Southern Poverty Law Center Names New Public Affairs Director

Dana Vickers Shelley, Veteran Communications Strategist, Joins as SPLC Expands Reach

MONTGOMERY, Ala., Nov. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced today that Dana Vickers Shelley is joining the organization as its director of public affairs.

Shelley has been involved in progressive communications work for more than two decades. Her clients and causes have included numerous foundations, the Democratic National Committee, and the NAACP National Voter Fund.  As a senior appointee in the Clinton Administration, Shelley served as deputy press secretary to Ronald H. Brown, the Secretary of Commerce.

As the director of strategic communications at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Shelley was deeply involved in efforts to improve outcomes for children and families affected by racial and ethnic disparities within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems — work that is particularly relevant to the SPLC's mission. 

"Dana is an accomplished communications strategist with a proven commitment to social justice," said SPLC President Richard Cohen. "Her expertise will be a great asset to the Southern Poverty Law Center as we expand our work in the Southeast and across the nation."

Shelley holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master's degree in public administration from American University.  She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Native American Journalist Association.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Alabama with offices in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. For more information, see www.splcenter.org.

SOURCE Southern Poverty Law Center