Tanya Woods

Executive Director

Westside Justice Center

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Tanya Woods hails from the West Side of Chicago near the same neighborhood where she is the Executive Director of the Westside Justice Center, a non-profit, holistic legal aid clinic in East Garfield Park.

She is a certified Mediator and Trainer at the Center for Conflict Resolution and adjunct faculty member at Loyola University School of Law. Prior to becoming a licensed attorney, Tanya worked in the higher education, non-profit, and corporate sectors.

Sharone Mitchell, Jr.

Public Defender for Cook County

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Sharone Mitchell, Jr. is a lifelong resident of Chicago, attending Morgan Park High School and growing up in the West Pullman neighborhood. Before becoming Cook County Public Defender in April 2021, he was Director of the Illinois Justice Project, focusing on pretrial issues, sentencing policy, and violence prevention.

Sharone has often appeared in the media; his analysis has appeared in print, TV, and radio.
 

Sarah Staudt

Senior Policy Analyst & Staff Attorney

Collaboration for Justice

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Sarah Staudt has been with Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers since 2018. After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School in 2013, Sarah was an attorney with Lawndale Christian Legal Center where she focused on juvenile justice matters.

Sarah was also part of the team that planned, created, and launched the North Lawndale Community Court – which was managed by Chicago Appleseed staff for about a year.