American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon is a prominent fighter for American rights and freedoms. Simon began his work for the ACLU as the Executive Director of the organization's Michigan affiliate. In 1997, he was appointed as the organization's Executive Director of Florida and became responsible for the organization's legal, public education, legislative lobbying, membership and fund-raising programs. Simon has a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota in legal and political philosophy and social ethics and served as a philosophy professor at the University of Minnesota and the DePauw University in Indiana prior to working for the ACLU.