Susan Watson

Susan Watson
Occupation	ACLU regional director
Religion	Jewish
Spouse	Greg Watson
Children	Sarah, Seth, Sybil

Susan Watson is a community activist who is known for her conflicts with Escambia County School Board members Vanette Webb and Hal Mason and who currently serves as director of the ACLU of Florida Northwest Region. She is married to Greg Watson and has three children.

A registered nurse for eleven years, Watson has also served as computer network administrator for the WUWF radio station. In 1997 she organized a group called Citizens for Community Values to oppose Escambia County School Board member Vanette Webb, a conservative Christian whom she accused of having an "obstructionist agenda." Starting on March 31, 1998, Watson made a series of public records requests, which state law says must be provided within a "reasonable time." She accused Webb of stonewalling her requests for months, and on December 8 Webb was indicted for violating Florida's open records law, a first degree misdemeanor, and convicted on May 14, 1999. She was removed from office for five months, although a judge later overturned the conviction, saying the state had failed to identify any specific public record that had been withheld.

Watson and her family were plaintiffs in the ACLU's Holmes v. Bush lawsuit challenging Governor Jeb Bush's voucher program. She began volunteering in 2000 as chair of the recently-restarted ACLU of Florida Panhandle Chapter and a member of the State Board of Directors. She became regional director in June 2005 and oversees the daily operations of the area's ACLU presence.

References

• ACLU of Florida staff biographies