Mary Bauer ’87 has been named the legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit group that monitors and opposes racist and hate-related activity in the United States.
Bauer has directed the SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project since 2004.
“Mary is an incredibly talented advocate who is committed to protecting the civil rights of the most vulnerable people in our society,” SPLC President Richard Cohen said. “We’re delighted that she’s taking the reins of our legal staff.”
After graduating from the College of William and Mary, Bauer went on to earn her J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1990.
In her time at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Bauer authored two reports on guest worker programs and low-income Latinos. She also pushed several lawsuits concerning immigrant rights and migrant workers.
Prior to joining the SPLC in 2004, Bauer served as the legal director of the Virginia Justice Center for Farm and Immigrant Workers and the legal director of the Virginia ACLU.