Equal Justice Initiative

Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director, is a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer. His work fighting poverty and challenging racial discrimination in the criminal justice system has won him numerous awards including the ABA Wisdom Award for Public Service, the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award Prize, the Olaf Palme International Prize, the ACLU National Medal Of Liberty, the National Public Interest Lawyer of the Year Award, the Gruber Prize for International Justice and the Ford Foundation Visionaries Award. He is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and the Harvard School of Government, has been awarded 16 honorary doctorate degrees, and is a Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. He is the recent author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Just Mercy, which was named by Time Magazine as one of 2014's ten best nonfiction books and has been awarded several honors, including a 2015 NAACP Image Award. Additional biographical information is available here.

Eva Ansley, Operations Director, has coordinated and developed legal services for poor people and death row prisoners in Alabama for almost 20 years. She has been instrumental in developing institutional assistance to indigent defendants at the Alabama Capital Representation Resource Center and the Equal Justice Initiative since the inception of both organizations.

Randy Susskind, Deputy Director, has been with EJI since graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. He also serves as adjunct faculty in the Equal Justice and Capital Defender Clinic at the New York University School of Law. He previously worked as a staff attorney at the Alabama Capital Representation Resource Center.

Alicia D’Addario, Senior Attorney, is a 2005 graduate of New York University School of Law. Prior to joining EJI, she clerked for Judge Rosemary Pooler on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She received her B.A. from Oberlin College in 2002, where she majored in both Math and History.

Jacqueline Jones-Peace, Senior Attorney, was on the faculty at New York University School of Law as Co-Associate Director of the Lawyering Program. Prior to that, she was a Litigation Associate at Cleary Gottlieb in New York for several years after clerking for U.S. District Judge John S. Martin in the Southern District of New York. She is a 1995 graduate of New York University School of Law.

Zachary Katznelson, Senior Attorney, is a 2000 graduate of New York University School of Law. Prior to joining EJI, he clerked for District Court Chief Judge Marilyn Patel in California, represented Guantanamo Bay prisoners as senior counsel and legal director at the London-based nonprofit law organization Reprieve, and was a senior attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union in New York.

Charlotte Morrison, Senior Attorney, has been with EJI since 2001. She clerked for Judge Rosemary Barkett on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, is a former Rhodes Scholar with degrees in Philosophy from Oxford University and the University of Montana, and graduated from New York University School of Law in 2000.

Sia Sanneh, Senior Attorney, received a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2007. She has a Master’s degree in teaching of social studies from Columbia University Teachers College and earned a B.A. in history from Columbia University in 2001. After graduating law school, she was a Liman Public Interest Fellow at Legal Action Center in New York, where she studied the collateral consequences of school-based arrests.

Angie Setzer, Senior Attorney, interned with EJI in the fall of 1998 and joined the staff after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999. She currently manages some of EJI's training programs and has challenged capital convictions and death sentences across Alabama.

Aaryn Urell, Senior Attorney, has been with EJI since she graduated from New York University School of Law in 2001. She has a Master's Degree in International Relations from American University and has worked on human rights and conflict resolution in Ghana and South Africa.

Maria Morrison, Senior Social Worker, joined EJI in 2008. Ms. Morrison manages a range of clinical and therapeutic services at EJI for incarcerated clients and formerly incarcerated people and their families. Before joining EJI she provided services for several years to adults struggling with mental illness, substance use, and homelessness as well as in a therapeutic wilderness program for adolescents with trauma-related behavioral disorders. She has an M.S.W. from the University of Alabama, an M.F.A. in creative writing from Goddard College, and a B.A. in English from the University of Montana.

Cathleen Price, Cooperating Senior Attorney, is a 1996 graduate of Harvard Law School and a former law clerk of Justice Fred Banks on the Mississippi Supreme Court. She is a 1999 National Association for Public Interest Law (NAPIL) Equal Justice Fellow and has coordinated complex litigation at EJI for several years.

Ryan Becker, Staff Attorney, joined EJI after graduating in 2011 from New York University School of Law, where he was in the Equal Justice and Capital Defender Clinic and interned with the Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem and Cabrini Green Legal Aid in Chicago. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a B.A. in Political Science, and before that served active duty in the United States Marine Corps for four years.

Stephen Chu, Staff Attorney, is a 2008 graduate of New York University School of Law, where he co-chaired a committee of the Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association and advocated on behalf of children in delinquency cases. He has a B.A. in Biochemistry and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology. He spent a year clerking for Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan C. Page before joining EJI.

Carla Crowder, Staff Attorney, received a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2009. She has a B.A. in English and History from Huntingdon College. Prior to joining EJI, she was an award-winning journalist who most recently covered Alabama prison and parole systems, juvenile justice, and capital punishment for The Birmingham News.

John Dalton, Staff Attorney, graduated in 2009 from Stanford Law School. Prior to joining EJI, he clerked for Judge Pamela Ann Rymer on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and was an associate at Davis, Polk & Wardwell. He has a B.A. in Political Science, History, and Religion from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

Rachel Judge, Staff Attorney, graduated in 2013 from Harvard Law School, where she represented indigent criminal defendants as a student attorney. She interned for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta. She has a B.A. in Sociology from Brown University and worked on behalf of death row inmates in California before law school.

Alison Mollman, Staff Attorney, graduated in 2012 from University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she participated in the death penalty clinic and juvenile hall outreach. She interned for the California Habeas Project and represented clients as a certified law student at the East Bay Community Law Center. Prior to law school, she developed a support group for mothers incarcerated at the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women. She has a B.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Iowa.

Benjamin Schaefer, Staff Attorney, graduated in 2011 from New York University School of Law, where he participated in the Equal Justice and Capital Defender Clinic and interned at the Orleans Public Defenders in Louisiana. He has a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He previously taught sixth grade social studies in Henderson, North Carolina.

Jennae Swiergula, Staff Attorney, received a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 2008. She has a B.A. in psychology from the University of Washington. She interned with Judge Michael H. Dolinger on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and was an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York prior to joining EJI.

Jennifer Taylor, Staff Attorney, is a 2010 graduate of Yale Law School, where she participated in the Prison Legal Services Clinic and interned for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She has a B.A. in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity from Stanford University and a Master's in Journalism from Columbia University.

Catherine Coleman-Flowers, Rural Development Manager, is a native of Lowndes County, Alabama. She taught high school in Detroit, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. before returning home to advocate for poor people in Alabama's Black Belt. She is the founder and director of the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise and joined EJI in summer 2008 as part of EJI's Race and Poverty initiative.

Lynda Black, Staff Assistant, came to EJI in 2008. She previously worked for over 20 years at the University of Pittsburgh in the Academic Resource Center. She was responsible for Center operations and research and performed a wide range of administrative tasks.

Kiara Boone, Deputy Program Manager, earned a degree in Political Science from Davidson College in 2011 and a nonprofit management executive certificate from Georgetown University in 2012. Prior to joining EJI, she worked with the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, DC, and managed support for community development in Florida for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.

Josh Cannon, Deputy Program Manager, earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2010 from the Department of History Honors Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where his honors thesis was published in the Journal of Planning History. Prior to joining EJI in 2015, he taught preschool children and coordinated projects for an industrial automation systems firm in Hoover, Alabama. He was also a contributor to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute blog, The Struggle Continues.

Renee’ Cleveland, Staff Assistant, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Justice and Public Safety from Auburn University at Montgomery in 2008. She planned curriculum and instructed students at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Montgomery. A certified paralegal, she worked as a legal secretary at Donohoe & Stapleton prior to joining EJI.

Ivan Hugley, Facilities, came to EJI in 2014. A native of Lee County, Alabama, he has decades of experience as a professional painter and executive chef. Prior to joining EJI’s staff, he worked for Hyundai Motor Company at its manufacturing plant in Montgomery.

Paige Lindsey, Staff Assistant, earned a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Economics from Auburn University, Montgomery, Alabama, and has more than a decade of experience as a bookkeeper and computer software trainer. Prior to joining EJI in 2015, she served as chief operating officer for Admiral Movers, Inc., in Montgomery.

Lori Taylor, Executive Assistant, joined EJI in 2015. Prior to joining EJI, she founded, directed, and managed the Bellevue Farmers Market, a nonprofit in Bellevue, Washington, where she advocated for economic justice for farmers. She has previously worked with faith communities and facilitated discussions on a range of social justice issues. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.

Ramona Thornton, Staff Assistant, graduated from Huntingdon College in 1991, with a B.A. in Art. She brings a wealth of administrative and operations assistance experience to EJI.

James Warren, Executive Assistant, joined EJI in 2014. He previously was executive assistant to Dr. Anthony Campolo at Eastern University and served as director of the event coordination department for the International Mission Board in Richmond, Virginia. He has a Master’s degree in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor’s degree in Church Music from Oklahoma Baptist University.

Amanda Bass, Law Fellow, has a B.A. in Mathematics and Black Studies from Amherst College and received her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2015. During law school, she interned at the Southern Center for Human Rights, was a clinic student at EJI, and worked with international human rights attorneys at the Center for Constitutional Rights and in the Global Justice Clinic at NYU.

Judea Davis, Law Fellow, earned a J.D. from Duke University School of Law and a Masters in History from Duke University Graduate School in 2015, and a B.A. in Political Science and History from Clemson University in 2010. She interned at the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense Capital Trial Division and at EJI and investigated innocence cases and prosecutor misconduct in the wrongful convictions clinic at Duke.

Brooks Emanuel, Law Fellow, graduated in 2015 from New York University School of Law, where he was a clinic student at EJI and worked at the New York Civil Liberties Union as part of the Civil Rights Clinic. During law school, he interned for the ACLU Capital Punishment Project and NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He has a B.A. from the University of Georgia, and prior to law school, he was director of legislative services for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.

Terron Ferguson, Law Fellow, earned a J.D. in 2015 from New York University School of Law, where he coordinated a voting rights project with the Mississippi State NAACP. He has a B.A. in Philosophy from Morehouse College and taught special education in Atlanta with Teach for America.

Luke Fredericks, Law Fellow, graduated in 2015 from New York University School of Law, and has a B.A. in History from the University of Maryland. During law school, he interned with the Alaska Public Defender Agency, Bronx Defenders, and EJI, and he worked on misdemeanor cases in the federal defender clinic at NYU. Prior to law school, he taught high school in Guinea and Liberia with the Peace Corps and taught writing at San Quentin Prison in California.

Ben Harmon, Law Fellow, graduated in 2014 from Harvard Law School, where he represented tenants facing eviction at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and tried cases at the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a B.S. in Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Alabama, where he coordinated a statewide campaign to assist poor families with tax preparation.

Estelle Hebron-Jones, Law Fellow, has a B.A. in English Language and Literature from University College London and graduated from University of Virginia School of Law in 2011. Prior to joining EJI, she worked at the Legal Resources Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, providing legal advocacy for poor, homeless, and landless people. She has also worked to expand access to legal aid for indigent people in Sierra Leone.

Mickey Hubbard, Law Fellow, graduated from Columbia Law School in 2014, where he interned at the Bronx Defenders and the Southern Center for Human Rights. He has done extensive anti-poverty work, improving school infrastructure in South Africa, increasing food bank access in rural Vermont, and organizing to combat homelessness and provide services to people in financial crisis in North Carolina. He has a B.A. in Political Science from Davidson College.

Jonathan Nomamiukor, Law Fellow, is a 2014 graduate of Harvard Law School who also has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he mentored children in the foster care system. During law school, he interned at Reprieve, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, and Texas Defender Service, and clerked for the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Texas.

Jeanne Segil, Law Fellow, has a B.A. in Social Justice Studies from Pomona College and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2014. During law school, she interned at EJI and the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C., and conducted research on innocence cases for the Center on Wrongful Convictions. She also represented clients in disciplinary and parole hearings while serving as executive director of the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project.

Dominik Taylor, Law Fellow, joined EJI in 2015 from the San Diego County Public Defender, where he worked on misdemeanor cases. He graduated in 2014 from Washington and Lee University School of Law, where he provided representation to non-citizens in deportation hearings as a student attorney and worked with public defenders in Harlem, New York; Richmond, Virginia; and Monrovia, Liberia. He also interned with the Supreme Court of Virginia, and has a B.A. in History from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.

Jennifer Williams, Law Fellow, graduated in 2014 from Stanford Law School, where she represented clients as part of a criminal defense clinic and studied the effects of California’s prison realignment policy on parole and mental health in jails. She interned for the Bronx Defenders and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and has a B.A. in History and Psychology from Yale University.

Ashley Edwards, Paralegal, graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Auburn University, where she taught writing and poetry to youth and college students, coached young adults with severe intellectual disabilities in a fine arts program, and mentored young middle school teens in the Youth Women’s Leadership Program. She completed a social work internship at EJI before joining our staff in 2015.

Korbin Felder, Paralegal, earned a degree in 2014 in Afro-American/African Studies and History from the University of Michigan, where he conducted research on the end of Jim Crow in Mississippi and founded a student advocacy group to challenge mass incarceration. Before coming to EJI, he worked with youth at the ACLU of Mississippi to reduce juvenile incarceration.

Alayah Glenn, Paralegal, has a degree in African and Afro-American Diaspora Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she served as student solicitor general and interned with the Center for Civil Rights at UNC School of Law. Before joining EJI, she worked with the Women’s Legal Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, on gender-focused constitutional litigation.

Nia Holston, Paralegal, graduated from Yale University in 2014 with a degree in African American Studies and Political Science. She conducted research for the Justice Policy Institute and worked on voter enfranchisement at the Bronx Defenders before joining EJI.

Ajwang Rading, Paralegal, received a B.A. in Political Science in 2014 from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he co-founded and chaired UCLA Global Citizens Fellowship, a competitive summer grant for students to do international public service. He worked as a legislative fellow for United States Senator Cory Booker, focusing on criminal justice and national security, before joining EJI.