The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, the legal patron of the underserved and lost causes, is in search of a new leader after the venerable Nathan Woodliff-Stanley told the board he’s ready to do something else.

He will hang around through March, the end of the fiscal year, while the board does a national search for his successor.

“I am considering a range of opportunities that will both work well for my family and that will be closer to my roots in ministry and reconciliation, global as well as state and national issues, and empowerment of nonprofit organizations to create change,” he told Colorado Politics.

“I also would not do this if I were not confident in the staff, resources and expertise of the ACLU of Colorado to maintain and build upon our legislative agenda and work in the courts and community.”

The ACLU is Colorado’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, and it prospered under Stanley.

Cathy Sparkman, who chairs the ACLU’s board, said Stanley would be difficult to replace and lauded his more than seven years as its leader, growing the staff to more than double and tripling the annual budget to $3.9 million as “endowments have gone through the roof.”

“But more importantly, all of the great efforts we are doing for the civil rights and dignity of all individuals has been such a focus and such a success, and he is a great part of that and in leading that forward,” Sparkman said. 

The ACLU of Colorado Board of Directors will appoint a search committee at its next meeting.

An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, Stanley worked for eight years in social justice ministry at Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden. He also worked for a decade as the founder of an association in Mississippi that managed support for charities.