Friends,
On the snowy morning when I founded S.T.O.P. six years ago, I was terrified, and my decision to step down as Executive Director later this year is just as scary, and just as important. Starting S.T.O.P., I hoped to do a bit of good for a year or two, but I had no idea what it would become.
Today, our growing staff, interns, and volunteers are doing more work than I imagined possible, fighting every day for the rights of New Yorkers and to support anti-surveillance partners around the country. Last year alone, we secured $44 million dollars in settlements for our clients, litigated nearly a dozen freedom of information lawsuits, advanced more than 20 state and city bills, held more than 100 events, and helped countless New Yorkers targeted by surveillance.
But I know that as much as we’ve grown, as much as we’ve accomplished, so much more is needed, especially at a moment like this. And I also know that as S.T.O.P. continues to grow, it will take a different type of leadership, and a different leader, for the organization to thrive. That’s why we’ve begun a search for my successor, seeking the Executive Director who can help us grow from where we are today, to the institution New Yorkers need in the years to come.
On a personal note, I’ll stay on in a limited capacity as Founder-In-Residence, stepping back from the work, while ensuring my successor can hit the ground running. Excitingly, I’ve also been given the opportunity this Fall to research and teach about the intersection of artificial intelligence and human rights at the University of Cambridge, spending a year thinking about what direction my own work can next take to have the greatest impact.
Thank you to all of you whose support has made all of our success possible so far, and to those who help in this next urgent period. Together, we can do more than ever to defend our neighbors, our civil rights, and our democracy.
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With thanks,
Albert Fox Cahn
Executive Director
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