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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

KATE WALZ, PRESIDENT

Kate Walz is a Senior Staff Attorney at National Housing Law Project (NHLP) and a local and national expert on housing policy related to federally assisted housing preservation, fair housing, crime-free and nuisance property ordinances, the Violence Against Women Act, and the intersection of the criminal legal system and housing access. Kate has served as counsel in several high-impact federal litigation cases and HUD complaints.

MICHELE RODRIGUEZ TAYLOR, TREASURER

Michele Rodriguez Taylor serves in the Office of Student Affairs at the UIC School of Public Health where she supports students embarking on public health careers. For over 20 years, Michele has filled several leadership roles in the nonprofit sector and has a broad range of experience in strategic planning and professional development training. She is a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) circle practitioner in Chicago.

LEONE JOSE BICCHIERE, DIRECTOR

Leone Jose Bicchieri is the founder and Executive Director of Working Family Solidarity. As a proud son of Mexican and Italian immigrants, Leone has dedicated over 30 years to organizing workers of all backgrounds for economic and racial justice. Leone previously served as Executive Director of the Chicago Workers Collaborative, where he founded the “Bringing Down Barriers” program to promote unity among African Americans and Latinos.

MARIA KRYSAN, DIRECTOR

Maria Krysan is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Senior Scholar at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For more than 25 years, she has conducted research on the causes of racial residential segregation and racial attitudes. Maria is an award-winning co-author of Cycle of Segregation: Social Processes and Residential Stratification, and is involved in several housing projects.

JAWANZA MALONE, DIRECTOR

Jawanza Malone is the Executive Director of the Wieboldt Foundation. He previously served as Community Organizer, Coalition Builder, and Executive Director of the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization (KOCO). His extensive background in community organizing and program development has led him to work in both the public and private sectors, in philanthropy, and with communities on five continents. 

ANDREA JURACEK, VICE PRESIDENT

Andrea Juracek is the Director of the Fair Housing/Public Housing Revisioning Team for Enterprise Community Partners Advisors. She consults nationally with a variety of agencies on ways to creat equitable housing policies and programs. She previously served as Executive Director of Housing Choice Partners, as Director of Fair Housing for Open Communities, and as Deputy Director of HOPE Fair Housing Center. 

BETSY SHUMAN-MOORE, SECRETARY

Betsy Shuman-Moore is an attorney and Fair Housing Program Director for Northside Community Resources in Chicago. She previously served as Director of the Fair Housing and Bias Violence Projects at the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. She has represented hundreds of housing discrimination complainants and tried severa civil rights cases, including some of the first sexual harassment in housing cases in the country.

JULIANA GONZALEZ-CRUSSI, DIRECTOR

Juliana Gonzalez-Crussi is the Executive Director of Center for Changing Lives. Juliana previously served as the Director of Housing Counseling & Advocacy Department at the Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA). Over her career, she has filled several leadership roles in seasonal and farmworker housing, housing policy and housing research. Juliana holds several appointed positions focused on equity and access.

ANDRE JOHNSON, DIRECTOR

Andre Johnson is the founder and CEO of LiveEquipd, a comprehensive web-based platform that simplifies equipment procurement for healthcare professionals and patients with paralysis-related disabilities. Andre's personal experience with spinal cord injury inspired him to start his own company after facing many barriers to finding suitable medical equipment for his needs. He is passionate about health technology and innovation.

JOHN PETRUSZAK, DIRECTOR

John Petruszak is the Executive Director of South Suburban Housing Center (SSHC). He is a legal expert in fair housing enforcement who has led a number of legal fair housing conferences and seminars. John has testified before the U.S. House Budget Housing Subcommittee on race-based FHA mortgage product steering in Chicago. He is a current contributor to several other committees and boards.

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