Executive Director
The Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) seeks an Executive Director to lead this nonprofit foundation whose mission is to promote racial, social, and economic justice through litigation, education, and social services for low income persons least able to defend themselves. TCRP strives to foster equality, secure justice, ensure diversity, and strengthen low income communities in Texas. TCRP was founded in 1990 as part of Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido. In addition to its statewide office in Austin, it has regional offices in South Texas, El Paso, Houston, and Midland/Odessa, and Dallas.
Since its beginning, TCRP has secured justice for low income Texans using education and litigation to make systemic change in areas such as voting rights, police and border patrol misconduct, sex discrimination, employment bias, privacy, disability rights, grand jury discrimination, traditional civil liberties (i.e., free speech), and Title IX in secondary education. TCRP’s Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) program provides social and legal services to low income victims of domestic violence. TCRP’s legal program consistently draws praise and respect as it reacts promptly to civil rights issues as they arise and produces outstanding results for clients and communities.
About the Position
The next Executive Director will lead a strong TCRP which has been a tireless advocate for racial, social and economic justice in Texas for over 25 years, and which has an effective and successful
advocacy staff, a solid management team, a dedicated Board, and excellent relationships with legal aidpartners, cooperating attorneys, state and local bar associations and community organizations.
High Priority Roles and Responsibilities for the New Executive Director:
- Serving as an effective ambassador for TCRP’s client communities and key stakeholders
- Holding the organization accountable to its mission, clients, Board and funders
- Securing the organization’s stability through sound financial planning and management
- Developing relationships to build additional public and private financial support
- Recruiting and retaining high-quality staff
- Expanding pro bono resources available to clients
- Maintaining TCRP’s leadership role among civil rights organizations in Texas and nationally.
About the Texas Civil Rights Project:
TCRP is a project of Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido, Inc., a tax-exempt, nonprofit foundation, governed by a State Board of Directors comprised of representatives of the local communities that TCRP serves.
TCRP maintains its central office in Austin, regional offices in San Juan (South Texas Civil Rights Project), El Paso (Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project), Houston, and Midland/Odessa, and Dallas. TCRP has forty staff members, including twelve attorneys. Its primary funders are the Texas Access to Justice Foundation (IOLTA), VAWA, other grants and foundation funding and fundraising events.
Some of the achievements TCRP is most proud of include:
- Handling more than 2300 cases each year for low income clients
- Litigating important issues involving constitutional and civil rights and social justice in state and federal courts across Texas
- Creating a pro bono network with private attorneys to expand civil rights work in Texas
- Developing a vigorous VAWA legal program for abused immigrant women in Rural Texans
- Publishing twelve human rights reports on issues such as hate crimes and the death penalty
- Compiling five self-help legal manuals on matters like Title IX, disability law and veteran’s rights
- Conducting community and lawyer trainings for more than 40,000 persons
- Publishing more than 350 opinion editorials in Texas newspapers
- Delivering more than 400 talks on civil rights to diverse groups, such as school conferences, police and law enforcement trainings, senior citizen’s organizations, veterans groups and attorney education programs.
For more on the Texas Civil Rights Project, visit http://www.texascivilrightsproject.org/.
Qualifications of the New Executive Director:
- Passion for the mission of TCRP
- Demonstrated commitment to complex civil rights advocacy
- Management experience involving staff supervision, financial oversight, budget development, and compliance with grant, contract and legal requirements
- Excellent communication skills and a positive leadership style
- Enthusiasm for developing relationships and for resource development and fundraising
- Demonstrated track record of securing major gifts
- Commitment to the use of technology to improve and extend services
- Skill in developing an active board of directors
- Experience in a multi-million dollar, multi-office legal advocacy or similar nonprofit organization
- Possession of integrity, courage, intelligence, creativity, energy and humor equal to the challenges of this demanding position
- Working knowledge of Texas
JD, a minimum of seven years in the practice of law, and a state law license required.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. To receive full consideration, please submit application materials by October 30, 2015. Please include a letter expressing in detail your interest in the position, your qualifications, and what you hope to contribute to the organization’s future; a current resume; and the names and contact information for three professional references.
Materials should be emailed to ppap@m-i-e.org in Microsoft Word format.
TCRP is being assisted in the search by Patricia Pap, Executive Director, Management
Information Exchange, 99 Chauncy St., Suite 716, Boston, MA 02111, 617-556-0288, ppap@m-i-e.org, www.mielegalaid.org. Candidates with questions about the position or process are encouraged to contact Patricia.
TCRP is an equal opportunity employer and highly encourages candidates with disabilities,women, persons of color, LGBTQ and others who represent distinct linguistic or cultural communities to apply. Salary depends on experience based on a competitive public interest salary scale. Benefits are excellent.