Equal Justice Society News - Newsletter Summer 2007

Rico, one of EJS's original staff members, has decided to further his graduate education. After several months of trying to reconcile his desire to stay at EJS with studying for GMAT exams, Rico gave notice in February that he was dedicating himself to a full-time pursuit of a higher eduation calling. Rico will definitely be missed not only for the warmth and energy he brought to our office but also because he played such a strong role in getting EJS off the ground.

Formally the Associate Director of Coalitions & Projects, Rico was our networker, coalition builder, project coordinator, event planner, strategic analyst, conference organizer, panel provider, communications liaison and -- on top of all of that -- filled every other role we needed. He became a quick study in legal issues ranging from equal protection to the nexus of civil rights and corporate reform. Having dedicated himself to learn the nuances of campaign finance reform, he also represented us on statewide clean money coalitions.

Rico was instrumental in coordinating the Northern California Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations, the California Coalition for Fair & Independent Judges, and the Impact 209 Coalition, often serving as a facilitator along with other coalition management duties. Rico also organized steering committees, research contracts and reports for both the public and for our funders.

Behind the scenes, Rico was also our internal strategic planner. Filling our retreats with multi-color diagrams and charts, Rico supported our long-time organizational consultant, Roberto Vargas, by helping facilitate the critical follow-up needed after the retreats were over.

Rico plans to reenter the nonprofit world after earning his MBA…we are counting on you, Rico…Good luck from all of us here at EJS!

STUDENT INTERNS JENNY LAM AND DANIELLE TIZOL COMPLETE THEIR SPRING WORKSTUDY PROJECTS. NICOLE MEDEIROS STARTS IN MAY

EJS has had a remarkable group of interns since its founding and this year’s interns were no exception. Jenny Lam from Boalt and Danielle Tizol from USF Law School were great contributors to EJS, often working odd hours to complete research on a unique set of issues. Danielle hopes to return to us for part-time work during the summer and then return to USF for her third year. Jenny will be interning at a larger firm this summer and will return to Boalt.

Nicole Medeiros just recently joined us as a summer Research Intern. She recently earned a Masters degree in Sociology, with a focus in Race and Ethnic Relations, at Stanford University. She also earned a bachelors degree in History, with a minor in Portuguese, from Stanford. She has worked as a course assistant at the Haas Center Public Service Scholars Program and as a student assistant in the Office of the General Counsel at Stanford. Nicole is the co-founder and co-director of Stanford Beyond Bars, a service group that provides tutoring to jail inmates. She has also served as an intern for the US Department of Education and as a research assistant for the UCLA History Department.

During the summer, Nicole will primarily focus on conducting a survey of racial attitudes through research and polling. She will also assist with research on existing interventions to mitigate the negative impact of unconscious bias.

JAMES BROSNAHAN HONORED BY IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER

EJS board member James Brosnahan was honored May 17 at the 2007 Immigrant Legal Resource Center Phillip Burton Immigration and Civil Rights Awards dinner. Brosnahan shared the award with his firm, Morrison Foerster LLP, and the firm's Pro Bono Manager, Kathy Pugh.

This annual event is attended by approximately 300 local community and corporate leaders, national immigration advocates and members of the media. Since its inception in 1979, the ILRC’s mission has been to create a society that embraces diversity, respects the dignity and rights of all people, and values the contributions new Americans make to our society. Learn more about ILRC at http://www.ilrc.org.

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