Jorge Mursuli
National Executive Director
Jorge Mursuli is the President/CEO of Democracia U.S.A. (D-USA), the country’s most recognized national, non-partisan Hispanic civic engagement program. Mursuli launched D-USA in 2004 as a partnership between People For the American Way Foundation and the Center for Immigrant Democracy. As Executive Director, Jorge nurtured the program from a Florida-based operation to a national, multi-state organization, now in collaboration with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).
In March 2008, Democracia U.S.A. entered into a partnership with the National Council of La Raza, the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Increasing Hispanic participation in the political process of this country is central to the missions of both D-USA and NCLR. This new alliance significantly increases the resources for Hispanic civic engagement, voter empowerment, and leadership training in a manner unheard of before.
In 2006, Jorge led the expansion of Democracia U.S.A. into New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Also, in that year, D-USA was credited by the Associated Press with registering 70 percent of all new Hispanic voters in the country. In 2008, D-USA expanded into its fifth state, opening offices in Nevada.
Mursuli has dedicated much of his life to the preservation, education, and implementation of civil rights. Prior to launching D-USA, Mursuli served in various roles at People For the American Way, including Vice President, Florida State Director, and National Executive Director for Democracia U.S.A. During the 2002 and 2004 elections, he helped organize People For the American Way Foundation’s Election Protection program to protect voters against disenfranchisement at the polls.
In 2001, during his first year with People For the American Way, Mursuli established the “Celebrate Free Speech” campaign which promoted healthy, topical dialogue with the goal of mutual understanding among all sectors of the community. Today, the campaign’s annual dinner attracts some of the most influential South Florida residents.
In September 2002, under Mursuli’s direction, People For the American Way partnered with SAVE Dade (Safeguarding American Values for Everyone), an organization Mursuli joined in 1993 and where he served as Executive Director throughout the late 1990s, to preserve an amendment to the Miami-Dade County Human Rights Ordinance.
Jorge is a graduate of the University of Florida and resides in Miami, FL.
