Leadership

Philosophy

I am a visionary leader grounded in experience and driven by faith and purpose. I believe true leadership is not only about having a plan, but about inspiring others to fulfill their purpose. I strive to lead with clarity, compassion, and conviction—encouraging those around me, especially my fellow judges, to serve their communities with excellence, integrity, and heart. To me, leadership means seeing what’s possible, motivating others to rise to their calling, and building structures that bring lasting change.

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Thought Leadership

The Chicago Bar Association

Offices Held

• President (2025–Present)

• First Vice President (2025)

• Second Vice President (2024)

• Executive Committee Member (2024–Present)

• Board of Managers (2019–2021)

Signature Initiatives

• Chair, Coalition of Chicagoland Bar Associations
  Spearheading a historic collaboration to promote unity, innovation, and the rule of law.

• Chair, CBA 150th Anniversary Celebration (2021–2024)
  Creator of legacy events:

– Community Legal Fair

– Book Bans Panel Discussion

– CBOE Bell Ringing

– Ceremonial First Pitches (Cubs & Sox)

– 5K Walk/Run benefiting The Chicago Bar Foundation

Committee Service

• Chair, Board Liaison Committee (2024–2025)

• Chair, Mental Health & Disabilities Law Committee (2016–2017)

• Co-Chair, Mental Health & Disabilities Law Committee (2015–2016)

• Member, Ad Hoc Live vs. Remote Court Practice Committee (2023)

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Educational Leadership

Judicial Education

Supreme Court of Illinois Judicial College

• Faculty, Election Issues (2024)

• Faculty, Behavioral Health & Cognitive Challenges in the Courtroom (2022)

Legal Education

University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law

• Adjunct Faculty, Trial Advocacy (2022–2025)

• Coach, Constance Baker Motley Trial Competition (2025)

Prairie State College

• Adjunct Faculty, Criminal & Juvenile Justice (2003)

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Instructional Leadership

CLE and Professional Training

• Panelist, Ask Civil Court Judges: A Candid Conversation with the Bench, National Business Institute (NBI), (2024)

• Moderator, Civility in the Profession: How to Play Nice – CBA Basic Skills Program (2022–2024)

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Community Leadership

Illinois Judicial Council

• Chair, Scholarship Committee (2024–Present)

Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice

• Member, Community Trust Committee (2018–2021)

• Touring Panelist, Building Community, Trusting the Civil Justice System, Prairie State College, New Faith Baptist Church, and Cook County Sixth Municipal District Courthouse (2019)

The Chicago Bar Foundation

• Co-Chair, Pro Bono Week: Connecting with Communities (2019)

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Organizational Leadership

The Lawyers Club of Chicago

• President (2023–2024)

• Secretary/Treasurer (2022–2023)

The Links, Incorporated

Workshop Presenter

• Unlocking the Code: Ethics as the Foundation for Chapter Success – National Assembly (2018)

• Clutching My Pearls! Exploring Unethical Conduct and Behaviors in a Chapter Setting – Central Area Conference (2019)

Chapter Leadership

• Recording Secretary (2021–2023)

• Chair, Central Area Ethics & Standards Committee (2017–2019)

• Parliamentarian & Bylaws Chair (2016–2017)

Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated

• Chair, Protocol Committee, Midwestern Region (2015–2017)

• Chapter Vice President (2013–2017)

• Parliamentarian (2012–2013)

• Chair, Membership, Bylaws, Nominating, Legislative, Fundraising & Children’s Committees (2007–2023)

Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra

• • • Chair, Marketing Committee (2022–2024)

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Public Speaking Leadership

• Guest Speaker, Annual Spring General Body Meeting, Black Women Lawyers Association (2025)

• Panelist, A Comparison of Civil and Criminal Law in the U.S. and Italy, CLE Abroad, The Chicago Bar Association, Palermo, Sicily (2025)

• Moderator, Celebrating Women Leaders – CBA Women Past Presidents, Alliance for Women Committee, The Chicago Bar Association (2025)

• Guest Speaker, Judicial Reception, Black Women Lawyers Association (2025)

• Guest Speaker, Judicial Series, Black Law Students Association of UIC School of Law (2024)

• Keynote Speaker, CBA YLS Law Day, Voices of Democracy (2024)

• Panelist, Career Day Celebration, DuPage County ACT-SO Program (2024)

• Panelist, Judges’ Pet Peeves: Advocacy Approaches That Work, and Those That Don’t, Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law – Eleventh Annual Judges’ Panel (2023)

• Panelist, Harris County (TX)  Judicial Education Panel, Clark Hill (2023)

• Guest Speaker, Judicial Series, Black Law Students Association of UIC Law School (2023)

• Panelist, Reflecting on Black Women in the Judiciary, Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Women & the Law, Illinois State Bar Association (2023)

• Panelist, Judicial Roundtable Discussion, National Black Prosecutors Association Conference (2023)

• Designated Mentor, Black Women Lawyers Association Mentoring Dinner (2023)

• Keynote Speaker, CBA YLS Law Day, Toward A More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change (2022)

• Panelist, Ever Consider Becoming a Judge, Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (2021)

• Panelist, Careers in the Law, Loyola University School of Law (2021)

• Guest Speaker, Judicial Series, Young Lawyers Section of The Chicago Bar Association (2021)

• Panelist, Road to the Robe, UIC School of Law (2021)

• Panelist, Mental Health Hearings During the COVID-19 Shutdown, ISBA Mental Health Law Committee (2020)

• Guest Speaker, Scholarship Banquet, The Tie That Binds Ministries, Inc. (2019)

• Panelist, Building Community Trust in the Civil Justice System, Fifth Annual Mental Health Conference, Prairie State College (2019)

• Panelist, When Mental llness Requires Protective Care, Elder Justice Center, Circuit Court of Cook County (2019)

• Panelist, Mental Health and the Courts, Illinois Judicial Council, Victory Apostolic Church (2019)