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Spotlights
LDF Staff Attorneys
New York National Office
Sherrilyn Ifill
Sherrilyn Ifill is the seventh President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Ms. Ifill is a long-time... More
Janai Nelson
Janai Nelson is the Associate Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. She is also a former director of LDF’s... More
Samuel Spital
Samuel Spital is the Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.
Prior to joining LDF, Sam practiced for... More
Christine Gregory
Christine Gregory is the Chief Operating Officer at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.
Before joining LDF, Ms. Gregory was... More
Leah C. Aden
Leah C. Aden serves as Senior Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF). In that capacity, Leah uses litigation,... More
Raymond Audain
Raymond Audain joins LDF as Senior Counsel. Prior to LDF, Raymond spent four years at Giskan Solotaroff & Anderson LLP, where he litigated... More
Lorenzo Bradford
Lorenzo Bradford joins the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) as a Research Associate. He graduated from Columbia University... More
John Cusick
John Cusick joins the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. as an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by the Venture Justice Fund. He... More
Alexis Hoag
Alexis Hoag joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) in October 2017. Prior to LDF, Alexis served eight years as an... More
Kristen Johnson
Kristen Johnson joined LDF as a LDF/Fried Frank Fellow in September of 2017. Kristen spent the first two years of her fellowship... More
Earl Kirkland
Earl Kirkland joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) as an Education Fellow in September 2017.
Earl earned... More
Rachel M. Kleinman
As Senior Counsel at LDF, Rachel uses litigation, policy, advocacy and public education to ensure access to equal opportunity in all of LDF’s... More
Jin Hee Lee
As Deputy Director of Litigation of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., Jin Hee Lee assists the Director of Litigation in... More
Marne Lenox
Marne Lenox joined LDF in 2016 as Assistant Counsel. At LDF, Marne’s practice is primarily focused on criminal justice litigation, though... More
Monique Lin-Luse
Monique Lin-Luse is Assistant Counsel of NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Monique has over ten years of advocacy, organizing, and educator... More
Cara McClellan
Cara joins the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) as a Skadden Fellow. Prior to joining LDF, she was a law clerk to the... More
Natasha Merle
Natasha Merle joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) in January of 2016. She uses litigation, legislative, policy, and... More
Elizabeth Olsson
Elizabeth Olsson serves as Senior Policy Associate at LDF. In that capacity, she identifies, develops and advances legislative and policy reforms... More
Deuel Ross
Deuel Ross serves as Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF). In that capacity, Deuel uses litigation,... More
Aaron Sussman
Aaron Sussman joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. as the Law and Policy Fellow. Prior to LDF, Aaron was the Associate... More
Community Organizers
Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele
Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele is the Senior Community Organizer. He is a community organizer and educator from Central Brooklyn... More
Marquis Jenkins
Marquis Jenkins is a Community Organizer in LDF’s Criminal Justice Practice. In that capacity, Marquis works to support the organizing... More
Estherjoy Mungai
Estherjoy (Est) Mungai is a Community Organizer. Prior to joining LDF, Est worked as an Associate Organizer with the Charleston Area Justice... More
Washington, DC Office
Todd A. Cox
Todd A. Cox is the Director of Policy at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. He is also a former leader of the LDF’s... More
Melanie R. Newman
Melanie Roussell Newman joined LDF in a new position as Chief Public Engagement and Communications Strategist. Ms. Newman is... More
James Cadogan
James Cadogan is the Director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.’s Thurgood Marshall Institute (“Institute”). As Director... More
Sparky Abraham
Sparky Abraham joins the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. as an Economic Policy Fellow. Before joining LDF,... More
Monique L. Dixon
Monique L. Dixon serves as Deputy Director of Policy and Senior Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), Inc. In this role,... More
Nicole Dooley
Nicole joins LDF as a Policy Counsel. She was previously an Attorney at the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and the Legal Aid... More
Sonia Gill Hernandez
Sonia Gill Hernandez serves as Senior Policy Counsel for the Policing Reform Campaign at LDF. In this role, she develops and implements... More
Daniel Harawa
Daniel Harawa joined LDF in 2017 as Assistant Counsel.
Before joining LDF, Daniel was a Staff Attorney at the Public Defender Service for... More
Angel S. Harris
Angel S. Harris joined LDF’s staff in 2015 as an Assistant Counsel. At LDF, Angel represents death-sentenced prisoners and prisoners... More
Jennifer Holmes
Jennifer A. Holmes joins LDF from Covington & Burling, LLP, where she worked as an associate. During her time at Covington & Burling,... More
Chris Kemmitt
Chris Kemmitt joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. in 2015 as Senior Counsel. Chris has represented clients in each of... More
Catherine Meza
Catherine Meza joins the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. as Senior Counsel.
Prior to joining LDF, Catherine served as a... More
Coty Montag
As Deputy Director of Litigation for LDF, Coty Montag assists the Director of Litigation in overseeing LDF’s legal staff in their litigation,... More
Ajmel Quereshi
Ajmel Quereshi serves as Senior Counsel at LDF. Before joining LDF, Ajmel worked as Staff Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union's... More
Courtney Taylor
Courtney B. Taylor is a Senior Associate for Policy & Operations. Prior to joining LDF, Courtney served as a special assistant to the Deputy... More
Michaele Turnage Young
Michaele N. Turnage Young serves as Senior Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (“LDF”), where she litigates education... More
Thurgood Marshall Institute
Dr. Megan Gall
Megan is a trained quantitative political geographer who serves as a Senior Researcher at LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute.
Megan earned a... More
Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff
Phillip Atiba Goff is the Franklin A. Thomas Professor in Policing Equity at John Jay College in New York City. He is the co-founder and president... More
Richard Rothstein
Richard Rothstein is a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute, where his recent work has documented the history of state-sponsored... More
Cristian A. Farias
Cristian A. Farias is Writer-in-Residence at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. An experienced... More
Dr. Megan Ming Francis
Megan Ming Francis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington and is also the Field Director... More
LDF Staff
Executive Officers
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Sherrilyn Ifill
President and Director-Counsel -
Janai Nelson
Associate Director-Counsel -
V. Renée Cutting
Chief Development Officer -
Samuel Spital
Director of Litigation -
Christine Gregory
Chief Operating Officer -
Kevin C. Thomson
Chief Financial Officer -
Melanie R. Newman
Chief Public Engagement and Communications Strategist -
James Cadogan
Director of the Thurgood Marshall Institute -
Todd A. Cox
Director of Policy
Executive Office
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Debi Allen
Senior Executive Assistant to the President & Director-Counsel -
Eve Anderson
Archives and Records
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Donna S. Gloeckner
Director of Archives and Records -
Marcelo Rodriguez
Archives Associate -
Kayla Jenkins
Archives Associate
Communications
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Melanie R. Newman
Chief Public Engagement and Communications Strategist -
Natalia Garzon
Director of Media Relations -
Phoebe Plagens
Senior Communications Associate -
David Jacobs
Senior Communications Associate -
Marika Bailey
Digital Media & Graphic Arts Manager -
Ashley Mitchell
Senior Communications Writer
Development
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V. Renée Cutting
Chief Development Officer -
Laura Fino
Director of Foundation Relations -
Christopher Francis
Database Manager -
Tawana Pyle
Database Coordinator -
Samantha Watson
Director of Strategic Partnerships and Special Events -
Maya Meredith
Direct Marketing Manager
Finance
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Kevin C. Thomson
Chief Financial Officer -
Lito Pernia
Controller -
Greg Odiaka
Manager, Budget and Reporting
Human Resources/Administration
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Monica M. Garcia
Director of Human Resources/Administration -
Natalie Kim
Human Resources Coordinator -
Nathan Rothwell II
Facilities and Office Services Manager
Information Technology
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Fred Brodsky
Information Technology Manager