After a decade leading Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Noah Bookbinder will be stepping down in January to transition to a new role in the ethics field. CREW Executive Director and Chief Counsel Donald K. Sherman will serve as interim president.

Since joining CREW in 2015, Noah has championed CREW’s aggressive nonpartisan focus on restoring an ethical government, growing a small seasoned team into a leading organization in the fight to preserve democracy. Under his leadership, CREW has pioneered legal work to enforce the Constitution’s Emoluments and Disqualification Clauses and has driven public opinion on misuse of office that led to politicians and officials from both parties resigning after misconduct, as well as a growing public focus on preserving democracy and fighting corruption.

“It has been the honor of my life to lead CREW for the last decade. I could not be prouder of all we have accomplished and everything we have done to fight for an ethical democracy at a time when that very notion is under attack,” Bookbinder said. “While it is incredibly hard to step away from an organization and staff I love, I do so knowing it is in good hands–as is the future of government ethics in this country–with Donald and CREW’s incredible staff and leadership team carrying the work forward.”

As Executive Director and Chief Counsel, Donald has worked to develop and implement CREW’s overall strategy while directing the organization’s team of attorneys. In that role, Donald has filed numerous successful Hatch Act complaints, testified before Congress on a range of ethics issues and guided the first successful trial in more than 150 years to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, as well as CREW’s effort to enforce Section 3 against Donald Trump when he was found to have engaged in insurrection and temporarily removed from the Colorado ballot.

“I have been honored to serve at CREW under Noah’s visionary stewardship and am humbled to help CREW continue its critical work ahead to defend our democracy against authoritarian threats,” said Sherman. “CREW remains committed to fighting corruption and promoting an ethical, accountable and transparent government in this moment and for future generations.”

With Sherman serving as interim president, CREW will see a continuity of leadership, as focus remains on preserving an ethical, transparent democracy for the American people.

“I cannot thank Noah enough for his decade of service to CREW,” Board Chair Stephen Kelly said. “Simply put, CREW would not be here today without his leadership. While we will miss him greatly, we wish him the very best as he takes the next steps in his career.”