OUR STAFF

Micaela Alvarez

Senior Counsel

Equitable Community Development & Housing

  • Micaela Alvarez joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in September 2021. She serves as Senior Counsel for the Equitable Community Development and Housing practice area. Before joining Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, Micaela served as Managing Attorney in the Tenants’ Rights Practice at Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland, CA, where she focused on high-impact affirmative litigation and managed the program’s clinic practice. In her cases, Micaela represented low-income tenants in lawsuits against their landlords for violations of state and local housing law. She joined Centro Legal in 2017 as an Equal Justice Works fellow.

    Micaela graduated from Harvard Law School in 2017, with recognition for performing over 1000 hours of pro bono service, primarily in the Harvard Legal Services Center’s Housing Clinic and Prison Legal Assistance Project. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, where she was a member of the women’s soccer team.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Christina Beeler

Senior Counsel

Midwest Voting Rights Program

cbeeler@clccrul.org

  • Christina is Senior Counsel at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. She was previously an assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Bureau at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Prior to her work at the AG’s office, Christina was a senior supervising attorney at Texas Civil Rights Project where she litigated numerous voting rights cases and cases challenging injustices in the criminal legal system. She served as lead counsel for TCRP in Davis v. Cisneros, a federal case that resulted in the first modern jury verdict of election-related intimidation under the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act. She was also an assistant county attorney in the Affirmative Litigation Division in Harris County, Texas, where she focused primarily on election law. Christina clerked for the Hon. Gray H. Miller of the Southern District of Texas. She began her legal career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow representing K-12 students in school disciplinary proceedings and juvenile court.

    Christina graduated magna cum laude and #10 in her class from the University of Houston Law Center and was selected by her class as J.D. graduation class speaker. Before law school, Christina was a Teach for America corps member and taught high school English in Houston, Texas. Christina also previously worked as a singer-songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee—she played South by Southwest and was a featured artist on a Sonny Throckmorton album, including guest vocalist Willie Nelson.

    Christina received the Public/Non-Profit Sector Achievement Award from the University of Houston Law Center Law Alumni Association in 2025 and the Champion for Education Award from Teach for America Houston in 2020. She has also been recognized by the Texas Supreme Court for her service to low-income communities.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Cate Bikales

Communications Coordinator

cbikales@clccrul.org

  • Cate Bikales serves as the Communications Coordinator at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where she works closely with the legal team to raise awareness about the organization’s civil rights work. She leads the organization’s digital presence, working to increase audience engagement, strengthen media visibility, and ensure communications meaningfully advance the organization’s advocacy and fundraising goals. Her work is essential to ensuring that the organization’s legal victories, policy advocacy, and community partnerships translate into public awareness, donor engagement, and measurable impact.

    Cate graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in March 2026. She has extensive experience in strategic storytelling, media outreach, and digital management to amplify advocacy efforts. She is deeply committed to using communications as a tool to uplift marginalized voices and dismantle systems of oppression.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Aneel Chablani

Vice President and Legal Director

achablani@clccrul.org

  • Aneel L. Chablani joined Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights in July 2017. As Chief Counsel, Aneel works with Project Directors to advance the mission and strategic direction of Chicago Lawyers' Committee through systemic advocacy and impact litigation. Prior to joining Chicago Lawyers' Committee, Aneel served as Director of Advocacy at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) in Toledo, Ohio. At ABLE, an unrestricted poverty law firm serving Northwest Ohio, Aneel worked with an advocacy management team on development of impact litigation and broad based advocacy in practice groups covering Housing and Community Economic Development, Education, Healthcare and Public Benefits and Migrant Farmworker Rights. This included class action litigation, policy and legislative advocacy and community lawyering. Prior to his work at ABLE, Aneel worked with the Capital Appeals Project in New Orleans representing inmates on Louisiana’s death row on direct appeals to the Louisiana Supreme Court and petitions for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. Aneel began his legal career with the LAF in Chicago working in the areas of housing and consumer rights. Aneel also currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Shriver Center’s Racial Justice Training Institute and has served as faculty and team coach for the institute programs. He is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law and the University of Notre Dame.

    Pronouns: he/him/his

Emily Coffey

Director

Equitable Community Development and Housing

  • Emily Coffey joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee in July 2022. As Senior Counsel and Director of Equitable Community Development and Housing, she advances systems change through community driven advocacy and impact litigation. Prior to joining Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, she was a Housing Justice Attorney at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law where she advocated for tenants’ rights, fair housing, and affordable housing preservation through group representation and policy advocacy.

    Emily served as counsel in several high-impact cases and HUD fair housing complaints, including Calumet Lives Matter v. East Chicago Housing Authority, Jane Addams Senior Caucus v. Chicago Housing Authority, and HOPE Fair Housing Center v. City of Peoria. She is a coauthor of Poisonous Homes: The Fight for Environmental Justice in Federally Assisted Housing and several other publications.

    Prior to the Shriver Center, Emily represented tenants facing eviction at Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing and coordinated an emergency rental assistance program at CARPLS. She was awarded the inaugural Sharon L. King Award from Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing and the Outstanding Legal Fellow Award from the National Alliance of HUD Tenants. Emily is an alumni of the Racial Justice Institute and Impact Fund Class Action Training Institute. She graduated with honors from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Beloit College.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Amy Cook

Director

Economic Justice

acook@clccrul.org

  • Amy Cook is an attorney on the Economic Justice team working with nonprofit organizations and small businesses. She has broad experience in and a passion for these areas, having run a small business law practice and served as a nonprofit executive director. She has served on the board of directors of a number of organizations and is currently the governance committee chair for Illinois Stewardship Alliance. She has long been active with the Chicago Bar Association serving on the editorial board for over 20 years with two terms as editor in chief, and as the chair of the Food Law committee. Prior to returning to law practice, Cook worked as a consultant to nonprofit organizations, assisting with strategic planning, corporate governance and professional development. Cook is also an adjunct professor of business and communications at Aurora University.

    She received her BA in Communications from UCLA and her JD and a master's degree in journalism and communications from Drake University.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Angela Dear

Intake and Data Specialist

adear@clccrul.org

  • Angela’s areas of responsibilities are focused on client service and collaborating one-on-one with clients and volunteers. Specifically, Angela conducts intake and screening for all core practice areas including Education Equity, Equitable Community Development and Housing, and Transactional Legal Services, database management, and administration support of the legal team. Prior to the work with Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, Angela was a legal administrative assistant at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI). Angela has a Bachelor of Arts in Paralegal Studies from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Briar Anderson Forbis

Executive & Development Assistant

bforbis@clccrul.org

  • Briar joined CLCCRUL in March of 2026 as Executive & Development Assistant. They are an experienced coordinator with a knack for balancing optimization and efficiency with accessibility, accountability, and transparency.

    Briar has worked with a variety of non-profits nationwide, including College Possible Austin (College Forward), the YWCA of Minneapolis, and March of Dimes Southern Oregon. As an organizer and board chair with the Oregon Student Association's Oregon Student Equal Rights Alliance, Briar contributed to the largest student-run, student-led voter registration campaign in the nation, helping to register tens of thousands of voters across the state.

    Briar holds an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and a B.A. from the University of Oregon in Women's Studies and Political Science. Her academic work focused on indigenous feminisms, queer of color critique, and queer theory. 

    Pronouns: any pronouns

Ami Gandhi

Senior Director

Midwest Voting Rights Programs

agandhi@clccrul.org

  • Ami Gandhi is the Senior Director of the Midwest Voting Rights Program at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. She works to reduce barriers to voting and improve civic participation across the Midwest, with an emphasis on communities of color and low-income communities.

    Ami has led statewide voter protection initiatives, partnered with incarcerated and returning community members to strengthen voting rights, expanded language access to the polls, and advocated for communities of color during redistricting. Her experience includes litigating cases in Illinois and Indiana and partnering with communities to write and pass legislation.

    Ami serves on the boards of multiple civic organizations and the Advisory Board for DePaul University’s Institute for Restorative Educational Engagement. Ami has received awards from Indiana University, Chicago Fair Trade, NAACP Chicago Far South Suburban Branch, and League of Women Voters Chicago.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

J. Cunyon Gordon

Director

Settlement Assistance Program

cgordon@clccrul.org

  • J. Cunyon Gordon is a Senior Counsel and Director of the Settlement Assistance Program. In this role, Cunyon evaluates cases and potential clients, recruits volunteer attorneys, and represents litigants in cases in which she is unable to find a match. Prior to Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Cunyon was Of Counsel at Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg LLP, during which time she was an early volunteer with SAP. Cunyon was also a civil litigator at Jenner & Block LLP for ten years, where she earned the distinction of being the first black woman to make partner at the then 75-year-old firm. Cunyon has also served as an attorney with the U. S. Navy JAG. Cunyon attended Yale College and earned her J.D. from Yale Law School.

    Cunyon has taught as a Distinguished Visiting Professor for the Boston University School of Law and Visiting Professor for Seattle University School of Law. Cunyon was a board member of Access Living and LAF for over fifteen years and served as the CLE chair for the Chicago Bar Association for two years.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Venu Gupta

Executive Director

vgupta@clccrul.org

  • Venu Gupta serves as Executive Director of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, where she leads one of the Midwest's most effective civil rights legal organizations. Under her leadership, CLC mobilizes volunteer attorneys from over 30 member law firms to advance racial and economic justice across the Midwest.

    Venu brings more than 20 years of experience driving impact for organizations working on social justice and racial equity. She has deep roots in Chicago's legal community: she was the first Director of Diversity at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and later served as Executive Director of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms. Subsequently, she served as Vice President of Development at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law.

    Venu’s guiding belief, grounded in her practices of Hinduism and Zen Buddhism, is that systems change happens from the inside out. A certified executive coach and yoga teacher, she brings a holistic approach to working toward an equitable, multiracial democracy.

    Venu holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University. She clerked for the Honorable David H. Coar in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

    Venu has been recognized as a Presidential Leadership Scholar, a Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, and a Truman Scholar. Venu lives in Chicago with her father, husband, and two teenagers.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Kiana Henley

Program Manager

Midwest Voting Rights Program

khenley@clccrul.org

  • Kiana serves as a Program Manager on the Midwest Voting Rights team and has contracted with Chicago Lawyers’ Committee around elections since the 2022 Midterms. In her role, she supports nonpartisan Election Protection efforts to protect voter access and advocacy for justice-impacted voters, engaging with community partners and conducting research to support and expand these efforts.

    Kiana previously worked with nonprofits in the criminal justice and K–12 education spaces and has supported social science researchers as an academic editor since 2018, specializing in racial and gender equity studies. She holds an MA in Public Policy and an MA in the Social Sciences, both from the University of Chicago, where her studies centered around the health, educational, and economic impacts of racial housing segregation and criminal legal system involvement.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Elesha Jackson

Director of Administration

ejackson@clccrul.org

  • Elesha Jackson is the Director of Administration managing the overall daily office operations of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, including office management, technology, and human resources. Prior to her role as Director of Administration, Elesha worked as the Office Manager for 20 years and is certified as a paralegal in litigation by Roosevelt University.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Kelsey Lawrence

Development Manager

klawrence@clccrul.org

  • Kelsey Lawrence serves as the Development Manager at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where she supports the organization’s fundraising, donor engagement, and development operations. She works to strengthen relationships with supporters and build the systems and communications that sustain the organization’s fight for racial equity and civil rights.

    Prior to joining Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, Kelsey worked across development and communications for nonprofit and community-based organizations, including PCC Community Wellness Center and Local Matters. Her experience includes grant writing, donor communications, institutional giving, storytelling, and developing content that connects supporters to an organization’s mission and impact. Through her work in community health and food access, she has supported initiatives aimed at addressing disparities in access to essential resources and strengthening the well-being of underserved communities.

    Kelsey holds a B.A. in English from The Ohio State University. With a professional background spanning development, communications, writing, and editing, she is particularly interested in the role that storytelling can play in building support for organizations working toward systemic change. She is excited to bring that experience to Chicago Lawyers’ Committee and contribute to its work advancing racial equity and civil rights throughout the region.

    Pronouns: Any Pronouns

Adanna Love

Program Counsel

Education Equity

alove@clccrul.org

  • Adanna Love joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in January 2026, as Program Counsel for the Education Equity practice area, where she will focus on reducing the exclusionary discipline policies and practices that undermine the rights to students to receive equitable access to a public education. 

    Adanna serves as an elected parent representative on her Local School Council. She currently chairs the inaugural Whole School Safety Plan Committee. Before joining Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, Adanna worked as Privacy and Product Counsel for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative where she advised the Education Technology and Policy teams on laws and data practices to safeguard student privacy rights.  

    Adanna graduated from Stanford Law School, where she was the co-President of the Black Law Students Association and an Executive Board member of the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation. Adanna represented students and their families in the Mills Law Clinic, Youth & Education Law Project. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College, where she served as a Program Director and Counselor for after-school and summer camp programs to primarily Black and Latino young people living in Boston’s South End and lower Roxbury. Adanna also received the Stride Rite Community Service Program scholarship that allowed her to work as a fellow at the nonprofit organization, SGA Youth & Family Services in Chicago.  

    Pronouns: she/her/ella

Sheila Maloney

Director of Pro Bono Programs

smaloney@clccrul.org

  • Sheila Maloney is the Director of Pro Bono Programs at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. She brings more than two decades of experience in legal education, alternative dispute resolution, public service, and efforts to expand access to and opportunity within the legal profession.

    Sheila spent a decade at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where she served as Assistant Director of the Center on Dispute Resolution and taught negotiation, mediation, and creative problem-solving skills. She has also directed the Legal Externship Programs at DePaul University College of Law and Northern Illinois University College of Law.

    An experienced alternative dispute resolution professional, Sheila has served as a mediator, hearing officer, and administrative law judge for a variety of government agencies and organizations. Most recently, she served as Chief Hearing Officer of the City of Chicago Human Resources Board. She has trained lawyers, law students, and professionals in negotiation and dispute resolution throughout her career and is also the author of the American Bar Association’s Guide to Resolving to Resolving Legal Disputes: Inside and Outside the Courtroom.

    Sheila has a longstanding commitment to creating pathways into the legal profession. She co-founded LegalTrek in partnership with the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, a program that introduces underrepresented college students to careers in law. She was also a founding board member of Legal Prep Charter Academy, Chicago’s only legal-themed charter high school.

    Sheila’s work has most recently extended to democracy and civic engagement. As Program Director of the Brazilian Blueprint, an initiative of Stories Change Power, Sheila led a delegation of US changemakers to Brazil in 2026, where civil society leaders from both countries came together to exchange ideas, approaches and tactics to repair and strengthen global democracy.

    Sheila earned her J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Illinois. She is Brazilian-American and is fluent in Portuguese. When she is not working, Sheila enjoys baking sourdough bread, traveling with her family, and hanging out with her cat, Mittens.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Zindy Marquez

Vice President of Narrative Strategy & Communications

zmarquez@clccrul.org

  • Zindy Marquez serves as the Vice President of Narrative Strategy & Communications at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where she works closely with the legal team to raise awareness about the organization’s civil rights work. She plays a critical role in shaping the organization’s messaging, driving media strategy, and leading narrative change efforts to challenge systemic racism and advance racial equity. Through storytelling, media engagement, and digital advocacy, she helps shift public perception and mobilize support for policies that promote racial equity.

    Prior to this role, Zindy spent five years in various fundraising and development positions, where she honed her skills in both programmatic and donor-focused communications. She has extensive experience producing strategic content, designing digital and print materials, and managing social media and websites to amplify advocacy efforts.

    Zindy began her professional career as a press intern for Senator Richard J. Durbin’s Chicago office after earning a BA in Advertising and Public Relations from Loyola University Chicago. She is deeply committed to using communications as a tool for movement-building, helping to elevate the voices of impacted communities and support organizations working to dismantle systems of oppression.

    Pronouns: she/her/ella

Michael Ortega

Program Counsel

Economic Justice

mortega@clccrul.org

  • Michael Ortega joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee in 2025. As Program Counsel on the Economic Justice team, Michael advises and represents nonprofit organizations impacted by federal actions, and works to expand access to pro bono legal services through the Nonprofit Resilience Hub. His practice includes community education, transactional legal services, and litigation across areas such as corporate governance, civil rights law, and administrative law.

    Michael earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Miami. After law school, Michael clerked for two years at the U.S Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Prior to Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, Michael practiced democracy and voting rights law in various roles at Advancement Project, Campaign Legal Center, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in Washington, D.C. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and D.C., the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brittany Robinson

Program Counsel

Economic Justice

brobinson@clccrul.org

  • Brittany Robinson is Program Counsel at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where she advances civil rights through litigation, advocacy, and community-focused work. Her practice focuses on providing transactional and litigation services to nonprofits on matters such as corporate governance, fiscal governance, and compliance with state and federal laws.

    Brittany brings a background in civil litigation, with experience handling a wide range of matters including personal injury, premises liability, wrongful death, and civil rights claims. Earlier in her career, Brittany founded and operated her own practice, representing clients in criminal defense and real estate matters, where she developed strong courtroom skills and a client-centered approach to advocacy.

    In addition to her litigation work, Brittany has experience working with nonprofit organizations. She previously served as counsel to Chicago Defender Charities, supporting legal matters related to the Bud Billiken Parade and community initiatives.

    Brittany earned her Juris Doctor in 2019. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies from Southern Illinois University, graduating in 2015. During that time, she interned with Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, where she developed a strong foundation in public interest advocacy.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Emily Shrock

Senior Counsel

Midwest Voting Rights Program

eshrock@clccrul.org

  • Emily Shrock is Senior Counsel at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.  Emily brings more than fifteen years of public service to the role, including leading statewide voter protection in Indiana during the 2016 and 2018 election cycles. As Director of Voter Protection, she recruited and trained more than 250 attorneys in each cycle to monitor polling locations and respond to election law issues in real time. She also served as counsel on a successful 2016 primary election recount in her hometown of Kokomo.

    Before joining Chicago Lawyers' Committee, Emily spent more than a decade at the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, most recently as Chief of Staff, overseeing operations for an office of more than 350 attorneys and staff. She built and scaled the office's Second Chance Workshops, which have helped more than 9,000 people pursue expungement and driver's license reinstatement in partnership with more than 20 community organizations. She also helped develop alternatives-to-incarceration initiatives, including a housing-first diversion program for unhoused individuals. As Director of Internships, she expanded the office's pipeline programs, bringing more than 250 law students into the office in three years. Emily began her legal career as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Child Support Division and later litigated property tax appeals as counsel for the Marion County Assessor's Office.

    Emily earned her J.D. cum laude from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and her B.S. cum laude from Butler University. She served nine years on the McKinney School of Law Alumni Association Board, including as President. She also chaired the board of Coburn Place Safe Haven, where she has volunteered for nearly two decades supporting survivors of domestic violence. She is a member of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis, where she served as Senior Warden. Emily lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Josh, and their son, Johnny.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Soni Sinha

Vice President of Advancement & Engagement

ssinha@clccrul.org

  • Soni Sinha brings decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, supporting and leading community centered, asset based, and solutions driven initiatives. Her expertise in development, communications, strategic planning, program design, sustainable models, and innovation has allowed her to generate interest, revenue, and momentum for numerous local and national organizations including Feeding America, Ignite, National Community Tax Coalition, Center for Economic Progress, and the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago. Her specializations include designing and overseeing new delivery and training models, products, and tools for social impact, volunteer-driven programs, and working cross-departmentally to drive the greatest results for low to middle income families, disenfranchised populations, and communities of color.  

     

    Soni Sinha has dedicated her life to the holistic advancement of people and society and making transformative change through her non-profit endeavors and creativity. Soni was a merit scholar and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Master of Science in Communication from Northwestern University. Her work in multicultural affairs, the arts and economic mobility/asset building has received national recognition.  

    Soni considers her new role as Vice President of Advancement & Engagement an ideal convergence of her acumen, interests, and passion. Soni is excited to bring her skillset as a fundraiser, advisor, creator, and practitioner to Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and is thrilled to fight for civil rights and justice at a critical time for our democracy. In her free time, Soni enjoys spending time with her loved ones, traveling, painting, writing and working on film projects.  

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

MacKenzie Speer

Program Counsel

Equitable Community Development & Housing

  • MacKenzie Speer joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee in September 2022 as Fair Housing Program Counsel for the Equitable Community Development and Housing practice area. She was previously an Equal Justice Works Fellow with Legal Aid Chicago’s Housing Practice Group, where she focused on the intersections of interpersonal and community violence, eviction court, and fair housing issues. In this role, she represented subsidized housing tenants facing discriminatory evictions and partnered with community-based organizations to investigate policies and practices with a disparate impact on marginalized tenants, particularly Black women.

    Before attending law school, she worked as a program associate at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, advocating for fewer barriers to accessing public benefits and an equitable state budget in Illinois. She is a 2020 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, where she was a Public Interest Law Scholar, and a 2014 graduate of Macalester College.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Tara Stetler

Legal Fellow

tstetler@clccrul.org

  • Tara Stetler joins Chicago Lawyers’ Committee as a 2026-2027 Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Postgraduate Public Interest Fellow. In her role, she works with community partners to advance voting rights and equity in housing. 

    Tara holds a J.D. from Northwestern University, an M.A. in Human Rights Practice from the University of Arizona, and a B.S. in History from Grand Valley State University. Before law school, she worked as a professional storyteller, including four years as a photojournalist in the U.S. Air Force. During law school, she interned with the Legal Council for Health Justice, conducting legal and policy research related to health care access and disability benefits. She also worked extensively with the Movement Lawyering Clinic, contributing to litigation and policy advocacy involving police accountability and federal government overreach. These experiences deepened her commitment to a career focused on ensuring government accountability and preventing systemic abuses of power. 

    She enjoys tending to her plants, watching women’s basketball, and spending time with her wife and cats.

     

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Cierra Stewart

Legal Extern

cstewart@clccrul.org

  • Cierra Stewart joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights as a Legal Extern in September 2026, working primarily with the Midwest Voting Rights Program and the Equitable Community Development & Housing Program. Cierra is a native of Dayton, Ohio and proud alumna of the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and minors in Race and Social Justice and Film Studies. She is currently a 2L J.D. Candidate at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, pursuing a career in public interest law, specifically in the civil rights and voting rights space.

    As a Filipina, Puerto Rican, and Black woman, she is passionate about social justice and equality for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or religion. She is personally committed to furthering racial justice through legal and policy advocacy. At Northwestern Law, she serves as a Staff Member on the Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, as President of the Women of Color Collective, and President of the Student-Funded Public Interest Fellowships Program.

    Before law school, Cierra served as a Legislative Aide for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, working on civil rights, criminal justice, voting rights, and education policy. She also served as President of the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus (SBLSC), a professional and social network for Black legislative staff employed by the United States Senate.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Jeannine Walker

Program Assistant

Midwest Voting Rights Program

jwalker@clccrul.org

  • Jeannine Walker joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee in September 2026 as a program assistant for the Midwest Voting Rights Program. Before this role, Jeannine gained experience in banking, non-profits, and political campaigns. These roles honed her skills in communications, strategy, and community outreach. 

    Jeannine holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from North Carolina A&T State University. She is passionate about promoting equity through policy and using her skill set to empower marginalized communities.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers

Kate Walz

Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

kwalz@clccrul.org

  • Kate Walz joined Chicago Lawyers’ Committee in March 2026 to support and lead the organization’s complex litigation and policy advocacy agenda. Kate has dedicated her nearly 30 year legal career to advancing systems change and racial and economic justice through community driven advocacy, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and education and outreach. Kate started her legal career as a tenants rights attorney at the Law Center for Better Housing and then joined First Defense Legal Aid as an attorney and then the Executive Director. She spent almost 19 years at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, ultimately leading the organization’s advocacy team as the Vice President of Advocacy. Kate also served as the Associate Director of Litigation at the National Housing Law Project, supporting legal advocates throughout the country to file impact housing and civil rights litigation on behalf of their clients and communities, and then as the Executive Director of Uptown People’s Law Center. Kate served as a trainer with the Racial Justice Institute and the Affirmative Litigation Training program. She has drafted numerous local, state, and federal laws to advance fair housing, tenant rights, survivor protections, criminal legal system reform, and environmental justice. She has served as lead counsel on numerous high impact cases in state and federal court and administrative proceedings throughout the country.

    Kate received the Housing Justice Award from the Housing Justice Network, the Metropolitan Tenants Organization Advocacy Award, the Barbara H. Grau Award from the Law Center for Better Housing, and the Award for Excellence in Public Interest Service from the Northern District of Illinois. 

    Kate and her husband Jeff are parents to two children and a turtle. She runs, hikes, and gardens in her free time.

    Pronouns: she/her/hers