WASHINGTON, D.C., December 10, 2013 —Today the Equal Rights Center (ERC)—a national non-profit civil rights organization — announced that after six years of dedicated service, ERC Executive Director Don Kahl will retire at the end of March 2014.

“It has been an honor, a privilege, and frankly very humbling to have been a part of the ERC for so many years,” said ERC Executive Director Don Kahl. “The incredibly high caliber of the ERC’s Board and staff has been demonstrated in the amazing impact the ERC has had in protecting civil rights year after year. As a new Executive Director takes over, I look forward to watching the ERC continue to grow as a major force in promoting equal opportunity for all.”

Kahl has been an integral part of the organization for more than a decade, first serving as one of the organization’s primary legal counsel while he was Senior Counsel for the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. In February 2008, Kahl became the Chief Operating Officer of the ERC, and assumed the position of Executive Director in September 2008. “Don has been an extraordinary leader for the ERC,” said American University Law Professor Robert Dinerstein, Board President of the ERC.

“Under his leadership, the ERC has solidified its position as the preeminent civil rights testing organization in the country, and has branched out into addressing new areas in which invidious discrimination continues to exist. Although we will miss him and his leadership, he leaves an organization that is thriving and will continue to do so. We wish Don a happy and productive retirement.”

Under Kahl’s leadership, the ERC has seen tremendous growth and impact, including:

Helping thousands of individuals claiming to have been targeted by discrimination;
Conducting hundreds of investigations that have identified and remedied systemic discrimination across the country;
Building a nationwide individual membership of more than 7,000;
Creating a unique model of proactive collaboration with corporate industry leaders in retail, food service, and multifamily housing; and
Building lasting partnerships with federal, state, and local government agencies, and scores of other advocacy organizations.

The ERC truly appreciates the decade of service that Kahl has devoted to the organization and wishes him the best as he enters the next chapter of his life. The ERC Board of Directors has initiated a national search for a new ERC Executive Director.

About the Equal Rights Center (www.equalrightscenter.org)
Originally formed in 1983, the Equal Rights Center (ERC) is a national non-profit civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C. With members located in every state and the District of Columbia, the ERC works nationally to promote equal opportunity in housing, employment, disability rights, immigrant rights, and access to public accommodations and government services for all protected classes under federal, state, and local laws.