Bill of Rights Defense Committee Staff

Shahid Buttar, executive director, leads the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the People’s Campaign for the Constitution (PCC) in our efforts to defend civil liberties, constitutional rights, and rule of law principles threatened by the war on terror. Previously director of a national program to combat racial and religious profiling by federal authorities, an associate director of the American Constitution Society, and a litigator in private practice with a public interest docket, Buttar received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2003, where he served as executive editor of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal and as Professor Lawrence Lessig’s teaching assistant for Constitutional Law.

Buttar’s comments have been featured by news outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, al-Jazeera, FOX News, Agence-France Presse, Huffington Post, Truthout, Democracy Now!, and many others, including dozens of radio stations around the country.

In addition to his work leading BORDC, Shahid serves on the advisory bodies of the Rights Working Group, the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms, the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights, and South Asian Americans Leading Together. He also supports populist constitutionalism as a civil rights lawyer, independent columnist, community organizer, and hip-hop and electronica MC. In his creative capacities as a poet and musician, Shahid has performed around the world, co-founded several grassroots art and culture groups around the country, facilitated workshops for young people and emerging artists, and released his debut CD, Get Outta Your Chair, in 2008. Shahid’s music and articles, including his commentary for Huffington Post and Truthout, are available at his website.

Amy Ferrer, associate director, manages the national office staff and interns, develops online and print communication and outreach materials, manages the agency's websites and social networking efforts, and handles media outreach and inquiries. She also assists with grantwriting and fundraising, oversees the agency's intern and volunteer program, and serves as editor of the newsletter. Amy has a master’s degree from the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has previously worked in reproductive rights advocacy, social justice, and community health education.

George Friday, field organizer, grew up in rural NC in the 1960s. She holds degrees in political science, economics, and African American studies from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where she graduated in 1982. George works with grassroots community and national organizations providing leadership development and skills training ranging from strategic planning and organizing to fundraising, marketing, and community building. Her work particularly focuses on communication, oppression, change, and the role of privilege in transforming power dynamics, fostering broad, deep economic and social justice change. She brings more than three decades of experience to her position as national field organizer for the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

Barbara Haugen, administrator, manages financial records as well as BORDC’s donor and subscriber databases. She also provides general office and administrative support. Before joining BORDC, Barbara worked as a VISTA lawyer with the Legal Aid Society of Albuquerque, NM; as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, MA; and as assistant to the director of MassAudubon's Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton, MA.

Emma Roderick, grassroots campaign coordinator, manages our organizing efforts for the People's Campaign for the Constitution across the country. A 2007 graduate of Smith College, Emma has previously worked on national organizing efforts for United Students Against Sweatshops and Wake Up Wal-Mart and was a leader in the successful student effort to end Coca-Cola's exclusive contract with Smith College because of the company's involvement in human rights abuses.