UBUNTU VILLAGE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Legal Director
- Co - Executive Director
Prior to joining LCCR, Aaron acted as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to New Orleans City Councilmember Jason Williams. There, he advised Councilmember Williams on a wide array of policy initiatives, including improving the conditions of detention for juveniles and reforming the District Attorney's juvenile transfer policy.
Previously, Aaron served as a staff attorney for the Orleans Public Defenders for five years, practicing client-centered advocacy and team-based defense. He is a graduate of Vassar College and New York University Law School.
Anthony has lived and worked in New Orleans since 2014. Prior to joining LCCR, he worked as an advocate and case manager for people experiencing homelessness, beginning with a graduate field placement at the Harry Tompson Center. He then joined Unity of Greater New Orleans to assist in identifying and relocating vulnerable individuals to hotels and permanent housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anthony later accepted a position as Support Services Manager at the Ozanam Inn, assisting men experiencing homelessness in accessing services, finding employment, and entering long-term housing. Anthony received a Masters in Social Work from Tulane University and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa. He has an enormous Great Dane named Bella.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, Soul Science Lab
New Orleans native Asante Amin is a gifted multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and arts educator. While at St. At Augustine's High School, he got his start as a musician and went on to study music education at Southern University at New Orleans. He is the co-founder of the multi-production house, Soul Science Lab, and is passionate about uplifting youth through music, culture, and technology. As a composer, he's scored productions for Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage as well as other notable writers. As a performer, he has shared the stage with several globally renowned artists, including Rakim, Rhiannon Giddens, Blitz the Ambassador, GZA, Wynton Marsalis, and Sunni Patterson. Amin is also a MetLife Meet the Composer award winner.
Ashley Hill Hamilton is a native of Uptown New Orleans and a mother of three. Formerly the Advocacy and Outreach Director of Birthmark Doula Collective and The New Orleans Breastfeeding Center, Ashley has an extensive background in Reproductive Health and Justice. She is a bold advocate for liberatory practices and meets her work in juvenile justice advocacy at the intersection of her work in Reproductive Justice- which aims to protect and create safe environments for children. Ashley has worked extensively to dismantle inequities in the healthcare system using evidence-based care and a harm reduction framework in caring for Black people entering the medical industrial complex.
She has served on the NOLA Momnibus, Maternal Child Health Coalition, Racial Equity Board of LIFT Louisiana and is an ASCEND Parent Advisor with The Aspen Institute. Ashley led Equity Labs for the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, organizing hospital administration, physicians, community organizations, and people of lived experience to implement evidence-based practices in hospitals to reduce complications and improve equity, dignity, and safety to ultimately improve outcomes for Black mothers during the perinatal period. She was instrumental in the Medicaid Reimbursement bill for Doulas and Midwives and provided language for HB190 with other advocates at the local and state level. She participated in study resolutions for HCR85, which aimed to examine policies relative to certain health issues of incarcerated women, worked with the Department of Corrections towards the implementation of The Prison Doula Project and served on the workgroup for the Louisiana Stop Solitary Coalition.
Ashley is invested in Black people having the tools they need to thrive, feel safe and parent in communities and spaces where they are supported.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Consultant
Ava Rogers is a consultant who previously served as the founding Director of Strategic Partnerships at New Pathways New Orleans. Ava is a values-driven leader who has successfully mobilized governments and institutions to better serve communities. She brings an extensive achievement record in breaking down institutional silos and integrating the work of entire systems to get results. Prior to joining NPNO, Ava worked as an independent consultant for international and domestic constituents, including the "Global Resilience Partnership" and a New Orleans-based non-profit. From 2013-2016, Ava served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the City of New Orleans. Ava has also spent 20 years as a U.S. diplomat in the U.S. State Department, specializing in conflict and emergency settings primarily in Africa and the Middle East. She currently serves on the boards of the Institute for Women and Ethnic Studies, Propeller and the New Orleans Arts Education Alliance. Ava was raised in New Orleans and is a proud alumni of New Orleans public schools. She holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and has a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Prior to moving to New Orleans in 2012, Chris grew up in the Atlanta area and completed an AmeriCorps service year where she served as a reading tutor, after-school program coordinator, and mentor to elementary and middle school-aged children enrolled in Atlanta public schools.
She earned her BA in Social Sciences from Tulane University, graduating cum laude. Before joining the LCCR staff, Chris spent time working as a client advocate at a civil rights law firm, and as a paralegal at a long-standing Louisiana law firm where she gained experience in criminal, civil, personal injury, and mass tort litigation.
Chris maintains her dedication to serving communities by advocating for people directly impacted by the criminal punishment system. She has volunteered over 150 hours with Court Watch NOLA and sits on the board of the FreeDem Foundations. Her commitment to ending carceral punishment strongly informs her work as a staff investigator, where she continues to learn and practice the Spanish language with a focus on legal vocabulary to assist the Spanish-speaking children represented by LCCR
Eden, originally from South Florida, is a proud graduate of CUNY Law. Prior to law school, she worked as a client advocate at the Orleans Public Defenders office for three years. During and after her law school career, Eden worked as a public defender in Nome and Bethel, Alaska before returning to New Orleans. She is excited to continue her career at LCCR and to join the fight to keep children away from the justice system, advocating for a more equitable and compassionate future.
Elizabeth has worked as Special Counsel at Louisiana Center for Children's Rights (LCCR) since 2014. Prior to becoming special counsel at LCCR, Elizabeth worked as a staff attorney at the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center (LCAC). At LCAC, Elizabeth represented indigent clients facing the death penalty throughout the state of Louisiana, primarily at the trial level. Before becoming a staff attorney at LCAC, Elizabeth worked at the Orleans Public Defenders as a staff attorney representing indigent clients charged with criminal offenses in Orleans Parish. Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and Wellesley College.
Job Titles:
- Civil Legal Attorney
- Civil Legal Attorney for CDT
Elizabeth Jones received the Juvenile Justice Clinic Award upon graduating from Georgetown Law Center in 2009, where she participated in the Juvenile Justice Clinic under professor Kris Henning. She began her legal career at the Orleans Public Defender before returning to her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky where she started her own law firm and became an Endowed Chair in the Pan-African Studies Department at the University of Louisville, teaching classes on race and the law. In 2018 she completed a PhD in Urban and Public Affairs, studying the impact of mass criminalization on neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. While in Louisville, Elizabeth served on a number of local government criminal justice initiatives including co-directing a study on racial fairness in the Jefferson County Courts and co-chairing the Police Working Group for the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods. Before joining the team at LCCR Dr. Jones worked as the Training and Recruitment Director of Gideon's Promise, a national organization for public defender training and support.
Job Titles:
- Senior Mitigation Specialist
Job Titles:
- Partner, Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, LLC
George C. Freeman, III, is a founding member of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, LLC. His practice focuses mainly on securities litigation and enforcement. He primarily represents financial advisors and broker-dealers, together with their respective officers, directors, and employees, in customer disputes and in SEC and FINRA investigations. He also represents underwriters, issuers, and trustees in securities class action cases. Outside the field of securities, George concentrates in complex commercial litigation. George has long been a member of the American, Louisiana, and New Orleans Bar Associations, as well as the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the American Law Institute. He has taught jurisprudence, constitutional theory, and securities litigation and arbitration for over twenty-five years as a member of the adjunct faculty at Tulane University Law School, where he is a full Professor and a recipient of the Monte M. Lehman Distinguished Teaching Award. He is also active in community affairs, having served on the Board of Directors of Trinity Episcopal School, the Langston Hughes Academy Charter School, and FirstLine Schools, and on the Tulane Cancer Center Community Advisory Board.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Community Member
- Treasurer of the Board
Greg Browne brings significant financial, management and leadership experience to the board. Mr. Browne has served as both Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for several publicly traded healthcare companies as well as previously holding Board positions in both public and private companies. Mr. Browne has a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and a Bachelor of Laws from University of NSW, Australia, and an M.B.A. from the International Institute for Management Development, Switzerland. He lived in New Orleans for 15 years from 1992 to 2007 and returned to the city in 2018.
Hannah was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai'i. She holds a BA in Ethnic Studies from the University of San Diego, and a JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Hannah joined LCCR in September of 2016 as a Loyola Law School Public Interest Fellow and now serves as a staff attorney on the Juvenile Life Without Parole Direct Representation Team. Hannah is a member of the Native Hawaiian Bar Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer, L.L.C
Irving is a member of Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer, L.L.C. Prior to joining this firm in 1980, Irving was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana and a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice, from whom he received a Special Commendation. He thereafter served on the Federal Public Defender Panel for the Eastern District of Louisiana for over twenty years. Irving concentrates his practice in representing individuals and families in personal injury and wrongful death litigation, particularly in the areas of admiralty/maritime and products liability, including adults and children who have suffered catastrophic brain, spinal cord and burn injuries as a result of negligent conduct or a defective product. He was a recipient of the New Orleans Federal Bar Association's Jack Martzell Professionalism Award. Irving is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation, and the Louisiana Bar Foundation. He has long been a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association's Ethics Advisory Service Committee. Irving's civic activities have included serving on the Board of Directors and as President of the Audubon Area Zoning Association and Louisiana Appleseed, of which organization he is currently an Emeritus Board Member. In 2022, he completed his two-year term as Chair of the Advisory Board of the South Central Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and he continues to serve on that board as well as ADL's National Commission. Irving was a member of the Isidore Newman School Board of Governors from 1997-2014, and he was the Board Chair for three of those years.
Kara Hobbs was born and raised in Baton Rouge and graduated from LSU with her bachelor's degree in psychology. During her undergraduate years, she had the opportunity to study abroad where she deepened her appreciation for other languages and cultures. Today, she enjoys celebrating and learning more about her own Louisiana African/American/Creole heritage. Her work experience includes time spent in schools, a clinic, and an Applied Behavior Analysis center where she learned behavior modification techniques. Her most recent job was at Metanoia Manor, a residential facility for adolescent survivors of sex trafficking. While there, she learned more about the juvenile justice system and further developed her passion for reaching youth in difficult situations. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, kickboxing, krav maga, learning languages, and spending time with her family and friends. She wholeheartedly embraces LCCR's philosophy and mission and is excited to be joining the team as a youth advocate.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Co - Executive Director
Born and raised in New Orleans, Kristen A. Rome, comes to LCCR with over a decade of social and criminal justice experience. Having completed an externship with the Orleans Public Defenders Office and participated in the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic & Center for Social Justice as a student practitioner, Kristen opened a criminal defense practice with her father upon admission to the Louisiana Bar. With a commitment to providing accessible, client-centered legal representation, Kristen defended both adults and juveniles in Orleans and surrounding parishes. Throughout her private practice, Kristen maintained a focus on ending juvenile life without parole; successfully advocating for parole eligibility in several cases.
Kristen holds a BA in Political Science from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, an English Law Certificate from The London School of Economics and Political Science in London, England and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. In addition to her legal work, Kristen is a certified holistic doula, a mentor with Project Butterfly New Orleans and a former Professor of American Constitutional Law at Shanghai International Studies University School of Law in Shanghai, China.
Maria, originally from Littleton Colorado, has always had a passion for service and leadership. In 2016, Maria obtained her Bachelor's Degree in psychology from Seattle Pacific University. Her internships within the field of mental health provided a foundation to truly understand the importance of prioritizing mental health for overall wellbeing. In 2017, Maria joined Teach for America, in which she uprooted to experience life in the south and serve children in low-income schools. During her two years of teaching 7th and 8th grade students in Pointe Coupee Parish, Maria experienced firsthand the injustices within the educational system working against her students, and became especially passionate about impacting the school-to-prison pipeline. Maria made the difficult decision to cease her teaching career to pursue graduate school. Maria graduated in 2021 with her Master's degree in social work from LSU, specializing in children and youth. Maria's passion for providing children and their families equitable opportunities to thrive led her to join the team at LCCR.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director and Chief Counsel of the Juvenile Law Center
- Deputy Director and Chief Counsel, Juvenile Law Center
Marsha Levick is the Deputy Director and Chief Counsel of the Juvenile Law Center, a public interest law firm which advances the rights and well-being of children in jeopardy. Ms. Levick co-founded JLC in 1975 and served as its first executive director until 1982. In 1982, Ms. Levick left JLC to become the Legal Director of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York City and, from 1986 1988, Ms. Levick served as Executive Director of NOW LDEF. Ms. Levick worked in private practice from 1989-1995. In 1995, Ms. Levick returned to JLC, where she now manages JLC's litigation and appellate docket, which focus mainly on the rights of children in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Nationally, Ms. Levick worked with the American Bar Association's special taskforce to develop standards for the prosecution of juveniles in the adult criminal justice system, and currently serves on the management committee of the National Juvenile Defender Center, a joint project of the ABA Juvenile Justice Center, the Juvenile Law Center, and the Youth Law Center. Ms. Levick is a member of the adjunct faculty of both Temple University Law School and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she co-teaches a course on juvenile justice. Ms. Levick is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Mary Okoth, LCSW is a social worker, artist, and aspiring herbalist. She currently works in private practice as a trauma-informed psychotherapist. She previously worked as a Program Manager at the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies; a PK-8 school social worker with Communities In Schools; a Case Manager, Grant Specialist, and Teaching Assistant at Operation Restoration; a Program Manager at Solitary Gardens; a co-founder of Bar None; and, a Legal Assistant at the Hite Law Group. Mary is a 2018 graduate of Tulane School of Social Work where she earned a Master of Social Work degree with a certificate in Disaster Mental Health and Trauma Studies. She first collaborated with the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights in 2018 while completing her graduate fieldwork as a social work intern at LCCR. She is a 2014 graduate of Oberlin College where she double-majored in Studio Art and Art History. Most recently, Mary earned a certificate in Community Herbalism from the People's Medicine School in 2021. She is now continuing her plant medicine studies as a member of the 2023 We Care For Us Mentorship cohort. Mary is honored to continue working alongside the New Orleans community as a member of LCCR's Board of Directors.
Monique Duplessis is a New Orleans native who has worked in the legal field for over 5 years. Having briefly left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Monique remained committed to restoring the city she loves so much. Her passion for building a better and more just New Orleans led her to criminal investigation work. It is her belief that reducing juvenile incarceration and system involvement is paramount to shaping our city's future. Monique is a graduate of the University of New Orleans, where she obtained a BS in Psychology.
Job Titles:
- Director of Organizational Effectiveness
Oluremi (Remi) Abiodun is a native New Orleanian who joined LCCR in September of 2021 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney. Remi graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Spanish from Spelman College and a joint- Juris Doctor and Master of Social Work from Florida State University College of Law. While at FSU Law, Remi worked as a student practitioner in the Public Interest Law Center's Child Advocacy Clinic, the Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, and as the Florida Department of Children and Families' Gubernatorial Fellow. Prior to law school, Remi spent three years teaching sixth-grade math at a Title One school in New Orleans.
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Benefit Operations, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Louisiana
Paula Shepherd brings significant leadership, legal and management experience to LCCR's board of directors. She has been employed with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana for more than 20 years, currently serving as Vice President, Benefit Operations. Prior to this role, she served as Senior Legal Counsel with the company. Mrs. Shepherd has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in English from Southern University, an M.B.A. from University of Phoenix and a Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center. She is passionate about human rights and works in her community as a pastor.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Renard Bridgewater is an organizer, communication strategist, creative, and cultural advocate. He joins LCCR after several years organizing with and on the behalf of New Orleans cultural community members to pursue equitable policies that benefit and
protect their indigenous cultural practices. Within this role, Renard created clear and concise messaging, engagement tools and public facing documents to educate the city's musicians, artists, and culture bearers on various policy initiatives. His perspective on these issues has been featured in The Gambit Weekly, Offbeat Magazine, Motherboard, Amplify Music Conference, Antigravity Magazine, Dwell Magazine, the Smart Cities Dive Podcast, University of
Colorado Denver's Music and Entertainment Industry Studies program, etc. He is also a recent graduate of both the Bryan Bell Leadership Forum and The Gambit New Orleans' 40 Under
A native of New Orleans, Roxanne Sutfield started her journey to help seek justice in 2004. Roxanne interned at A Fighting Chance, gathering information to seek adequate legal counsel to properly represent indigent offenders who faced the death penalty. Roxanne also interned at the Orleans Public Defenders Office, in which she gathered information from court dockets and prepared questions for the judge to identify the proper sentencing or release for inmates in custody. Upon completion of Roxanne's internship, she graduated from Southern University of New Orleans with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Roxanne's profound passion for justice led her to join the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL) in 2013. JJPL merged with Louisiana Center for Children's Rights "LCCR" in 2014, where Roxanne became the legal administrative assistant for the organization. Throughout the years of working directly with the Juvenile Public Defense attorneys, Roxanne transitioned to LCCR's first paralegal.
Mr. Hill joined the LCCR team in 2014 as its first-ever Development Director. Previously, he spent six years raising funds for a progressive poverty relief nonprofit in the District of Columbia called Bread for the City. There he rose the ranks from grantwriter to associate director of development, helping the organization secure several new six-figure commitments as well as Federally Qualified Health Center certification. At LCCR, Mr. Hill develops and executes all strategies related to the organization's individual and institutional (foundations, corporations) fundraising efforts. Mr. Hill holds a B.A. in English from George Mason University.
Sam Marrone was born and raised in Delray Beach, Florida and moved to New Orleans in 2007. She is a staff attorney on the Children's Defense Team. Sam is a graduate of Tulane University and Tulane Law school. She graduated with a joint-Juris Doctor and Master of Science from Tulane Law School and Tulane's Payson Center for International Development. After practicing as a corporate attorney for 6 years, she decided to switch careers. Sam is passionately dedicated to abolishing the criminal "justice" system and believes that all children deserve freedom and to have the tools they need to thrive.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Equal Justice Works Fellow
Serena Hughley is an Equal Justice Works Fellow and staff attorney at LCCR. Originally from Georgia, she attended Spelman College and Harvard Law School. At Spelman, Serena worked with the Learning Club, an alternative sentencing program for young people in Atlanta, Georgia. During law school, she served as a student attorney with LCCR, the Center for Children's Law and Policy, and the Southern Center for Human Rights. Serena is excited to join the LCCR team in providing enthusiastic, client-centered representation.
Shon E. Williams was born and raised in New Orleans. At 17, Shon was
sentenced to a mandatory life sentence in prison. Shon served 26 years in the
Louisiana State Penitentiary. With no hope of coming home, Shon tried to make his situation better. During his incarceration, Shon obtained his GED, became a