WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law announced that Camille Wimbish has joined the organization as its inaugural National Director of Campaigns and Field Programs. Camille will guide and supervise the staff members responsible for fulfilling the organization’s role as convener of the Election Protection Coalition as they work closely with national, state, and local partners in dozens of target states to advance comprehensive voter education and voter protection campaigns.
The National Director of Campaigns and Field Programs is a new position, signaling a renewed commitment by the Lawyers’ Committee to deepening its support for coordination across local, state, and national partners to deepen our collective impact.
“I’m excited to join the Lawyers’ Committee at this critical moment,” said Camille Wimbish, National Director of Campaigns and Field Programs. “The right to vote is under attack from every angle and I look forward to guiding a dedicated team that will provide high quality support to state partners and to develop the infrastructure we need to protect this sacred right for the Black community and other communities of color. Together, along with some of the best minds in the voting rights space, we will be ready for the challenges ahead.”
“Camille brings the leadership, experience, and expertise to help our team reach the next level as we deepen our commitment to supporting our Election Protection partners and invest in expanding and strengthening our footprint in campaigns that help to both defend and strengthen democracy,” said Damon Hewitt, the President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee. “Camille’s career protecting the right to vote over the last decade has already touched thousands. In this new role as the standard-bearer for the Election Protection Coalition, she will impact millions more.
Camille previously served as the Election Administration Director for Ohio Voice for over a decade. She organized Ohio’s statewide Election Protection efforts and coordinated the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, which advocates for modern election reforms and improved voter access. Camille also coordinated the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance, which is dedicated to creating a court system that exemplifies and protects equity, fairness, and justice for all. She has collaborated with dozens of organizations on programs that strengthen our democracy, including redistricting, fair courts, and voter education.
Leading voting rights organizers and advocates hailed Camille’s appointment to this new leadership role:
“The NAACP applauds the Lawyers Committee for selecting the formidable legal architect Camille Wimbish to join their team. Camille’s work in Ohio shows us what is possible when voter protection is prioritized and fought for relentlessly. She will join a strong contingent of leaders like our own General Counsel Janette McCarthy Wallace in the fight to protect our democracy and ensure every vote is counted.” — Jamal Watkins, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Advancement Strategy, NAACP.
“Camille Wimbish has been leading the election protection fight in Ohio for over a decade. She is extremely knowledgeable in challenging voter suppression issues . . . and has not wavered in her commitment to protecting the right to vote. I am ecstatic that her outstanding work will be recognized on the national stage in her new role at the Lawyers’ Committee.” — Donita Judge, Esq., Associate Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights.
“Camille Wimbish has been a fierce, tireless, and highly respected voter advocate for well over a decade. Given the onslaught of voter suppression schemes across the United States, the Lawyers’ Committee could not have made a better selection to lead their Election Protection work.” — Greg Moore, President and CEO, Promise of Democracy Foundation, Inc., and longtime voting rights activist.
“Camille has been a stalwart leader of the voting rights and pro-democracy movement in Ohio. Her contributions to protect our elections and defend our democracy cannot be overstated. The work she did to protect Ohio voters in the March 2020 primary, at the start of an unprecedented pandemic, quite literally saved lives.” — James Hayes, Co-Director, Ohio Voice.
“I’m grateful to Camille and the support she gave me and the Ohio Alliance in my early years in this gig. Her knowledge and briefing are concise and straight to the heart of the issues we confront. I am grateful for having her presence in the fight for dignity and recognition of us all.” — Norm Wernet, Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans Education Fund.
The Lawyers’ Committee is the convener of Election Protection, the nation’s largest non-partisan voter protection coalition. Comprised of more than 300 local, state and national partners, the Election Protection coalition works year-round to ensure that the ever-diversifying electorate has an equal opportunity to vote, and to have that vote count. Election Protection uses a wide range of tools and activities to protect, advance, and defend the right to vote. Key features of the coalition include infrastructure support for state voter protection tables; targeted campaigns to reach the faith community, college students, and other affinity groups; and a suite of voter protection hotlines staffed by tens of thousands of volunteer attorneys nationwide, including 1-866-OUR-VOTE and sister hotlines in Spanish, Arabic, and multiple Asian languages.
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.
