OUR TEAM

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts’ mission is supported by a diverse group of full-time and support staff, fellows, and interns. 

Stephanie Agnew, Co-Executive Director 

Stephanie Agnew (she/her) is Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts’ Co-Executive Director. Stephanie is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW), having completed her Bachelor’s in Social Work (BSW) at Loyola University Chicago and her Master’s (AM) from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Stephanie was previously the organization’s Director of Communications and she continues to oversee all internal and external communications strategy and execution and works with the program staff to successfully implement our advocacy strategies. Before joining Chicago Appleseed, Stephanie worked as a Legal Advocate in the Cook County Domestic Violence Courthouse and as a Civil Rights Fellow at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Regional Programs Coordination Unit, where her projects focused on policing in Delaware and prosecutorial discretion in Mississippi. Follow Stephanie on our blog.

Contact Stephanie: sagnew@chicagoappleseed.org

Naomi Johnson, Co-Executive Director

Naomi Johnson (she/they) is Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts’ Co-Executive Director. Naomi graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Anthropology and received their Master’s (AM) from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Before joining Chicago Appleseed, they worked as the principal researcher and project manager for a community-based participatory research project. Naomi is passionate about issues of racial and economic justice and believes that research is a critical step towards creating more equitable systems. Previously, Naomi was the organizations’ Director of Research & Program Management and continues to oversee all research and policy projects – centering community voices alongside evidence-driven approaches. Follow Naomi on our blog.

Contact Naomi: njohnson@chicagoappleseed.org

Ali Longbottom, Development Manager

Ali Longbottom (she/her) is the Development Manager for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. She studied Psychology at Harper College and DePaul University, with a focus on philosophy and ethics. Prior to joining Chicago Appleseed, Ali worked in digital media, connecting large brands with independent media networks, as well as nonprofit education, helping K-12 students in the Chicagoland area build digital literacy skills. Ali enjoys reading poetry and queer theory in her free time, and she is committed to the alleviation of systemic injustices through grassroots organizing and community care.

 

Contact Ali: alongbottom@chicagoappleseed.org

Elizabeth Monkus, Senior Attorney & Project Director

Elizabeth Monkus (she/her) is the Senior Attorney & Project Director for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. Elizabeth is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to joining Chicago Appleseed, she was an appellate attorney, served as an adviser at the Writing Center of the John Marshall Law School, and was an instructor in Constitutional Law at Governors State University. Elizabeth came to Chicago Appleseed in 2010 to manage the Judicial Performance Commission Demonstration project. She currently focuses on domestic relations and judicial elections in her program work. Elizabeth’s family has been in Chicago since the Fire and she is thrilled to be working to improve the quality of justice in Chicago. Follow Elizabeth on our blog.

Contact Elizabeth: emonkus@chicagoappleseed.org

Cora Patterson, Communications Assistant

Cora Patterson (she/her) is the Communications Assistant for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. Cora studied criminology at the University of Northern Iowa where she developed an understanding of criminal legal system and a passion for its reform. Now a first-year master’s student at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, she seeks to advance equitable social policy initiatives for historically marginalized communities.

Contact Cora: cpatterson@chicagoappleseed.org

Briana Payton, Director of Policy & Advocacy

Briana Payton (she/her) is the Director for Policy & Advocacy for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. She holds her Bachelors degree (AB) in Sociology with minors in African American Studies, American Studies, and Spanish from Princeton University and her masters (AM) from the University of Chicago Crown School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, in the Transforming Justice program of study. Prior to joining Chicago Appleseed, Briana was the Senior Legislative Advocacy Coordinator at the Chicago Community Bond Fund and the Policy Coordinator for the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice. In these positions, she played an instrumental role in passing and protecting the Pretrial Fairness Act. Briana will continue participating in this work through Chicago Appleseed’s membership in the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, and will support our other initiatives that advance criminal legal system reform.

Contact Briana: bpayton@chicagoappleseed.org

Malcolm Rich, Internship & Pro Bono Coordinator

Malcolm Rich (he/him) is currently Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts’ Internship & Program Coordinator. Until March 1, 2024, Malcolm was the Executive Director of the Chicago Council of Lawyers (since 1987) and of Chicago Appleseed (since its creation in 1997). He is a 1979 graduate of the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he was the recipient of a Northwestern University Center for Urban Affairs Research Fellowship. Malcolm practiced with the law firm Whitted & Kraning, where he specialized in special education and mental health law. He chairs the Executive Directors’ Council of the Appleseed Network. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Foundation for Educational Research. Follow Malcolm on our blog.

Contact Malcolm: malcolmrich@chicagoappleseed.org

Austin Segal, Program Associate

Austin Segal (he/they) is a fourth-year student at Northwestern University studying sociology, mathematical methods in the social sciences, and legal studies. They are involved in student organizations that promote constructive dialogue and community organizing, and they are writing an interdisciplinary thesis with original research on the implementation of queer-inclusive educational policies. They are deeply invested in supporting those harmed by the criminal legal system and developing equitable solutions for social injustices.

Contact Austin: asegal@chicagoappleseed.org

Kaitlyn Filip, Appleseed Network Fellow

Kaitlyn Filip (she/her) is a JD-PhD student in Communication Studies: Rhetoric and Public Culture at Northwestern University, where her work focuses on how access to court data informs and shapes access to justice. Her research has appeared in the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy and is forthcoming in the New Mexico Law Review and the Loyola Journal of Regulatory Compliance. As an Appleseed Network/Collaboration for Justice Fellow, Kaitlyn was the lead researcher and author of our report, “Solutions Rather Than Obstacles” – An Evaluation of the Cook County Domestic Relations Hearing Officer Program and her current projects involve the Domestic Relations and the Domestic Violence Divisions.

Contact Kaitlyn: kfilip@chicagoappleseed.org

Jennifer Won Young Lee, Jill Dupont Memorial Fellow

Jennifer Won Young Lee (she/her) is the Collaboration for Justice’s first Jill Dupont Memorial Fellow for judicial excellence and has been supervising Chicago Appleseed’s court-watching program since February of 2022. She also works as a Paralegal II for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, where she participates in cases pertaining to state and federal anti-discrimination laws, wage/labor claims, and the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1997 (42 U.S.C. § 1997e). Prior to her work in civil rights litigation, Jennifer was in the criminal defense field from 2013-2018, during which she worked for the Center on Wrongful Convictions, Center on Capital Punishment, Monroe County Public Defender’s Office, and more. Jennifer is passionate about judicial accountability, court reform, criminal justice, due process, and workers’ rights. As an avid believer in making the law a more equitable and accessible profession, she serves on the advisory board for the Wright College Paralegal Program. In her free time, Jennifer sings with the Chicago Bar Association Chorus, collects East Asian ceramics, and dotes on her two cats. Follow Jennifer on our blog.

Contact Jennifer: jenniferlee@chicagoappleseed.org

Maya Simkin, Appleseed Network Fellow

Maya Simkin (they/them) is a recent graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law. They have a background in farming and permaculture, and love studying Jewish liturgy and other radical texts. Maya is committed to abolition and is interested in learning how efforts in public interest law can contribute to liberation. There are lots of damsons to pick, pit, and preserve into compote this week and Maya continues to be impressed by the small fruit’s magic blues and purples, and even greens. Follow Maya on our blog.

Contact Maya: msimkin@chicagoappleseed.org

Damary Alvarez, Intern

Damary Alvarez (she/her) is a rising third-year at the University of Chicago majoring in Global Studies and Human Rights. Her passion for criminal justice reform is mirrored in her involvement at UChicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP) where she hosted a panel on the necessity of nonprofit work in tangible policymaking. This past year, Damary worked in a research lab where she investigated the issues of environmental justice and diasporas within the Pilsen community. She has also collaborated on a project with Organized Communities Against Deportation (OCAD) researching CPD’s Gang Database. Damary is looking forward to understanding the convergence of advocacy and research at Chicago Appleseed.

Alexa Cataland, Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Intern

Alexa Cataland (she/her) is a third-year law student at Tulane University Law School and a Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Intern with Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. She has worked as a Chancery Intern with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) and interned with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office in the Legal Resources Division, assisting with post-conviction work. While in law school, she was a research assistant for Professors Catherine Hancock and Carlotta Lepingwell, and she is currently the Research Editor for the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law. In the fall, she will serve as a student attorney with Tulane’s Domestic Violence Clinic and its collaborative project, the Women’s Prison Project.

Hannah Cole, Intern

Hannah Cole (she/her) is a rising senior at Northwestern University majoring in Legal Studies and Journalism with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. At Northwestern, she is particularly interested in studying the intersection of the carceral state and gender. In her previous journalistic work, she reported on her community, legal happenings, and social justice issues with her local NPR station in Kansas City. She also worked with an advocacy organization in Kansas City which facilitated meaningful dialogue on contentious community issues. Hannah is excited to further her knowledge of the criminal legal system and apply her experience reporting on legal topics to advocacy work with Chicago Appleseed.

Mollie Guba, Intern

Mollie Guba (she/her) is a junior at Northwestern University majoring in Philosophy with minors in Legal Studies and Political Science. After college, she plans to attend law school and pursue a career in criminal or constitutional law. At Northwestern, she is also Senior Editor of the Northwestern Undergraduate Law Journal and has written articles on legal and social issues for the Northwestern University Law Journal Forum. This past summer, she interned in the Domestic Violence Unit at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and she previously served as a community outreach coordinator for a legal aid organization in Massachusetts. Mollie is excited to gain experience with the criminal justice system and relevant policy issues during her time at Chicago Appleseed.

Andres Kaneb, Intern

Andres Kaneb (he/him) is a senior at Northwestern University studying economics and history. Andres grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, and currently lives in Houston, Texas. Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts is his first internship related to the legal field. Andres looks forward to working with Chicago Appleseed on issues related to court innovation and drug courts.

Chloe Shah, Intern

Chloe Shah (she/her) is a sophomore at Northwestern majoring in Political Science and minoring in Legal Studies and Psychology. She has previously interned with The Chicago Justice Project (CJP) and Jenner & Block LLP. During her time at CJP, Chloe played a crucial role in researching and compiling a report on the effects of police presence in public schools and met with civic leaders and government officials to acquire and publicize judicial statistics. At Northwestern, she is involved with the Undergraduate Law Journal, Community for Human Rights, and is the Programming Director for Women in Law. She is passionate about criminal legal system reform and making the legal system more equitable. Chloe is excited to learn more about the law and criminal justice with Chicago Appleseed.