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to Head PFAW's Florida Office |
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PFAW is a national civil rights and constitutional liberties group with over 500,000 members and activists, including 34,000 in Florida. Mursuli will be responsible for working with PFAW’s base in Florida to carry out advocacy work ranging from much-needed election reform to continuing PFAW’s strong relationship with SAVE Dade to protect that county’s human rights ordinance. Mursuli takes over from outgoing director Lisa Versaci, who did an extraordinary job of building PFAW’s presence in Florida during her five-year tenure. Mursuli will also serve as Florida director for the affiliated People For the American Way Foundation, which is deeply involved in education, First Amendment, and nonpartisan voter registration and civic participation issues. PFAW Foundation runs two nationally recognized civic participation programs through its Florida office: Arrive With Five, which worked collaboratively with strategic partners to turn out African-American voters in the 2000 elections; and ivote2.com, an interactive voter education and registration program for young adults. "Florida is a top priority for People For," said Neas. "Lisa Versaci has built a strong People For presence and program in Florida. We’re excited to have someone with Jorge’s proven leadership, coalition-building and organizational skills taking the helm. We look forward to continuing our close collaboration with SAVE Dade on important civil rights issues such as the Dade County human rights ordinance." At SAVE Dade, Mursuli built working relationships with a broad range of business, religious, civil rights and civic organizations. He brings a remarkably diverse background to the job, from his extensive experience in the Miami business community to his service on the Miami-Dade Community Relations Board. "I am eager to continue my work with People For," he said. "They’ve been a real friend to SAVE Dade and the effort to end discrimination against gays and lesbians. I’m looking forward to building on that work and taking on a wider range of issues." Versaci said she plans to continue her activism. "Unfortunately, this is a state where fighting the Right Wing is an all-consuming task," she said. "Jorge has shown he’s ready for this battle, and I intend to continue working with him and the organization to protect civil rights and civil liberties." PFAW’s Florida office is located in Miami at 2915 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 301, 305-573-7329. For more information, see PFAW’s Web site at www.pfaw.org. |
Jorge Mursuli 