ACLU of Florida announces new executive director

Micah W. Kubic, head of the ACLU in Kansas, will be the new executive director for the ACLU of Florida beginning in January.

He’ll replace Howard Simon, who is stepping down from the Florida civil liberties organization later this month, after more than 20 years of service.

“Like Kansas, the state I have spent the last four years working in, Florida has been used as a laboratory for attacks on civil liberties and civil rights,” Kubic said in a statement.

“One of the best and most effective ways that the ACLU can defend freedom in this country is by defending it in Florida first. I am thrilled to come stand side by side with tens of thousands of ACLU supporters in Florida to do that work.”

Kubic has served as executive director for the ACLU’s Kansas affiliate since January 2015.

Prior to that, he served in a variety of roles, including as a legislative director for a Kansas City city council member and a senior program officer for the Greater Kansas City Local Initiatives Support Corporation, where he worked with urban neighborhoods to improve quality of life.

He is chairman of the worldwide board of directors at People to People International, a group founded by President Dwight Eisenhower to advance international peace and understanding.

Kubic earned a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University in political science and international relations, with a concentration of African studies; and a master’s degree in political science and a doctorate in Black Politics from Howard University.

In a news release, Howard Simon said the ACLU’s board of directors made an excellent choice in selecting Kubic:

“With his years of fighting voter suppression fostered by Kris Kobach, the Kansas Secretary of State and recently defeated gubernatorial candidate, Micah is ideally suited to lead ACLU’s urgent work to defend the right to vote in Florida – and especially work that may be necessary to ensure that the restoration of voting rights for former felons who have completed their sentence that was approved on Election Day will be faithfully implemented.”