IEJF - Key Persons
Allison Zidek is the Finance Director for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation. In this role, Allison will oversee the financial and operation areas at IEJF, including reviewing the financial reports of grantees.
Allison is passionate about and committed to equity and service to the community. She has over 10 years of experience working with social and economic justice non-profits. Prior to joining IEJF, Allison spent over 2 years as the Senior Manager of Finance, Operations and Human Resources for the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum and 8 years with Interfaith Worker Justice as the Accounting and Human Resource Manager. Before her move into the non-profit sector, Allison had a long career as Accounting and IT Manager for a retail organization in Chicago. She has a BA in Accounting from Bradley University and an MBA from DePaul University.
Allison was born, raised in, and continues to live in Skokie, IL with her daughter, Jillian (when she's home from college) and their adopted dog, Gatsby. She spends her time outside work volunteering on the Vestry (board) and Finance Committee at her church and with many local school and community organizations.
Job Titles:
- NITA Certified Instructor
Attorney Meachum is a NITA certified instructor. She teaches Attorney Training and Management Training for Liberty Mutual. She has also been an instructor for IICLE, CBA and the ISBA. She served as a panelist and speaker after the 2005 Workers' Compensation reform. She has served as an instructor fro the Arbitrators assigned to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. Attorney Meachum authored an article on ethics for the Illinois Defense Counsel Journal. She was also a Contributing Author for the Larsen Series, Illinois Workers' Compensation Guidebook, authoring the chapter entitled "Claim Adjuster's Role and Ethics."
Job Titles:
- IL Workers Compensation Commission
Eric Slepak joined the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation as the Grant Data Administrator in February 2023. In this role, Eric will oversee the development and administration of grant processes, as well as tracking, analyzing and reporting on grant program data.
Eric's career has focused on improving access to justice. Prior to joining the IEJF, he was Associate Director for Resolution Systems Institute, a longstanding IEJF grantee. In that role, he led the rapid response development of eviction mediation programs in Kane, Winnebago, and Kankakee counties to address the housing crisis created by COVID-19. During his tenure at RSI, he also oversaw their foreclosure and child protection mediation programs, and played a major role in a number of special projects involving online dispute resolution, intimate partner violence, and parenting agreements, among others.
Throughout law school and as a young lawyer, Eric's primarily focus was on advocacy for individuals with disabilities. He has held internships and fellowships with Equip For Equality, The Legal Aid Society (NYC), and the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY).
Eric received his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. He and his family reside in the Kenwood neighborhood on Chicago's south side.
Job Titles:
- Co - Managing Member of Heavener
- Member of the Chapter 13 Local Rules Sub - Committee for the Southern District of Illinois
Faiq Mihlar is a Co-Managing Member of Heavener, Beyers & Mihlar, LLC. Mr. Mihlar oversees the firm's bankruptcy practice, representing creditors in all aspects of Chapters 7, 11, 12 and 13 proceedings. Additionally, Mr. Mihlar oversees the firm's Missouri collection practice and represents creditors in residential mortgage foreclosure practice and ordinance violations/condemnation proceedings. His memberships include the American Bankruptcy Institute, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys, Illinois State Bar Association, Missouri State Bar Association, Bankruptcy Association of Southern Illinois, and Decatur Bar Association.
Mr. Mihlar is a current member of the Chapter 13 Local Rules Sub-Committee for the Southern District of Illinois and a chairman of the committee developing a Chapter 13 Model Plan for the Springfield Division, appointed by Judge Mary Gorman of the United States Bankruptcy Conference.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP
Gray Mateo-Harris is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP where she serves as regional lead in the labor and employment practice and is co-chair of the trade secrets and restrictive covenants practice group. She's represented national companies such as Target and Walgreens in employment litigation and developed strategies to increase diversity, inclusion and retention.
As a 6-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, Gray joined her family in pursuit of the American Dream. Having always been the advocate for her parents because of their limited English, she gravitated towards the law and graduated cum laude from University of Illinois undergrad and law school.
Through her labor and employment practice, Gray closely partners with employers and their professionals. In addition to Gray's clients counting on her to compassionately but aggressively manage their union/labor relations, administrative proceedings, nationwide employment litigation and arbitrations, they also count on her to partner with them to elevate their workplace culture with respect to their diversity-and-inclusion, #metoo, training, policy-drafting and internal investigation efforts. She also leverages her native Spanish to provide Spanish-language representation.
Gray has obtained numerous pro-employer rulings or settlements in several high-profile and bet-the-company matters, and has taken matters through trial with favorable outcomes. She was featured by Univision television and Hispanic Executive Magazine, and ranked as an Illinois Leading Lawyer and Super Lawyer. She also received the National Bar Association's 40 Under 40 Nation's Best Advocates award in 2019.
Balancing her busy practice and home life as a wife and mother, Gray remains committed to giving back and continuously seeks ways to advance D&I. She has provided pro bono legal representation to indigent clients, survivors of domestic/sexual violence, non-profit agencies and pro-se litigants. She was a Cook County Sherriff's Merit Board hearing officer, Rape Victim Advocates committee chair and board member, and Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms associate board chair. She is a D&I leader at her firm, the NBA L&E Section Vice Chair, Women's Coalition D&I committee co-chair and an Illinois Equal Justice Foundation board member. Gray prioritizes actively mentoring diverse students and associates through her law school, LegalTrek, HACU, ABF and Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner, Chicago Office
Tobin is the Managing Partner of the firm's Chicago office and previously has served as the firm's Hiring Partner. He handles a wide range of civil litigation for businesses, corporations and insurance companies. In the Circuit Court of Cook County, IL, he actively leads the defense of claims alleging asbestos exposure or other toxic torts arising from environmental or occupational contact, including product liability and premises liability claims. His experience includes the defense of asbestos, silica, manganese/welding rods, benzene, diacetyl and vinyl chloride lawsuits in state and federal courts. His primary practice venue is Cook County, IL, where he regularly serves as lead counsel in the defense and management of complex, multi-party asbestos cases. Tobin's clients include insulation manufacturers, brake and friction material manufacturers, gasket manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, asbestos mining companies, product distributors, public utilities, premises owners, and construction contractors.
Tobin's varied litigation experience includes defending employers, municipalities, and government entities before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts in actions alleging employment discrimination and civil rights violations. He has also defended numerous healthcare professionals in cases alleging medical malpractice. Earlier in his career, Tobin tried many personal injury cases involving motor vehicle accidents or premises liability.
Tobin received a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Bradley University, and his J.D. from Washington University Law School. He began his career by clerking in the firm's Peoria office while he was in law school. He became a partner in the firm in 2006.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Sidley Austin LLP
Karim Basaria is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, where he represents corporate clients, individuals, and many of the world's largest professional services firms in high-stakes litigation, white collar, and regulatory enforcement matters. As a former Certified Public Accountant, Karim has a combination of legal and accounting skills that have enabled him to play a leading role in a variety of matters involving complex financial accounting, economic damages, and audit issues.
Karim also plays a leading role in the legal community. In addition to serving on IEJF's Board of Directors, he is a board member and serves as Treasurer of Illinois Legal Aid Online and serves a board member of the Chicago Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights. Additionally, Karim maintains an active pro bono practice. Most recently, Karim represented an elementary school student in appealing an exclusionary discipline decision where, in partnership with co-counsel, he was able to help the student fully reinstate without maintaining a record of expulsion. Karim was also involved in Ms. J.P. v. Barr, a lawsuit in which Sidley partnered with Public Counsel to represent a class of parents who were forcibly separated from their children due to the family separation policy implemented by the government in 2017. He also assisted in the representation of a putative class of immigrant visa applicants challenging Presidential Proclamation 9945, an order requiring applicants to prove they will be covered by adequate health insurance or able to pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs.
Karim has also served in various leadership roles within Sidley. As an associate, he co-chaired the Chicago Associates Committee and was a member of the firm's Associate Diversity Council in Chicago. Karim is also actively involved in the firm's recruiting efforts and plays a leading role in the legal community. He serves as a co-chair of the firm's Summer Committee in Chicago, which oversees the firm's summer associate program each year, and is engaged in Sidley's training and mentoring programs.
Karim received his B.S. in accounting and finance with honors from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 2007, and his J.D., cum laude, from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in 2012. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the UIC, where he taught an undergraduate criminal justice course on white collar crime. Prior to law school, Karim was a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois, where his practice focused on financial statement audits of public entities and forensic accounting matters. Karim resides near Chicago with his wife and two sons.
Job Titles:
- President of the Board
- Principal at Meyer Capel
Keith E. Emmons is a principal at Meyer Capel, a Professional Corporation located in Champaign, Illinois and has been recognized as both an Illinois Leading Lawyer and an Illinois Super Lawyer in the Health Care Law field. Mr. Emmons is a past-President and member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys (IAHA). He served as the first chair of the IAHA Illinois Health Law Survey committee, which publishes the only annual compilation of Illinois health-related court decisions, legislation and regulations. He is a past-Chairman and current member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Health Care Section Council. He also served as an Associate Editor for the Section Council's publication, the Health Care Lawyer. He represents the Health Care Section Council as a member of the ISBA Standing Committee on Legislation. Mr. Emmons is a member of the board of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation and a member of the American Society of Medical Association Counsel (ASMAC), and the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA). He is a graduate of the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law where he was a member of the Loyola University Law Journal and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
His practice includes the general representation of physicians and other health care professionals, medical group practices, hospitals and managed care organizations, alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") and general litigation. His areas of interest include physician employment agreements including physician non-competition restrictions, health care transactions and agreements, regulatory compliance including HIPAA and fraud and abuse compliance, governmental investigation defense, medical staff hearings and representation, medical disciplinary matters, and risk management matters. Mr. Emmons represents health care professionals in disciplinary investigations and proceedings before the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation/Division of Professional Regulation (IDFPR). He has served as a hospital medical staff hearing officer as well as a mediator and arbitrator in the resolution of civil disputes. For many years Mr. Emmons defended physicians, medical group practices, managed care organizations, nurses, dentists, attorneys and other professionals in professional liability litigation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel, Global Supply Chain Due Diligence
Kenneth serves as Senior Counsel, Global Supply Chain Due Diligence at Abbott Laboratories. In this role, he is responsible for administering and developing the company's supply chain due diligence program, human rights programs, and other Environmental, Social, and Governance matters. Prior to joining Abbott, Kenneth was Corporate Counsel at Baxter International where he served as the legal subject matter expert regarding U.S. foreign trade controls and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Job Titles:
- Ex - Officio / Attorney at Law
Lauren Meachum was admitted to practice in 1980 after completion of law school at the University of Illinois. Following admission to the Bar, she served as a captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps, United States Army. After being Honorably Discharged, she pursued private practice as an insurance defense counsel. Attorney Meachum joined Liberty Mutual in 1990 and became the Managing Attorney of Meachum, Starck and Boyle in 1994. In addition to managing the office, she practiced in the areas of property loss, general liability and Workers Compensation. She retired in December 2021.
In addition to admission to the Illinois Bar, Attorney Meachum is admitted to the Central and Northern District Courts of Illinois, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Chairman of the Pro Se Advisory Committee of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Leslie Corbett joined the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) as its first full-time Executive Director in October 2004 overseeing the distribution of the state appropriation for legal services for low-income people. Charged with directing the grant making and administrative aspects of the Foundation, Ms. Corbett also works with the state legislature, the Attorney General's Office, constituent groups and other stakeholders to educate them on the necessary role of the state in the legal aid delivery system. In 2005, she led the bi-partisan team that successfully quadrupled the state appropriation for civil legal aid services.
Prior to her position with the IEJF, Ms. Corbett served as the first Associate Director of the Chicago Bar Foundation. Ms. Corbett coordinated the grants program as well as the awards, fellowship and scholarship programs. She also staffed the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice and Chicago Bar Association Legal Aid Committee.
Additionally, Ms. Corbett served as Executive Director of Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS), a revolutionary legal aid hotline that provides legal advice, information and referrals to low-income residents of Cook County, Illinois. Ms. Corbett began her service with CARPLS in 1993 and became Executive Director in 1997, holding the position for six years. During her tenure at CARPLS, she served as an officer and founding member of the Illinois Technology Center for Law and the Public Interest (now Illinois Legal Aid Online).
Ms. Corbett started her career in legal services in 1990 at Chicago Legal Aid to Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) as a paralegal and volunteer coordinator. She has held internships with the Crossroads Fund, the American College of Surgeons and the Ohio Governor's Office.
Ms. Corbett was nominated to the inaugural Ella Baker Fellowship program, a partnership between the Antioch Graduate School and the Chicago Historical Society, in 2003. Also in 2003, she received the Golden Gavel Award from CARPLS in recognition of her years of service to the organization. Additionally, she received the Liberty Bell Award, given to a non-lawyer for advancing the ideals of the law, liberty and individual and community responsibility, from the Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association in 1997.
Ms. Corbett currently serves as Chair of the Pro Se Advisory Committee of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. She has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Crossroads Fund and as a Board Director of the League of Women Voters of Chicago, Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Cook County and Women United for A Better Chicago
Ms. Corbett earned a Masters degree in Social Work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago and her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She hails from Youngstown, Ohio, but has called Chicago home since 1987. She resides in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago with her husband, Aaron Chenoweth, and their daughter, Eleanor.
Job Titles:
- Office of the Cook County Board President
Lydia is a shareholder at Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel, P.C., a women-owned law firm.
She represents businesses and government entities in investigating and defending employment claims, protecting creditors' rights, and investigating and litigating contract disputes and business torts, including those involving fraud and professional liability. Lydia works closely with her clients to create a cost-effective approach to each matter and is known for her open communication and responsiveness to client needs.
Lydia trained as a mediator with the Center for Conflict Resolution and spent five years as a social worker prior to law school. She is a member of the Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar and was named an Illinois "Super Lawyer" in the area of General Litigation from 2015 - present.
In addition, she is a Board Member of the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) and serves on the Advocacy Council of Women Employed.
She received a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University School of Law.
Michael A. Pope is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the Firm's Chicago office. He heads the Firm's international Product Liability Practice Group.
Michael was named the Leading Products Liability Lawyer in Illinois by Who's Who Legal in 2005, and was named a leading lawyer in general commercial litigation and products liability by the 2006 edition of Chambers USA. He has a national practice in product liability matters, including the defense of class action lawsuits. He has also been honored as one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in the State. A frequent lecturer on toxic torts and the trial of complex cases, he taught products liability at IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law for five years. He is currently representing State Farm and Coca Cola in class action litigation in Illinois, and various Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the HMO class action MDL in Miami, Florida.
Michael also has extensive experience in handling reinsurance disputes, in the interpretation of excess and umbrella liability insurance policies, and in professional liability and complex business litigation.
Michael is the immediate past president of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association, the official liaison between practicing lawyers and the federal judges in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. He is also a former chairman of the board of trustees of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. He heads the Defense Research Institute's Task Force on Mass Torts, and is a past president of Lawyers for Civil Justice, a national coalition of corporations and trial lawyers interested in improvements in the civil justice system. In that role, he testified before the Federal Advisory Committee reviewing proposed rules changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure relating to electronic discovery.
Michael has served as president of the International Association of Defense Counsel, the oldest professional association of trial lawyers practicing in the defense of civil litigation. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is the Vice Chair of its Judiciary Committee. He is also a fellow of the International Society of Barristers and of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Since 1996, he has been a member of the American Law Institute. Michael is a member of the Chicago Bar Association (Board of Managers, 1987-1990), the Illinois State Bar Association (Chair, Special Committee on Discovery Reform, 1994-1995), the American Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute (Board of Directors, 1993-1995), and the Product Liability Advisory Council.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President & Counsel in the Law Department With State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
Nannette Castañeda Fosen is an Assistant Vice President & Counsel in the Law Department with State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. She joined State Farm in 1996 and her prior responsibilities included managing class action, extra-contractual and other complex litigation on behalf of the Company. In 2013, she joined the Litigation Section's leadership team as an Associate General Counsel, and in 2017, joined the leadership team that oversees the Company's in-house staff counsel program. During her tenure, Nannette has led a wide variety of departmental projects and committees, including the Diversity & Inclusion and CLE committees, process improvement efforts, policy work, and attorney onboarding.
Nannette previously served as the 2011-2012 President of the McLean County Bar Association and has participated on the Advisory Council for the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation from 2016-2022, rejoining the Board in 2024. Nannette received her bachelors and law degrees from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She holds the Certified Life Underwriter (CLU) designation.
Nathan B. Hinch is an attorney in private practice with the law firm Meyer Capel, a professional corporation, with offices in Bloomington and Champaign, Illinois and a "by appointment" location in Peoria. He helps clients with wills, trusts, and other estate planning matters, and with legal issues regarding business, real estate, construction, and civil litigation. He also serves as an administrative hearing officer for the Town of Normal, Illinois, in adjudication proceedings for municipal ordinance violations.
Mr. Hinch is licensed to practice law in Illinois by the Illinois Supreme Court (2007) and is admitted to the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois (2011). He holds a J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law with a Certificate in the Program in Environmental and Energy Law (2007) and a B.A. in Economics, cum laude, from Wheaton College (IL) (2000).
He was named a "30 Under 30" honoree by the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce in 2010, a "40 Under 40" honoree by the McLean County Chamber of Commerce in 2014, an "Emerging Lawyer" by the Leading Lawyers Network in 2015 and 2017 and a "Leading Lawyer" since 2018, and the McLean County Bar Association's "Young Lawyer of the Year" in 2015. He currently serves on the board of governors and as Second Vice President of the McLean County Bar Association, as a board member of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, and as a member of the American Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. Nathan is a Paul Harris Fellow and has served as a board member of Bloomington Club of Rotary International and its Foundation, and is a Fellow with the Illinois Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation.
Mr. Hinch also served as the 2020 president, and continues to serve on the board of directors, for the McLean County Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Carle Healthcare Foundation board and the Carle Center for Philanthropy board for the BroMenn and Eureka Medical Centers. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Parklands Foundation, a nature conservancy with holdings of more than 1,500 acres in McLean and Woodford Counties, and as chairman of the board of elders for his local church. He volunteers pro bono work and has helped with fundraising support for a variety of charitable organizations in McLean County, most recently including Prairie State Legal Services, the Immigration Project, Lawyers for the Creative Arts, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Boys and Girls Club. He frequently serves as a court-appointed guardian ad litem (GAL) for the McLean County Circuit Court (Eleventh Judicial Circuit) to report to the court as to the best interests of a child or disabled adult in guardianship cases. He lives in Bloomington, Illinois with his wife Sarah and their three children.
Job Titles:
- Retired State Representative and Former Director of the IL Dept of Healthcare and Family Services
Patti Bellock has dedicated her public service career to ensuring access to quality health care for Illinois' most vulnerable population by making the state's health care delivery systems more efficient and effective. Her extensive work on Medicaid reform in Illinois has been recognized by many national groups and news media, including the Wall Street Journal.
As a State Representative in the Illinois General Assembly for 20 years, Bellock developed a reputation for her bipartisan, collaborative work. She served as Deputy Minority leader in the House of Representatives as the first woman in Illinois history to be appointed to this position. She also served as the Chief State Budget Negotiator for her caucus.
Her Landmark Legislation, the Smart Act reforming the Illinois Medicaid System, and bills regarding mental health parity, MRSA infection control, and the Amber Alert system, have earned her awards by over 30 major organizations. With a family business background, Bellock advocated on behalf of tax, business, and agricultural groups. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce recognized Bellock's support of business issues by naming her a Champion of Free Enterprise.
In July of 2018, Bellock was appointed to Governor Rauner's Cabinet as the Director of the Health Care and Family Services Agency. In her role as Director over 2,000 employees and a 23 billion dollar budget, she continued to effectively lead efforts to improve the managed care system and shepherded approval of the federal Medicaid waiver for programs in mental health and substance abuse.
She has continued to serve on local, state, and national boards addressing issues regarding business, health care, violence prevention, and social services. Bellock served as the Midwest Director and Secretary of the national group, Women in Government in Washington, D.C. and the Co-chair of the Conference of Women Legislators in Springfield, Illinois. She and her family have resided in the Western suburbs of Chicago for over 40 years.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Global Operations at Stanley Black
Shanin Farmer is Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Global Operations at Stanley Black & Decker, the world's largest tool company. Prior to this, Shanin served as special counsel at Kelley Drye & Warren, focusing on board governance, mergers and acquisitions, SEC compliance, contract management, complex corporate transactions, risk management and international law.
Shanin served as Associate General Counsel, Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Counsel, Corporate Finance & Securities at Ingredion Incorporated. She managed the Office of Corporate Secretary, oversaw board governance functions, SEC and other regulatory compliance, strategic M&A, data privacy, tax and treasury, in addition to overseeing legal counsel for all matters in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Shanin started her legal career at Accenture where she served as Director of Legal Services, Communications, Media & Technology, leading a team of lawyers in negotiating a wide range of technology, consulting, and complex outsourcing engagements.
Shanin is an exceptional developer of teams and passionate champion of diversity and inclusion. She has been a steadfast advocate for diversity in the legal profession and served as a member of the NAMWOLF In-House Advisory Counsel. Shanin also served as a member of the board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago from 2010 to 2019. She is Directorship CertifiedTM by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and a member of the Economic Club Chicago.
Shanin holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the John Marshall Law School.
Sook Lee - Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Managing Director
- Treasurer / Stout Risius Ross, LLC
Sook Lee is a Managing Director in the Disputes, Compliance & Investigations group at Stout, a global investment bank and advisory firm specializing in corporate finance, transaction advisory, valuation, financial disputes, claims and investigations.
Sook has over 18 years of experience providing forensic and litigation consulting and expert witness services to clients involved in fraud investigations and complex commercial disputes. She has provided expert deposition and testimony in state and probate court on issues pertaining to economic damages, business valuation, allegations of asset misappropriation and accounting irregularities.
Sook works closely with litigators, in-house counsel, governmental agencies, court-appointed trustees and examiners, corporate management teams, board of directors and high-net worth individuals in the context of alleged fraud and financial investigations, waste and abuse, asset misappropriation and embezzlement schemes, complex commercial litigation and arbitration, business and shareholder disputes and tax controversy matters.
Her experience spans many sectors including, professional services, financial services, securities, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, medical device, healthcare, private equity, insurance, construction and manufacturing.
Prior to joining Stout, Sook was a Director at Natoma Partners where she provided financial modeling, damages and accounting analysis as well as litigation, arbitration and expert testimony support to clients involved in complex commercial disputes, accounting malpractice claims, government investigations, general business disputes and tax controversy matters.
Sook is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Her civic involvement includes serving on the Leader Council of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls and a volunteer in the tax assistance program at Ladder Up.
Suheily Natal Davis is Senior Director, Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at McDonald's Corporation. In this role, she partners with the McDonald's U.S. leadership team to drive strategic diversity initiatives. Suheily has been with McDonald's since 2014. Prior to joining McDonald's Suheily represented management in labor and employment matters in the Chicago office of Ford Harrison LLP. In that role she handled litigation involving allegations of sexual harassment, disability discrimination, FMLA violations, race and national origin discrimination, wrongful discharge and violation of wage and hour and wage payment laws.
Job Titles:
- Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Viviana Martinez was elected judge for the 14th Subcircuit of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois in the November 2022 elections. As judge, Viviana strives to restore the public's trust and confidence in our legal system by delivering on the promise of justice for all.
Prior to joining the judiciary, Viviana dedicated her career to public service, representing some of the most vulnerable in our community-including workers, immigrants and families facing foreclosure. She also worked to advance ethics, equity and efficiency in government. She served as the lead attorney in Cook County's Bureau of Administration, which includes the Departments of Animal and Rabies Control, Environment and Sustainability, Emergency Management, Transportation and Highways, Research Operations and Innovation and the Office of the Medical Examiner. She has also served as a department head/manager, and she had a record of developing robust operations and successfully leading established organizations through periods of rapid and dramatic change.
After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law with honors, Viviana joined the labor unit of the Illinois Attorney General's Office and gained valuable experience representing the Illinois Department of Labor in wage disputes
She is committed to ongoing professional development and has the distinction of being both an Edgar Fellow and a graduate of University of Chicago's Civic Leadership Academy.
Tim is a past member of the American Bar Association Board of Governors, representing Illinois and Ohio. He served in the ABA House of Delegates for over 15 years. He is a past president of the Illinois State Bar Association. He chaired the ABA Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight for four years. He was chair of the United States District Court Advisory Committee on Local Rules (Central District, Illinois). He is presently Chair of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). He is a former co-chair of the ABA Section of Litigation's Business Torts, Minority Trial Lawyer, and Immigration Litigation Committees. He was co chair of the Illinois Legal Needs Study II and was president of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, Illinois Lawyers Assistance Program, Illinois Chapter of the American Judicature Society, Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice, Illinois Township Attorneys Association, and American Counsel Association. He was the first Chairman of the Diversity Committee of the Peoria County Bar Association. He served as co-chair of the Prairie State Legal Services Campaign for Legal Services committee. In 2020, he was given the Lincoln The Lawyer Award by the Abraham Lincoln Association in recognition of his legal career.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Vice President
Job Titles:
- Program Officer
- Health Committee Chair for the NAACP Westside Chapter
Tyrina Newkirk joined the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation as Program Officer in 2021 to manage the organization's growing grant portfolio from the grant application process all the way through evaluation of social impact. She will be a point of contact for community partners and provide direct support to the Executive Director, contract project managers and the Grant Committee.
For more than a decade, Tyrina has dedicated her career to restoring equity for marginalized communities and fighting for social justice. Prior to joining the IEJF, Tyrina was the Community Programs Manager at Susan G. Komen - Chicago where she was responsible for grant management, community partnerships and the advocacy arm of the organization. Over the years, Tyrina has worked at various non-profit organizations dedicated to providing access to college persistence programs for youth in-need, behavioral services to adults with co-occurring disorders, and substance use treatment services. She has been on the front lines of many social justice issues often providing direct services to high-risk populations.
Outside of work, Tyrina serves as the Health Committee Chair for the NAACP Westside Chapter and volunteers for the office of her State Representative.
Tyrina Newkirk received her Bachelor's degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. She later earned her Master's degree in Social Work and her Master's degree in Public Health concurrently at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Tyrina is native to Chicago's westside and continues to reside there with her family today.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel at Doral Renewables LLC
Tyrone serves as General Counsel at Doral Renewables LLC, a leading developer and operator of clean energy generation assets. In this role, he leverages his broad experience to provide effective counsel on a wide range of business, legal, administrative, crisis management, and risk management issues.
Tyrone has broad strategic and transactional experience within the renewable energy industry, having most recently served as both Head of Legal at Plus Power, and Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Invenergy. Throughout his career, Tyrone has led diverse teams of professionals in connection with the development, construction, financing and/or divestiture of dozens of utility-scale energy facilities with a total value of over $7 billion. He also has significant expertise managing governance and operational risk.
Tyrone earned a Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies from Hunter College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law.
He is a passionate anti-hunger advocate, serving on the board of Beyond Hunger, which provides hunger-relief programming and services to 13 zip codes across Cook County. Tyrone also founded the initiative Conversations for Six, which facilitates conversations on food insecurity.
Job Titles:
- Partner With Schmiedeskamp Robertson Neu & Mitchell LLP in Quincy
William S. Meckes is a partner with Schmiedeskamp Robertson Neu & Mitchell LLP in Quincy, Illinois, where he represents individuals, businesses, and local governments in a variety of matters, with a focus on corporate, banking, and real estate law. He assists clients with both the formation and sale of businesses, mergers and acquisitions, buying, selling and leasing real estate, business-related litigation and general business operations. William also serves as outside counsel to local financial institutions providing representation with compliance, foreclosures, bankruptcies, reorganizations, loan workouts, secured transactions, and other creditor/debtor matters.
Prior to entering private practice, William worked for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. He continues to serve the community through board service with the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, Cornerstone Foundation for Families, Transitions of Western Illinois, and Quincy Notre Dame High School.
William earned his undergraduate degree from Drake University and his law degree from Marquette University. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and the Federal Courts for the Central District of Illinois, the Western District of Missouri and the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Zach Zarnow joined the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation as Program Director in January 2016, taking on the task of developing, monitoring, and evaluating IEJF's initiative to create a statewide military personnel and veterans' legal assistance hotline and coordinated network of legal support services. This program is funded under Public Act 99-0281 and is overseen by the Illinois Access to Civil Justice Council. Zach relocated in July 2019 and currently oversees the IL Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) for the IEJF on a contract basis.