Ann Beeson
 Ann Beeson    (activist) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | US | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Emory University School of Law, University of Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of | WEF/Global Leaders for Tomorrow/2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
WEF/Global Leaders for Tomorrow/2000. Executive Director of U.S. Programs at the Open Society Foundations 2007-2011.
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Ann Beeson is the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Chief Program Officer where she oversees programs "to fight hate and dismantle white supremacy, advance learning for justice in schools and communities, and preserve and continue the legacy of the civil rights movement".[1]
She was selected a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2000.
Career
She began her career at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she ultimately was Associate Legal Director of the National Legal Department. Beeson argued twice before the U.S. Supreme Court, litigated numerous landmark cases around the country and founded groundbreaking programs to stop the erosion of human rights and civil liberties in the name of national security and to protect free speech and privacy on the Internet[1]. She worked there from 1995 to 2007.
Beeson was Executive Director of U.S. Programs at the Open Society Foundations 2007-2011, where she developed the strategy for distribution of $150 million annually to select programs.[1][2]
From 2013 to 2020 she was Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Public Policy Priorities (renamed Every Texan in 2020), a Texas think tank.
