Meet Our Staff
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Alan Mills
Executive Director
Alan started volunteering at UPLC in 1979 while attending Northwestern University School of Law. He served as a staff attorney for two years, and became Legal Director in 1992. In 2014, Alan was appointed UPLC’s Executive Director. Under his leadership, UPLC has developed the largest docket in the state of Illinois of civil rights cases filed on behalf of Illinois prisoners. UPLC currently has seven pending class action cases protecting Illinois prisoners’ civil rights.
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Nicole Schult
Legal Director
Nicole become the Legal Director in June 2020. She joined UPLC as an Attorney in 2011. She coordinates our Social Security Program, handles most of UPLC’s tenants’ rights cases, and works on our prisoners’ rights cases. She graduated from Boston University Law School.
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Megan Groves
Senior Director of External Relations
Megan attended Harvard University's Public Narrative program and holds a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Marketing Management from North Park University. She is an activist and community organizer, and has worked at UPLC since January 2015.
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Sarah Blair
Attorney
Sarah joined UPLC in September 2019 after her graduation from Harvard Law School. Her work focuses on providing direct service to incarcerated women in Illinois, ensuring that their needs are addressed in our ongoing and future litigation.
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Kyle Johnson
Attorney
Kyle began at UPLC in September 2021 as a prisoners' rights fellow after graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Two months later, he was hired as a full-time staff attorney to focus on tenants' rights and Social Security disability. Kyle is a lifelong Chicago resident and a Chicago Public Schools alum.
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Ashley Bishel
Attorney
Ashley joined UPLC in September 2022 as a staff attorney. Her work focuses on tenants’ rights and the Just Housing Amendment. She coordinates know-your-rights trainings and community meetings with low-income tenants in Chicago. Ashley graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2022.
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Maya Goldman
Attorney
Maya joined UPLC as an Equal Justice Works fellow in September 2022. Their work focuses on the intersection between reentry and disability rights, as well as the rights of currently imprisoned disabled people. Maya is a graduate of the University of Chicago and of NYU School of Law.
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Madison Kemker
Attorney
Madison joined UPLC in September 2022. Before graduating from Notre Dame Law School, Madison was awarded the Thomas L. Shaffer Public Interest Fellowship. Her work focuses on prison litigation, specifically, monitoring cases ensuring that people with mental illnesses in prison are receiving appropriate mental health care
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Ian McCollum
Attorney
Ian joined UPLC as an Equal Justice Works fellow in September 2022. He works on the Pre-Release Enrollment Project, which helps soon-to-be released imprisoned people in Illinois qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Ian graduated from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in 2022.
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Melissa Peña
Supervising Paralegal
Melissa began at UPLC in February 2019. She conducts research, processes medical records, performs legal intakes and assists the office attorneys with medical summaries, legal briefs, as well as administrative tasks. Melissa graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in 2018.
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Antonia Rojas
Office Coordinator
Toni has been at UPLC for over 25 years. She serves as the Office Coordinator, provides information and referrals to clients, and performs legal intakes. Toni lived in Uptown for many years.
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Leah Levine
Paralegal
Leah joined UPLC in April 2022. She conducts research, processes records, performs legal intakes, and assists the office attorneys with legal briefs as well as administrative tasks. Leah graduated from UIUC in May 2022, with a Master’s degree in library and information science, and is a proud Rogers Park resident.
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Reb Paris
Administrative Assistant
Reb joined UPLC in April 2022. They provide administrative support to the Executive Director, which helps keep UPLC operating efficiently. Reb holds a B.A. in Political Science from Concordia University, and a Certificate in Paralegal Studies from Tulane University.
Board of Directors
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Gregory McConnell
President
Winston & Strawn LLP -
Malorie Medellin
Secretary
Latham & Watkins -
Arthur Ellis
Treasurer
Attorney -
Levi Stahl
University of Chicago
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Sean Suber
Winston & Strawn LLP
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Herbert Zarov
Mayer Brown
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Sarah Grady
Kaplan & Grady
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Ryan Dunigan
Corning Incorporated
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Kristine Argentine
Seyfarth Shaw
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Leslie Kuhn-Thayer
Sidley Austin
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Locke Bowman
Loevy & Loevy
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Matt DalSanto
Winston & Strawn