Herschella Conyers is a nationally recognized expert in juvenile defense. She is recently retired as Lillian E. Kraemer Clinical Professor in Public Interest Law and the Director of the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic's Criminal and Juvenile Justice Project. Before joining the Law School, she served as an assistant public defender, supervisor, and deputy chief in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender from 1986 to 1993.

Veronica Williams is the Founder and President of Mothers Against Wrongful Conviction (MAWC) in Lake County, IL.

Rev. Carson is the Assistant Vice President, External Affairs, and served as the Director of Essential Skills and Community Relations for Richland Community College in Decatur, IL.

Mr. Reed is a retired researcher whose credits include the earliest documentation of the racial injustice in automatic transfer policies. He was a founding board member of JJI and has served as Board Secretary and is currently Board Treasurer.

Ms. Anderson is a prominent advocate for justice policies grounded in principles of human rights and restorative justice. She serves as the Outreach Director for Restore Justice.

Joshua Brooks MPA, is the Executive Director of the Justice Continuum in the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention at the IL Dept. of Human Services, and is the former coordinator for the Restorative Justice Hubs in Chicago.

Ms. Campanelli is currently the Public Defender for Muskegon County in Michigan. Previously, Ms. Campanelli was the Public Defender of Cook County.

Mr. Chalmers is an executive-level communication professional with significant experience crafting communications for high-level government officials and enterprise-level international charities.

Mr. Keenan-Devlin is the Executive Director of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy.

Mr. King is an Executive with Creative Artists Agency. He was formerly a Senior Development Associate with Audent Global Asset Management and prior to that with Swiftarc Ventures. A native of Evanston, he is deeply committed to justice for all children and young adults in Illinois.

Mr. Main is the Assistant Director of the Illinois Juvenile Defender Resource Center, a division of the Office of the State Appellate Defender.

Ms. McDowell is the immediate past Chair of the JJI, and a past President of the Illinois Parent Teacher Association. She is also a past member of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Dr. Rodgers is a Visiting Clinal Instructor at the University of Illinois at Springfield, and has served as Director of Criminal Justice at Millikin University in Decatur, IL. She is a leading researcher and proponent of restorative justice.

Mr. Rodriguez is the former Executive Director of Enlace Chicago - he is an experienced community activist and non-profit leader.

Mr. Smith serves as Director of Policy at Chicago CRED (Creating Real Economic Destiny).

Mr. Sullivan is a retired partner of Accenture, Ltd., the international business consulting firm.

Hon. George W. Timberlake was the Chief Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit of Illinois, and the immediate past chair of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, as well as a past appointee to the Redeploy Illinois Juvenile Oversight Board.

Ms. Wallace served three terms in the IL General Assembly and is a champion for children’s rights.

CEO at Chicago Area Project

Founder and Interim Executive Director

Elizabeth Clarke, J.D., is the founder, immediate past president and board treasurer, and current Interim Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI). In addition to JJI, Clarke co-founded the Midwest Juvenile Defender Center, and the North American Juvenile Justice Network, and was a founding member of the National Juvenile Justice Network. Prior to JJI, Ms. Clarke worked in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office and the Office of the State Appellate Defender.

Kyana King has provided administrative support to the Juvenile Justice Initiative for over seven years, with responsibilities including managing the donor database and providing planning and support for JJI development events. Kyana works for JJI on a part time basis, as she also serves as an assistant director of student services at a therapeutic day school. In her limited free time, Kyana is also in her last year at Northeastern University, with an emphasis on criminal justice reform.

Kate Buchanan is currently engaged in a Special Consultancy on Children's Rights for the Juvenile Justice Initiative. Over her 25 years in children's advocacy she has focused on a range of child and family issues including child welfare, juvenile, justice, adoption, and early childhood care and education.