Derreck Kayongo leaving Center for Civil and Human Rights

Derreck Kayongo, a one-time refugee from Uganda who became chief executive officer at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in 2015, will be leaving his post, it was announced Tuesday.

The center’s chair, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, said, in a statement, “Together, we have built the Center for Civil and Human Rights into a world-class institution. . . On behalf of the entire board, we wish Derreck great success in his future plans. We are well-positioned and excited for the next phase of our growth.”

Immigrating to the U.S. at age 22, Kayongo earned an international law degree and worked for Amnesty International and Atlanta-based CARE International.

He founded the Atlanta-based Global Soap Project in 2008, eventually sending millions of bars of reclaimed soap to refugees around the world.

Kayongo's efforts to keep the world clean were profiled in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2014.

ExploreHe was chosen to lead the Center for Civil and Human Rights in 2015.

The statement from the center said that Kayongo was leaving to pursue “other endeavors.”

Center board member and founder of the LGBT Institute, Brian Tolleson, will serve as Interim CEO, according to the statement.

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