Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director
Alessandra Soler Meetze came to the ACLU of Arizona as Executive Director in February 2006. She brings nearly 12 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 on the USA Patriot Act and racial profiling post 9-11. Prior to her work in Florida, Alessandra worked at the ACLU of Louisiana, coordinating advocacy efforts in New Orleans to combat police misconduct, improve prison conditions and keep school-sponsored prayer out of public schools. Before joining the ACLU, Alessandra 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. Alessandra, 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
Dan Pochoda has been the Legal Director of the ACLU of Arizona since 2007. During this period the ACLU litigated numerous cases against unconstitutional practices by governmental actors and agencies including challenges to SB 1070 and racial profiling by Sheriff Arpaio and the MCSO. The ACLU successfully advocated for persons and groups targeted on the basis of race, sex, and sexual orientation, and for persons seeking to exercise rights of speech including to protest governmental policies, and to practice their religion without retaliation. After graduation from Harvard Law School, Dan began his career with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. He has litigated numerous constitutional cases at trial and appellate levels including before the U.S. Supreme Court. Dan was the legal coordinator for the Attica Brothers after the rebellion in 1971. He has served on the law faculties of the City University of New York, New York University and Santa Clara University.
Gloria A. Torres, Paralegal
Gloria is responsible for providing primary administrative support for all cases and assisting with other activities of the ACLU-AZ’s legal department, including CLEs, workshops and trainings geared toward attorneys and community advocates. She also works with Legal Director Dan Pochoda to coordinate efforts to build relationships with new cooperating attorneys through targeted, pro-active outreach with law firms throughout the state. Gloria has over 25 years of legal experience providing litigation support for various law firms in the Valley. Gloria received her paralegal certification and degree in Business Administration and Management from Arizona State University. Gloria, is a native of Phoenix.
James Duff Lyall (Duff), Staff Attorney
James Duff Lyall comes to the ACLU of Arizona after three years at the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project in Los Angeles. At Esperanza, James worked with detained immigrant children and adults, providing know-your-rights trainings, consultations, and direct legal representation in removal proceedings. Most recently, as Esperanza’s Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) Law Fellow, James specialized in representing unaccompanied immigrant children in state and federal court proceedings, including Asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) cases. Immediately prior to joining the ACLU of AZ, James volunteered with No More Deaths in Tucson, where he co-authored a report documenting widespread Border Patrol abuse along the US-Mexico border. James is currently involved in a variety of our civil rights and civil liberties litigation projects. A native of Massachusetts, James received his bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in 2000 and is a 2007 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center.
Victoria Lopez, Program Director
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.
Courtney Spellacy, Development Director
Courtney has over seven years of diverse development experience working with individuals, foundations, and corporations. She joined the ACLU of Arizona after having worked as Development Director of New Global Citizen, a local Phoenix non-profit that works to prepare youth to become engaged international advocates. Prior to that position, she spent a decade in Washington, D.C. working for several non-profits including International Women’s Democracy Center, American Near East Refugee Aid, and ActionAid. Courtney was named Fundraising Success’ 2009 Fundraising Rising Star of the Year. A Minnesota native, she attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon studying International Affairs before she headed east to attend American University in Washington, D.C. where she earned her M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, while playing point guard for AU’s women’s basketball team.
Anjali Abraham, Public Policy Director
Anjali Abraham joined the ACLU of Arizona in August 2010 as Public Policy Director. She comes to the ACLU after serving as Associate Government Affairs Director for the Arizona Association of Counties, where she served as a lobbyist for Arizona's elected county officials. Prior to working at the Arizona Association of Counties, Anjali worked as an assistant attorney general for the Tobacco Enforcement Unit of the Arizona Attorney General's Office. She previously clerked for the Honorable James Hardesty of the Nevada Supreme Court and worked as an editor for web and print health care news publications. Anjali, received her law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and earned a Master of Letters in Divinity from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Anjali grew up in Phoenix and is a volunteer with the Arizona Humane Society.
Darrell Hill, Intake Attorney
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.
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 Associate
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 inquiries. Addy 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.
Lizabeth (Beth) Thomson-Gorman, Office Manager
Beth joined the ACLU of Arizona in July 2011 and is responsible for ensuring the smooth daily functioning of the ACLU of Arizona office, including coordinating outside vendors and contractors, handling various payroll and accounting functions, developing and organizing office procedures and systems and providing administrative support to the Executive Director, Finance Director and the ACLU Board of Directors. She has worked in the field of non-profit administration for the past 25 years, most recently as the Program Manager of Valley Leadership, where she was responsible for coordinating the adult and teen leadership development programs, overseeing office operations and finances, coordinating events and volunteers and supporting the organization’s Board of Directors and committees. Prior to working at Valley Leadership, Beth worked as a Business Manager for the West Valley and Chris-Town Branches of the Valley of the Sun YMCA where she managed the organization’s office operations and supported the Board of Directors and Board committees. Beth is an alumna of the University of Minnesota-Duluth where she studied Business Administration.