a claims clerk with Health Choice Arizona. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from ASU, where she also minored in English Literature. Lindsay provides administrative and outreach assistance to the Development Director and Executive Director. She also produces the quarterly newsletter and maintains the ACLU of Arizona Web site.

Addy Bareiss, Program Coordinator
Addy Bareiss is responsible for outreach, public education events, and volunteers and interns. She is also a liaison to chapters across Arizona, and the contact for membership inqueries.
Addy Bareiss earned her B.A. in history with a minor in special education/deaf studies at the University of Arizona. She graduated from Kansas State University with her MBA and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies. Her focus on social justice and community activism are at the core of her work - professionally and personally.  She avers that her pursuit of higher education is driven by her passion for civil liberties and human rights. Addy is currently a graduate student at Arizona State University in the Women and Gender Studies Department.