Ramona Ripston has been the Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California and the ACLU Foundation of Southern California since September 1, 1972. Ms. Ripston is the first woman to direct the activities of a major affiliate. She is responsible for all phases of ACLU programs, including litigation, lobbying and education, and she supervises a staff of 50 employees.

She also serves as a member of the national ACLU's Pension Committee and the Endowment Policy Committee. She was elected by her fellow executive directors to serve on the national ACLU Executive Directors Council Steering Committee for many years, and is currently a member of the national ACLU Biennial Conference Committee.

Prior to her present post, Ms. Ripston held various positions within the ACLU for the national office and the New York and New Jersey affiliates. She also worked for several years for the New York Urban Coalition, as Director of Public Affairs.

Ms. Ripston was a founding member of Death Penalty Focus, and was honored with their Abolition Award for 2003. She has also been awarded the William J. Brennan, Jr. Civil Liberties Award by the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. The Western Society of Criminology presented her with the June Morrison Founder's Award. She was recognized as a Woman of Achievement by Women For, and honored by a number of other organizations and entities, including Women in Communication, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the People's College of Law, and the Los Angeles City Council.

She majored in Political Science at Hunter College in New York, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of law from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. She has lectured at a number of law schools, including Harvard, Yale, and UCLA.