Who We Are
Our Guiding Principle
Our common cause as a legal community is to improve access to justice for people in need and to make the legal system fair, equitable, and effective for people of all backgrounds and incomes.
The CBF’S Two-Pronged Approach
Using a mix of grants, advocacy, pro bono and partnerships, the CBF pursues a two-pronged strategy to accomplish our goals:
Invest In Proven Solutions For Today
Spearhead Innovative Initiatives and Legal Reforms for the Long Term
Our Values
01
Effective and equitable access to justice for all
02
The special responsibility of lawyers to uphold the value of effective and equitable justice for all
03
The collective influence of the legal community as a powerful force
04
Working together to serve the community and ensuring the inclusion of diverse perspectives in all we do
05
A culture of innovation, adaptation, and continuous improvement in all aspects of how we work and serve
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
The CBF firmly believes that JEDI and the values it reflects are an integral part of reaching our vision of a justice system that is fair, equitable, and accessible for everyone in our community. We are committed to incorporating JEDI into all aspects of our work.
Our History
With thousands of veterans having recently returned from World War II and O’Hare Airport soon to open, the Chicago area in 1948 was about to embark on an era of unprecedented growth. It was then that a small but prominent group of lawyer members of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) came together united in the belief that by pooling their charitable efforts, the members of the Association collectively could make substantial improvements for both their profession and their community. Their vision soon became The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF), which over the past 70+ years has evolved into a major charitable force in the community focused on improving access to justice for people in need.
Meet Our Team
Stephanie Bello
Administrative and Communications Coordinator
Bob Glaves
Executive Director
Sang Yup Lee
Director of Development
Jess Lingle
Director of Finance & Operations
Melanie MacBride
Associate Director of Grants & COO
Cortney Redman
Director of Court Advocacy
Roya Samarghandi
Associate Director of Advocacy, Innovation, & Training
Elise Tincher
Associate Director of Pro Bono & Programs
Jessica Uwamusi
Program Manager for Illinois JusticeCorps
Sunitha Vallinayagam
Administrative & Program Coordinator
Emme Veenbaas
Senior Manager of Communications & Events
Samoane Williams
Director of The JEP
Board of Directors
Officers
President
Kenya A. Jenkins-Wright
Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission
Treasurer
Nancy S. Gerrie (Ret.)
Winston & Strawn LLP
1st Vice President
Sang-yul Lee
K&L Gates LLP
Secretary
Greta Weathersby
WEC Energy Group, Inc.
2nd Vice President
Thomas V. Panoff
Mayer Brown LLP
Immediate Past President
Gregory Boyle
Jenner & Block LLP
Directors
Daniel Berkowitz
Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa
Rachel M. Cannon
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Hon. Alison C. Conlon
Circuit Court of Cook County
Vida Cruz
Arboretum Wealth & Trust Management
Kareem Dale
Discover Financial Services
Megan Devaney
Winston & Strawn LLP
Naderh Elrabadi
Elrabadi Law
Christopher J. Esbrook
Esbrook Law LLC
Randall R. Fearnow
Quarles & Brady LLP
David A. Gordon
Sidley Austin LLP
Anne Geraghty Helms
DLA Piper LLP (US)
Robert T. Howell, III
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Hon. LaShonda Hunt
U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Colby Anne Kingsbury
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Ray J. Koenig, III
Clark Hill PLC
Michael Lehrman
Baker McKenzie
Marcie Lape
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Elizabeth P. Lewis
McDermott Will & Emery
Elizabeth V. Lopez
United Airlines, Inc.
Amy B. Manning
McGuireWoods LLP
Maggie Mendenhall Casey
City of Chicago Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
Kenneth Mathieu
Charles River Associates
Lisa Montez
Builders Vision
Ian H. Morrison
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Hon. Nichole C. Patton
Circuit Court of Cook County
Caitlin Kolb-Poirier
Crowe LLP
Kevin Robinson
Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative
John Sciaccotta
Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa
Colleen Strasser
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Susan Valentine
Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel, P.C.
Brent Vincent
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Sandra Yamate
Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession
Counsel
Norah L. Jones
C3 Legal
Young Professionals Board
Officers
President
Paul E. Bateman, Jr.
Sperling & Slater, LLC
President-Elect
Allison Siebeneck
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP
Vice President
Kernisha Padilla
Latham & Watkins LLP
Board Members
Mallory Abel
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Joy Anderson
Tenneco
Kenyatta Beverly
Davey Tree Expert Company
Jason Bradford
Jenner & Block LLP
Kacie Brinkman
Ropes & Gray LLP
Rebecca K. Bryant
Dearborn Life Insurance Group
Leah Casto
Tropicana Brands Group
Rachel Cheng
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
John Clucas
Monahan Law Group, LLC
Robert C. Collins
Latham & Watkins LLP
Matthew Colman
Syntellis Performance Solutions
Chair, CBA Young Lawyers Section
Martin Gould
Romanucci & Blandin
Shannon C. Gross
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Patrick Heery
Cook County, Labor Relations
John Klinker
Locke Lord LLP
CBF Board Liaison
Caitlin Kolb Poirier
Crowe LLP
Cara Lawson
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Jake Lensing
FTI Consulting
Joanna Long
Campbell Long, LLC
Kenneth Matuszewski
Goldberg Segalla
Erin McGowan
Crowe LLP
Jeffrey Moskowitz
J. Moskowitz Law LLC
Corina Oprea
Mondelez International
Mitha Rao
Rao Legal, LLC
Nora Reilly
TransPerfect Legal Solutions
Katie Rinkus
The Prinz Law Firm
Jamie Robertson
Cooley LLP
Rick Ruffing
Stout
Eirene Salvi
Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.
Jin To
K&L Gates LLP
YLS Staff Liaison
Emily Anderson
The Chicago Bar Association