A Full-Circle Moment Twenty Years in the Making

In 2004, as a third-year law student at Loyola Chicago I knew I wanted to fight for children’s rights but had no idea what the world had to offer. I came across a posting for the Zubrow fellowship at Juvenile Law Center. I had never been to Philadelphia and knew nothing about the organization. My law professors enthusiastically encouraged me to apply, saying it was a perfect place to begin my career. They spoke of the co-founders and then Executive and Legal Directors, Bob Schwartz and Marsha Levick, in the highest regard and as leaders in the field. I applied and made my first-ever trip to Philadelphia to interview with the selection panel.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Indeed, Juvenile Law Center was a great place to begin my career and to learn lawyering from the very best. Today, I am humbled and honored to serve as the organization’s CEO, standing on the shoulders of the many mentors, professors, law students, peers, supervisors, and legal fellows who shaped me and helped me get to this moment. It is not lost on me that I am stepping into some enormous shoes – Juvenile Law Center has had three executive director/CEOs in its 50-year history, and I have had the privilege and honor to learn from each of them. When I think about what kind of leader I hope to be, I draw from the very things that made them so exceptional – Marsha’s tenacity, fierce advocacy, and love of the written word; Bob’s mentorship, humility, and commitment to the work; and Sue’s inclusiveness, generosity, and drive. But the most important thing that they each brought to the position—a trait I believe I share—is a deep love for this organization and the courage to dream of all that it can be.
This year is my 20th year with Juvenile Law Center as the organization celebrates 50 years of leading the fight for children’s rights. During my time with the organization, Juvenile Law Center shifted from a Pennsylvania advocacy organization based in Philadelphia to a national organization with a presence across the country. Once in court representing older youth in foster care, our team moved toward systemic reform on a greater scale. And in our most recent strategic plan, we became bolder still, recognizing that we need new tools to fight systems that routinely target and surveil children and families imposing tremendous harm on the very individuals they purport to protect. This is especially true for Black and Brown youth and trans and queer youth. Our mission is to now work to reduce that harm for children currently caught up in the family policing and the juvenile and criminal legal system, while ultimately working toward dismantling the systems entirely. We know that building up communities and resources to support families reduces the need for carceral options. And we know that, as lawyers, we play an important part in the larger movement toward that goal.
As Juvenile Law Center’s next CEO, I will lead the organization into a new era: one that honors the legacy of its founders while seeking out and transcending new frontiers in youth justice. My vision for our next fifty years is to bring us back to our civil rights roots and shape what abolitionist youth justice can look like in collaboration with our movement partners and individuals with lived expertise in the systems we work to transform. The future I hope to build is one of community and with community. With your support, we can get closer to that goal.
Even during my fellowship interview over 20 years ago, I knew Juvenile Law Center was a special place; one where I simultaneously knew—but didn’t dare to dream—I could spend the rest of my career, let alone one day lead its charge. I hope you’ll support us as we continue this fight for children’s rights into the future.