13.06.2023 Views

24th Annual Human Rights Awards Program Book

The National Immigrant Justice Center's (NIJC) Human Rights Awards celebrates human rights champions and the extraordinary contributions of business, civic, and community leaders.

The National Immigrant Justice Center's (NIJC) Human Rights Awards celebrates human rights champions and the extraordinary contributions of business, civic, and community leaders.

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

24 TH ANNUAL

NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER

HUMAN RIGHTS

AWARDS


Kirkland & Ellis

is proud to support the

24 th Annual National

Immigrant Justice Center

Human Rights Awards

Kirkland & Ellis LLP | 300 North LaSalle, Chicago, IL 60654

+1 312 862 2000 | www.kirkland.com/probono

2


24 TH ANNUAL

NATIONAL IMMIGRANT

JUSTICE CENTER

HUMAN RIGHTS

AWARDS

TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2023

12:00 – 1:30 P.M. CDT

HILTON CHICAGO

honoring

Javier Zamora

AbbVie

Muslim Women Resource Center

Wade Thomson

#HUMANRIGHTSAWARDS

3


WELCOME

This afternoon, we celebrate NIJC’s 24th Annual Human Rights Awards

and recognize the achievements of our partners, awardees, clients,

and the entire NIJC team. During the past 24 years, while the world has

changed dramatically, NIJC and our pro bono partners have remained

steadfast in our mission. Right now, there are more than 100 million

people forcibly displaced, the most in history by a wide margin. This is

the context in which we work. At this historic moment, the contributions

of an impressive number of volunteers and supporters have upheld our

obligation to defend the human rights of people who make courageous

journeys in search of security, yet face growing barriers.

In a time when the need has never been greater, NIJC and our partners

have made a difference in the lives of individuals and families. We

have launched innovative new models to increase access to justice,

including a universal representation pilot project and pro se clinics. We

have helped Chicago and the state of Illinois welcome our immigrant

neighbors.

In the face of unrelenting anti-immigrant rhetoric, increasing

criminalization and detention of migrants, and the erosion of the

U.S. asylum system—all occurring during this unprecedented global

migration—NIJC continues to expose and oppose these harmful and

cruel policies.

With your support, we will continue to provide legal services to thousands

of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and advocate to realize

our domestic and international legal obligations and uphold access to

justice for people seeking refuge.

You are making a difference – thank you for joining NIJC!

With my deepest gratitude,

Mary Meg McCarthy

Executive Director, National Immigrant Justice Center

4


NIJC’S MAJOR VICTORIES FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

in 2022:

Provided nearly

9,000

people life-changing

immigration legal services

Helped more than

2,200

people seek asylum

Defended nearly

2,300

people in removal

proceedings

Achieved

89%

success rate in

winning asylum

Recruited, trained, and partnered with

2,195

volunteer attorneys

from 260 partners

Notable recent victories:

Provided critical legal information

to more than 2,680 NEWLY

ARRIVED MIGRANTS bused to

Chicago from the southern border

MOBILIZED ADVOCATES to

oppose a proposed new rule that

would dramatically restrict asylum

access at the border

EXPOSED HUMAN RIGHTS

VIOLATIONS in immigration detention

facilities and challenged the unlawful

misappropriation of federal funds allocated

for the care of immigrants in detention

Represented and/or counseled

more than 280 AFGHAN

ASYLUM SEEKERS with

pro bono attorneys

INCREASED THE RATE OF REPRESENTATION of detained immigrants

before the Chicago Immigration Court by 10% through a universal

representation pilot project

5


SPONSORS

PREMIER

DIAMOND

Jeanne M. Sullivan

PLATINUM

KMA ZUCKERT

EMERALD

GOLD

The Kapnick

Foundation

6


AT TORNEYS

SPONSORS

SILVER

Lucy and Peter Ascoli

Elizabeth M. Higashi

JASZCZUK P.C.

FRIEND

Anonymous

Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP

Judge Grace Guerra Dickler

DISCO

Discover

FTI Consulting

Guidehouse

Holland & Knight LLP

Jarecki Law Group, LLC

Law Office of Jennifer K. Fardy

McGuireWoods LLP

Sheila O’Brien

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

Park Evaluations

Quarles & Brady LLP

Rapp Law Group LLC

Redgrave LLP

Romads Advertising

Sheppard Mullin

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P

Zurich North America

BENEFACTOR

Katherine Deibert

Mark Flessner

Frankel Family Foundation

SPECIAL THANKS

(in-kind and other donations)

Dotted Design

Jonty Young and Jenner & Block LLP

Gannon Center for Women & Leadership,

Loyola University Chicago

Global Relay

Mony Ruiz-Velasco and Denise Poloyac

7


AbbVie is proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center.

Thank you to AbbVie Legal

Professionals for their dedication

to human rights.

abbvie.com

8

106426 AbbVie Attorneys Human Rights Ad_v4.indd 1 4/25/23 9:35 AM


9


katten.com

Katten is proud to honor the

National Immigrant Justice Center

for its dedication to ensuring

human rights protections and for

giving us the privilege of contributing

to this invaluable work.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

CENTURY CITY | CHARLOTTE | CHICAGO | DALLAS | LOS ANGELES

NEW YORK | ORANGE COUNTY | SHANGHAI | WASHINGTON, DC

LONDON: KATTEN MUCHIN ROSENMAN UK LLP | ATTORNEY ADVERTISING

10


Latham & Watkins proudly supports the

National Immigrant

Justice Center

Congratulations to this year’s

Human Rights Corporate Award

recipient AbbVie

LW.com

11


Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher

& Flom LLP and Affiliates

Skadden is proud to

support the National

Immigrant Justice Center

and congratulates

Rebecca Ritchie and all

of this year’s honorees.

Beijing

Boston

Brussels

Chicago

Frankfurt

Hong Kong

Houston

London

Los Angeles

Munich

New York

Palo Alto

Paris

São Paulo

Seoul

Shanghai

Singapore

Tokyo

Toronto

Washington, D.C.

Wilmington

skadden.com

12


National Immigrant Justice Center

24 th Annual Human Rights Awards

With our Pro Bono partners, AT&T legal professionals work

to support NIJC’s efforts to defend the human rights of

individuals regardless of their citizenship status. We join the

Pro Bono community to congratulate this year’s honorees:

Jean M. and Joseph P. Sullivan Award

Javier Zamora

Human Rights Corporate Award

AbbVie

Human Rights Practitioner Award

Wade Thomson

Community Change Award

Muslim Women Resource Center

©2023 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.

We are so proud to work alongside NIJC and support

their critical work in the community.

Our deepest congratulations to this year’s

award recipients. May you all continue to

advance justice in our community.

13


Protecting Human Rights

Faegre Drinker Supports NIJC in its mission to

protect human rights and provide access to justice

for all immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Congratulations to each of today’s award recipients.

faegredrinker.com

© 2023 Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.

All Rights Reserved. 558621

14


KMA ZUCKERT

We are proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center

and its vital work protecting the rights of

immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers

KMA Zuckert LLC

CHICAGO MIAMI NEW YORK NEWARK WASHINGTON, DC

kmazuckert.com

15


DRIVING CHANGE TOGETHER.

Thank you, National Immigrant Justice Center, for

letting McDermott be a part of your outstanding

efforts to ensure human rights protections and justice

for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. We’re

proud to continue our support of your organization

and the 2023 NIJC Human Rights Awards.

VISIT US AT MWE.COM

©2023 McDermott Will & Emery. For a complete list of entities visit mwe.com/legalnotices.

This may be considered attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

is proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center’s

24 th Annual Human Rights Awards

omm.com

16


Reed Smith is proud to support the

2023 National Immigrant Justice

Center's Human Rights Awards.

reedsmith.com

17


WINSTON & STRAWN

PROUDLY SUPPORTS THE

National Immigrant

Justice Center and its

24th Annual Human

Rights Awards

winston.com

____

NORTH AMERICA

SOUTH AMERICA

EUROPE

ASIA

18


FRAGOMEN IS

PROUD TO SPONSOR

THE NIJC HUMAN RIGHTS

AWARDS 2023

A World of

Difference in

Immigration

At Fragomen, we don’t just facilitate immigration—we create opportunities. From individuals

and small local businesses to the world’s largest companies, we support all of your immigration

needs, all over the world. We are internationally local—with offices in the heart of each region

and services stretching around the world. No matter where you’ve come from, or where you’re

going next, Fragomen is here to propel you forward.

www.fragomen.com

19


20


21


Arnold & Porter joins human rights

champions everywhere in celebrating the

National Immigrant Justice Center’s

life-changing services and 2023 awardees.

© Arnold & Porter 2023 All Rights Reserved

bfkn.com

Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg congratulates all the winners of

THE NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER’S

24 th Annual Human Rights Awards!

BFKN is honored to partner with NIJC in its quest to ensure access to

legal representation and the protection of human rights for all.

22


Human rights and justice for all.

Chapman is proud to support NIJC and congratulates

this year’s Human Rights Award honorees. Together,

we have profound impact: ensuring human rights

protections and access to justice for immigrants,

refugees, and asylum seekers.

Chapman and Cutler llp • Attorney Advertising Material.

Charlotte • Chicago • New York • Salt Lake City

San Francisco • Washington, DC • chapman.com

Cozen O’Connor is proud to support National Immigrant

Justice Center and its Human Rights Awards.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees, including

Matthew DiCianni of Cozen O’Connor.

Michael J. Heller

Executive Chairman & CEO

(215) 665-4141

mheller@cozen.com

Vincent R. McGuinness

President & Managing Partner

(215) 665-2097

vmcguinness@cozen.com

Jeremy J. Glenn

Member

(312) 474-7981

jglenn@cozen.com

825 attorneys | 31 offices | cozen.com

©2023 Cozen O’Connor

23


A voice for justice.

We are proud to be a voice in our communities.

In collaboration with the National Immigrant Justice

Center, we are helping to expand access to justice for all.

dlapiper.com

Richard F. Klawiter, 444 W. Lake Street, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60606

| Attorney Advertising | MRS000207937

24


WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE

National Immigrant

Justice Center and the

2023 Human Rights Awards

gcmgrosvenor.com

This is

your summit.

Grant Thornton is proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center.

© 2023 Grant Thornton LLP | All rights reserved | U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd. In the U.S., visit gt.com for details

25


GTLAW.COM

Greenberg Traurig is proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center

We applaud your mission to ensure human rights protections and access to

justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP | ATTORNEYS AT LAW | 2650 ATTORNEYS | 44 LOCATIONS °

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

GreenbergTraurigLLP

GT_Law

GT_Law

Greenberg Traurig is a service mark and trade name of Greenberg

Traurig, LLP and Greenberg Traurig, P.A. ©2023 Greenberg

Traurig, LLP. Attorneys at Law. Attorney advertising. All rights

reserved. Contact: John F. Gibbons or Paul J. Ferak in Chicago at

312.456.8400.°These numbers are subject to fluctuation. 38024

Jones Day proudly supports the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and its efforts

to ensure human rights protections and access to justice for all. We congratulate AbbVie,

recipient of this year’s Human Rights Corporate Award, and celebrate all of this year’s

recipients who work tirelessly to advance the cause.

2400 LAWYERS. 40 LOCATIONS. 5 CONTINENTS. ONE FIRM WORLDWIDE ® . JONESDAY.COM

Littler is proud to

sponsor the 2023 NIJC

Human Rights Awards

and looks forward to our

continued partnership.

Labor & Employment Law Solutions

26


We are proud to support the

NATIONAL IMMIGRANT

JUSTICE CENTER

and congratulate this year’s

Human Rights Award honorees

www.morganlewis.com

© 2023 Morgan Lewis

Counsel to Great Companies

PerkinsCoie.com

Perkins Coie LLP Lawyer Advertising

27


PADDLE RAISE

Today’s paddle raise provides an opportunity for you to bid on various

levels of support to help sustain the work of NIJC’s 135-person team.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each of you has a paddle card on the table with a large number and your

name.

2. When the amount you would like to give is called, raise your paddle and

keep it raised until your number has been recognized from the stage.

3. NIJC will record all bids and charge your credit card if a card is on file.

4. If you didn’t register your payment information but provided a cell phone

number or email address at registration, you will receive a text or email

prompting you to self-checkout.

5. If you didn’t provide a cell phone number or payment information and

wish to participate in the paddle raise, please visit the checkout table on

your way out after the event to make your gift and get your tax receipt.

Thank you for your generosity! Your gift and all proceeds from the Human

Rights Awards provide critical legal services and advocacy for immigrants

and refugees today and in the future.

GIVING LEVELS

$10,000 Helps an asylum seeker win a complex case

$5,000 Defends an asylum seeker against deportation in

immigration court

$2,500 Sponsors a legal clinic for asylees & refugees to

obtain lawful permanent residency

$1,000 Educates 10 unaccompanied immigrant children about

their legal rights

$500 Files a young immigrant’s application to renew DACA

$100 Provides a legal consultation to keep a family together

28


PROGRAM

24th Annual Human Rights Awards

WELCOME

Abiman Rajadurai, McDonald’s Corporation

John M. Skakun III, Sidley Austin LLP

Co-Chairs of Human Rights Awards Committee

RISING STARS PRESENTATION

Aneesha Gandhi, Associate Director of Protection-Based Relief, NIJC

LUNCH

AWARDS PRESENTATION

Human Rights Corporate Award

AbbVie

Accepted by Perry C. Siatis, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and

Secretary, AbbVie

Presented by Mark Filip, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and Victoria, an NIJC client

Community Change Award

Muslim Women Resource Center

Accepted by Sima Quraishi, Executive Director

Presented by Darya Lali and Donya Lali

Human Rights Practitioner Award

Wade Thomson, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP

Presented by Jewher Ilham

Paddle Raise & Call to Action

The Jeanne M. and Joseph P. Sullivan Award & Keynote

Javier Zamora

Presented by Karen Dorantes

CLOSING REMARKS

Mary Meg McCarthy

Executive Director, National Immigrant Justice Center

#HumanRightsAwards

29


HONOREES

KEYNOTE & JEANNE M. AND JOSEPH P. SULLIVAN AWARD

Javier Zamora

Javier Zamora was born in La Herradura, El Salvador. When he was a year

old, his father fled due to the Salvadoran Civil War and his mother soon

followed. Javier was raised by his grandparents until he migrated to the U.S.

unaccompanied when he was nine. He is the author of The New York Times bestselling

memoir, SOLITO, and the poetry collection, Unaccompanied. Javier was a

2018-2019 Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and holds several fellowships,

including the Lannan Literary Fellowship. Among his awards, he has been

recognized with the 2017 Narrative Prize for Narrative Magazine and the 2016

Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award. He lives in Arizona.

HUMAN RIGHTS CORPORATE AWARD

AbbVie

AbbVie is a global biopharmaceutical company developing breakthrough

therapies for the toughest health challenges. AbbVie goes beyond medicine

to make a remarkable impact on people and communities. Since 2018 when

AbbVie began a partnership with NIJC, attorneys in AbbVie’s legal department

have represented 14 people seeking asylum and participated in NIJC’s legal

clinics where they provided legal counsel to Afghans to attain legal status.

HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTITIONER AWARD

Wade Thomson

Wade Thomson is a partner at Jenner & Block LLP, where he is a member of

the Management Committee and a co-chair of the firm’s Business Litigation

Practice. A long-time member and past co-chair of NIJC’s Leadership Board,

Wade has worked on more than 50 NIJC matters over the last 20 years. The

National Law Journal recognized Wade as a "trailblazer" in 2023, Crain’s Chicago

Business highlighted him as a Notable Leader for Nonprofits in 2021, and he is

a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow.

30


HONOREES

COMMUNITY CHANGE AWARD

Muslim Women Resource Center

For more than two decades, Chicago-based nonprofit Muslim Women

Resource Center has offered a broad range of social, economic, and legal

services and support to new immigrants and refugees from more than 30

countries. Its doors are always open to all immigrant, refugee, and lowincome

communities seeking assistance. Muslim Women Resource Center

partners with NIJC to provide legal services to Afghan evacuees, while also

providing interpreters, and social services to help countless Afghans resettle

in their new homes in the United States.

RISING STAR AWARDS

The Rising Star Awards recognize early career attorneys who have demonstrated

extraordinary commitment to ensuring access to justice for immigrants

by devoting substantial time to NIJC pro bono work, serving a significant

number of NIJC clients, and/or representing clients with complex cases.

Congratulations to this year’s awardees!

Greg Cui, Sidley Austin LLP

Matt DiCianni, Cozen O’Connor

Joshua Dille, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

Robin Evans, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Alex Garel-Frantzen, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Maria Fay Karras, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Jordan Lemoine, Sidley Austin LLP

Urvi Morolia, Littler Mendelson P.C.

Ashleigh Ricardo, Winston & Strawn LLP

Rebecca Ritchie, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates

Dru Selden, Littler Mendelson P.C.

Mike Trucco, Winston & Strawn LLP

31


PRESENTERS & SPEAKERS

KAREN DORANTES

Karen Dorantes was born in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico and immigrated to Chicago when

she was three years old to reunite with her parents, who had migrated earlier. Karen

grew up in the Chicago area and excelled as a student and athlete. In high school,

she realized she was an undocumented immigrant, which limited work, travel, and

higher education opportunities. NIJC represented her in securing Deferred Action

for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). A graduate of St. Xavier University (Chicago), she is

pursuing her master’s degree at DePaul University in speech pathology and a dual

certificate in Spanish and English.

MARK FILIP

Mark Filip is an attorney at Kirkland & Ellis, helping lead the firm’s government

enforcement defense and litigation groups and serving as a member of the firm’s

Executive Committee. Mark has deep experience in both private practice and

government service, having served as a federal judge for the Northern District of

Illinois and as U.S. Deputy Attorney General after unanimous confirmations by the

U.S. Senate. He is also a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and formerly

served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago and a law clerk for the U.S. Supreme

Court and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mark has been committed to pro bono legal

services throughout his career.

ANEESHA GANDHI

Aneesha Gandhi is the associate director of NIJC’s Protection-Based Relief Project,

where she oversees both NIJC’s Asylum Project and LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative.

She also represents people seeking asylum and other types of immigration relief and

advises pro bono attorneys representing asylum seekers through NIJC. Prior to joining

NIJC, Aneesha was a legal fellow at the Diocese of Kalamazoo Immigration Assistance

Program, and worked with the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, the

Greater Boston Legal Services’ Immigration Unit, and the Vera Institute.

JEWHER ILHAM

Jewher Ilham is the author of two books, Jewher Ilham: A Uyghur’s Fight to Free Her Father

and Because I Have To: The Path to Survival, the Uyghur Struggle, and an advocate for the

Uyghur community and for her imprisoned father, Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti.

Jewher has testified before the U.S. Congress and the Senate, published op-eds in The

New York Times, CNN, and the Guardian, and received numerous international awards

on behalf of her father, including the European Parliament’s Sakharov prize. Jewher

works at the Worker Rights Consortium as a Forced Labor Project Coordinator and

serves as a spokesperson for the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour. She helped

produce and is featured in the groundbreaking documentary film, All Static and Noise

(May 2023), about the plight of Uyghurs.

32


PRESENTERS & SPEAKERS

DARYA LALI AND DONYA LALI

Darya and Donya Lali grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Donya assisted women starting

their own businesses and advocated for women’s education. When the United States

withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, it was not safe for their family to stay and

they were forced to leave their home. They fled to the United States and applied for

asylum. They live in Chicago and have volunteered as interpreters at legal clinics with

NIJC and Muslim Women Resource Center to help Afghans apply for asylum. Darya is

currently obtaining her GED, and working at O’Hare Airport and as an interpreter with

HIAS to help Afghan families file for asylum.

MARY MEG MCCARTHY

Mary Meg McCarthy is NIJC’s executive director. Under her leadership, NIJC has grown

from a $1M to a $16M organization with 135+ staff and a network of over 2,000 pro

bono attorneys in five offices throughout the United States. Through its unique

approach integrating advocacy, impact litigation, legal counsel, and public education,

NIJC has responded to the ever-changing immigration environment. Mary Meg is an

internationally recognized immigration law expert who has testified before Congress

and at the United Nations and is frequently quoted in major news outlets including

The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN. Her honors include the Justice

John Paul Stevens Award from the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Inn of Court

2015 Don Hubert Public Service Award, the Pax Christi 2013 Teacher of Peace Award,

the Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter 2021 Kathryn Smith Matkov Award, the

Damen Award from Loyola University Chicago, and the Dr. Thomas J. Dooley Award

from the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association. In June 2018, she received an

honorary degree in law from Knox College (Galesburg, IL).

SIMA QURAISHI

Sima Quraishi is the founder and executive director of the Muslim Women Resource

Center (MWRC), a non-profit social services organization in Chicago. Sima is a native

of Afghanistan who came to the United States as a refugee in the mid-1980s when

she was 9 years old, and settled in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. She

received a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an M.A. in community

development from North Park University. Inspired by her own experience as a refugee,

she established MWRC in 2001 to address the needs of South Asian immigrants and

refugees, and the organization quickly expanded to provide a broad range of social

services to all immigrant, refugee and marginalized communities in need in the

Chicagoland area.

33


PRESENTERS & SPEAKERS

ABIMAN RAJADURAI

Abiman Rajadurai is Senior Counsel, Global Labor & Employment Law, at McDonald’s

Corporation, and serves as General Counsel for McDonald’s Operating Company. He

actively participates on the legal department’s pro bono and DEI committees. Abiman

is a long-time NIJC pro bono attorney. He is a member of NIJC’s Leadership Board and

co-chairs the Human Rights Awards Committee.

PERRY C. SIATIS

Perry Siatis is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, a member of

the executive leadership team, and responsible for global legal and the office of ethics

and compliance at AbbVie. He is credited with negotiating highly successful global

business deals, navigating complex government policy, and providing strategic

legal guidance for multiple billion dollar brands. He is dedicated to AbbVie’s legal

department’s commitment to providing pro bono support.

JOHN M. SKAKUN III

John Skakun is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP. He advises companies, boards

of directors, and executives in high-stakes litigation, corporate crises, and risk

management. He leads Sidley’s Political Asylum & Immigrants’ Rights Pro Bono

Project, and has led and overseen dozens of asylum cases, appeals, and impact

litigations. He successfully argued an asylum case before the Seventh Circuit Court of

Appeals that has served as precedent in numerous other asylum cases. He serves on

NIJC’s Leadership Board and co-chairs the Human Rights Awards Committee.

VICTORIA

Victoria is an attorney who, with her husband and son, fled persecution in Colombia

and asked for asylum when her family reached the U.S. southern border. Victoria and

her husband were criminally charged for entering the United States without proper

documentation. Within days of being charged, government officials separated them

from their son. Victoria and her husband were detained in Texas and their son was

sent to a shelter for unaccompanied immigrant children. Eight months later, when

the criminal charges against Victoria were finally resolved, she was released and

reunited with her husband and son. Attorneys from AbbVie and Kirkland & Ellis LLP

represent the family in their asylum case.

34


NIJC BOARDS & COMMITTEES

Human Rights Awards

Committee

Abiman Rajadurai, Co-Chair

John M. Skakun III, Co-Chair

Carrie Di Santo

Chad Doobay

Jonathan Drage

James T. Enstrom

Jennifer K. Fardy

Gary Feinerman

David A. Gordon

Jenny Golding

Lisa Haidostian

Iris Millán

Jon Milonas

Linda Myers

Tony Padilla

Ernesto R. Palomo

Alexis Perlmutter

John J. Reidy III

Brett Scharback

Charles F. Smith

Natalie Spears

Jessica Staiger

Jeanne M. Sullivan

Ana Maria Tyrrell

Kimberly White

Vania Montero Wit

NIJC Leadership Board

Sherene A. Jodrey, Co-Chair

Ann Marie Walsh, Co-Chair

Melissa Allchin

Caitlin Annatoyn

Marina Aronchik

David Berten

Bartram Brown

Gabrielle Buckley

Edith Canter

Marta Carreira-Slabe

Peter Cheun

Joan Coogan

Grace Guerra Dickler

Kathleen Dillon Narko

Amy Doehring

Chad Doobay

Crystal Doyle

Jennifer K. Fardy

Terry Feiertag

Susan Fortino-Brown

Eric Gorman

Sarah Gryll

Lisa Haidostian

Monica Halloran

Nicole Henning

Annette Isaacson

Michael Jarecki

Marc Kadish

Richard "Brad" Kapnick

Richard Klawiter

Danae Kovac

Marketa Lindt

Christine Matott

Iris Millán

James Morsch

Craig Mousin

Alexis Perlmutter

Daphnee Pierre Camilien

Ivan M. Poullaos

Abiman Rajadurai

Ernesto Ramos

Randall Rapp

John J. Reidy III

Gabriel Rodriguez

Mony Ruiz-Velasco

Lee Ann Russo

Enrique Salgado

Gloria Santona

Douglas Sargent

Mark Schwartz

David Serwer

Duane Sigelko

John M. Skakun III

Michele Slachetka

Maile H. Solis

Mark Sullivan

Alen Takhsh

Nick Tarasen

Wade Thomson

Ana Maria Tyrrell

Ann Marie Wahls

Benjamin C. Weinberg

Ellen Wheeler

Vania Wit

Gretchen Wolf

Miriam Zeidman

Mary Meg McCarthy, NIJC

Executive Director

NIJC Associate Leadership

Board

Anna Mikulski, Co-Chair

Gizem Tunca, Co-Chair

Marlen Cortez Morris

Katie Craig

Carolina De Marchena

Daniel Echeverri

Jonathan A. Enfield

John Foerster

Eric Garcia

Judy He

Thomas Hoyt

Maria Fay Karra

Sandra M. Lopez

Raul Loureiro

Patrick R. O’Meara

Peter J. O’Meara

Monica C. Pedroza

Rebecca Ritchie

Samantha Ruben

Sahar Segal

Sydney Slyfield

Edward W. Somers

Marlow Svatek

Deepak R. Tamasker

Hope Tone O’Keefe

Lizzy Westrope

Brittany Wiegand

Lavanga Wijekoon

Sylvia Wolak

Lindsey M. Woods

35


HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS – A BRIEF HISTORY

The Human Rights Awards is Chicago’s premier event to honor human rights

advocates and bring together business, civic, and philanthropic leaders committed

to promoting human rights in our community and beyond. The event benefits

Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center and provides critical legal

services and advocacy for immigrants and refugees today and in the future.

2022

KEYNOTE: Dan-el Padilla Peralta, Princeton

University professor and author

AWARDEES: Illinois Coalition for Immigrant

and Refugee Rights; Elizabeth Lopez, United

Airlines; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &

Flom LLP

2021

PANEL: Ella, Gabriela, Samer, Maria Hinojosa

(moderator)

AWARDEES: Allstate; Johannes Favi; Sara

Ghadiri, Chapman and Cutler LLP

2020

KEYNOTE: Aarti Shahani, journalist and bestselling

author

AWARDEES: Ankura; Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

2019

KEYNOTE: Julissa Arce, author and immigrant

rights activist

AWARDEES: Kirkland & Ellis, Interfaith

Community for Detained Immigrants,

Margaret Balsley-Cross

2018

KEYNOTE: Dolores Huerta, labor leader and

civil rights activist

AWARDEES: Jones Day, Microsoft

Corporation

2017

KEYNOTE: Minnesota House Representative

Ilhan Omar, first Somali-American legislator

and former refugee

AWARDEES: Aon, Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Reed

Smith LLP

2016

KEYNOTE: Monica McWilliams, Professor

of Women’s Studies, University of Ulster,

Northern Ireland

AWARDEES: John "Jay" Reidy III, AT&T

Inc.; the Loyola University Chicago

Student Body; Walgreen Co.

2015

KEYNOTE: Ishmael Beah, New York Times

bestselling author and president of the

Ishmael Beah Foundation

AWARDEES: Carol Brook, Federal

Defenders Program; Mark Flessner,

Holland & Knight; JPMorgan Chase

2014

KEYNOTE: Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer

Prize-winning journalist

AWARDEES: Linda Coberly, Winston &

Strawn; Daniel Olmos; United Airlines, Inc.

2013

KEYNOTE: U.S. Senator Richard Durbin

AWARDEES: AT&T Inc.; Immigrant Youth

Justice League; Brian Murray, Jones Day

2012

KEYNOTE: Maria Hinojosa,

correspondent for PBS FRONTLINE, host

of NPR’s Latino USA

AWARDEES: Caterpillar Inc. Legal

Services Division; Jesús G. Chuy”

García, Cook County Board of

Commissioners; Lawrence S. Schaner,

Jenner & Block LLP; Jon Stryker, Arcus

Foundation

2011

KEYNOTE: Chief Justice Margaret

Marshall, former Chief Justice of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

AWARDEES: Albany Park Theater Project;

Terry Yale Feiertag, Hughes Socol Piers

Resnick & Dym, Ltd.; McDonald’s

Corporation

36


2010

KEYNOTE: Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift, defense

counsel in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

AWARDEES: Duane Sigelko, Reed Smith;

Sisters of Mercy; Exelon Corporation

2009

KEYNOTE: António Guterres, U.N. High

Commissioner for Refugees

AWARDEES: Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls;

James Morsch, Butler, Rubin, Saltarelli &

Boyd; Winston & Strawn LLP

2008

KEYNOTE: Harold Hongju Koh, former

dean, Yale Law School; former assistant

secretary, U.S. Department of State

AWARDEES: The Chicago Community

Trust; The Chicago Public Library; Chicago

Public Radio; The Chicago Reporter; WTTW11;

Melville Washburn, Sidley Austin LLP

2007

KEYNOTE: Joseph Margulies, former

assistant director, MacArthur Justice

Center, Northwestern University Law

School

AWARDEES: Jenner & Block LLP; Carlos M.

Sada, former minister for Congressional

Affairs, Embassy of Mexico; Tibetan

Alliance

2006

KEYNOTE: Seymour Hersh, journalist, The

New Yorker Magazine

AWARDEES: Levi Strauss & Co.; Marjorie

Kovler Center for the Treatment of

Survivors of Torture; Irené Martinez, M.D.;

Lee Ann Russo, Jones Day

2005

KEYNOTE: Richard J. Goldstone, former

justice, South African Constitutional

Court

AWARDEES: Joseph Margulies, assistant

director at MacArthur Justice Center;

Natalie Spears, Sonnenschein Nath &

Rosenthal

2004

KEYNOTE: Paul Hoffman, civil and

human rights attorney

AWARDEES: Margaret Blackshere,

former president of the Illinois AFL-

CIO; David Berten, attorney; Ariel

Investments

2003

KEYNOTE: Mary Robinson, former U.N.

High Commissioner for Human Rights,

former president of Ireland

AWARDEES: Juan Mendez, University of

Notre Dame; Bob Glaves, Chicago Bar

Foundation; Aon Corporation

2002

KEYNOTE: The Honorable Abner J.

Mikva; Peggy Kuo, attorney, UN

International Criminal Tribunal for the

Former Yugoslavia

AWARDEES: Chicago Tribune Editorial

Board; Edwin Silverman, Illinois

Department of Human Services;

Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan,

philanthropists

2001

KEYNOTE: David S. Weissbrodt,

University of Minnesota Law School

AWARDEES: Jacqueline Bhabha,

the University of Chicago; Baxter

International Foundation

2000

KEYNOTE: Juan Garcés, attorney and

leader of the legal team prosecuting

Chilean dictator General Augusto

Pinochet

AWARDEES: Robert Kirschner, physician

and human rights leader; U.S.

Representative Jan Schakowsky

37


NIJC STAFF

as of 5/4/23

Mary Meg McCarthy,

Executive Director

Olivia Abrecht

Brianna Aceves

Jherlly Acosta Fecher

Lizeth Aguilar

Ayah Albareedi

Isabel Alia Arias

Heidi Altman

Michele Amatangelo

Erika Asgeirsson

Brianda Avila

Bilal Bach

Brenda Balderas

Erik Bingham

Richard Caldarone

Nicole Carter

Geoff Cebula

Joseph Choe

Lisa Chun

Peter Claassen

Alejandra Cohen

Solomon Collins

Colleen Cowgill

Jacquelyn Delgado

Taha Din

Mary Donnelly

Morgan Drake

Lily Dunkin

Vivian Enriquez

Azadeh Erfani

Yolatli Esparza

Vanessa Esparza-Lopez

David Faherty

Sareena Fayaz

Mark Feldman

Nubia Fimbres

Mark Fleming

Jesse Franzblau

Aneesha Gandhi

Oscar Garcia

Brenda Garcia

Martha Garcia-Izaguirre

Mary Georgevich

Elizabeth Gibson

Kai Gigous

Abigail Ginzburg

Andrea Gomez-Paz

Jaime Gonzalez

Nathalie Gonzalez

Rebekah Gonzalez

Evan Gorelick

Lourdes Gracia

Michael Grunenwald

Olga Guerrero Gonzalez

Nayna Gupta

Lina Habib

Lilianna Henkel

Gema Hernandez Nava

Brittany Herschberger

Michael Hoyt

Jess Hunter-Bowman

Brandon Jaimes

Elizabeth Juarez

Olivia Judd

Elizabeth Kalmbach Clark

Stacey Kamin

Melissa Kehr

Nadia Khawja

Mary Kilbride

Lisa Koop

Aaron Kruk

Elizabeth Lang

Tania Linares Garcia

Julio Lopez

Nereida Lopez

Moises Lopez Soltero

Ruben Loyo

Megan Lundblad

Cynthia Macedo

Jacqueline Mares

Erin Martin

Maeve Mascarenhas

Katherine Mayopoulos

Katherine McCoy

Matthew McGuire

Dominique Mejia

Viviana Mendez

Cecilia Mendoza

Vivian Millan

Ellen Miller

Rachel Milos

Abdul Moqbel

Jenny Morales

Jonathan Mullins

Riley Murphy

Alexia Oluwadeyi

Angela Olvera

Brianna Ortega

Juan Parrado

Andrew Patterson

ManoLasya Perepa

Lenin Plazas

Katarina Ramos

Diana Rashid

Natalie Reysa

Julie Rich

Hillary Richardson

Rebecca Ries-Roncalli

Mary Roche

Lisiann Rodriguez

Carla Rodriguez Flores

Charles Roth

David Ruiz-Padilla

Monica Saavedra

Theodora Saclarides

Elisa Salgado

Catalina Salley

Johan Salome

Berenice Sanchez Ruiz

Carrie Schwarz

Yuvia Serna

Aimen Shah

Eva Shapiro

Anna Sheridan

Marie Silver

Amanda Slezak

Brenda Solorzano

Stephanie Spiro

Karolyn Talbert

Trisha Teofilo Olave

Tara Tidwell Cullen

Julia Toepfer

Naomi Tovar

Clara Unzicker

Lee VanderLinden

Elvira Villa

Fabiola Villalpando

Colleen Ward

Mara Weaver Boshart

Isabel Weber

Ruth Welch

Mayon Yen

Keren Zwick

38


HEARTLAND ALLIANCE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Evelyn Diaz, President, Heartland Alliance

Kary McIlwain, Chair

Robin Armour, Vice Chair

Melinda Earle, Vice Chair

Daniel Lezotte, Vice Chair

Theodore W. Michalke, Vice Chair

Michael Nutter, Vice Chair

Ryan Ruskin, Vice Chair

Zaher Sahloul, Vice Chair

Julie Getzels, Secretary

Marcelo Presser, Treasurer

Mary L. Ahern

Shubha Ahya

Ali Azim

Mike Bagley

Elissa Bassler

Henry Beverly

Allida Black

Ryan Boyle

Christopher Brathwaite

David Elzinga

Jacqueline English

Jennifer Faron

Susan Fortino-Brown

Becky Frederick

Cynthia Fronczak

Shannon Galvin

Charles Garrido

Alicia Gonzalez

Scott Goodman

Richard Grossi

Lisa W. Haag

Alan Harder

Gwen Hassan

Elaine Klemen

Julianne Migely

Makiyah Moody

Renee Moses

Joey Nakayama

Arnold Patton

Ameya Pawar

Kyle Peterson

Susan Rider Porter

Randall Rapp

Leslie Riekenberg

Selwyn Rogers

Mary Rosenberg

Robin Snyderman

Kevin Sterling

Alén Takhsh

Ronald Tuan-Mu

Lorraine Waller

Andrea Wiles

Paul Wilkowski

Nineveh Zoudo

Rhyan Zweifler

39


Porter Wright is proud to

congratulate attorney Josh Dille for

being honored with a 2023 National

Immigrant Justice Center Rising

Star Award.

A passion for purpose

PwC is proud to support National Immigrant Justice

Center as part of our commitment to making a

meaningful difference in the world.

TheNewEquation.com

© 2023 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved.

Ropes & Gray is proud to support

The 24th Annual National Immigrant

Justice Center’s Human Rights Awards

ropesgray.com

40


Akerman strongly supports the National

Immigrant Justice Center’s vital efforts to

provide legal services and programs that

protect immigrant rights and families.

700+ Lawyers, 24 Offices

akerman.com

©2023 Akerman LLP. All rights reserved.

41


A Proud Supporter

ArentFox Schiff is committed to safeguarding the rule of law and proudly

supports the National Immigrant Justice Center. Congratulations to

today’s Human Rights Award honorees.

Smart In

Your World

afslaw.com

42


Congratulations to the 24th Annual

National Immigrant Justice Center

Human Rights Honorees

CRA is proud to support the National Immigrant

Justice Center in their work to provide access

to life-changing immigration legal services and

programs that protect immigrant rights, defending

integrity with empathy and transparency.

Kristofer Swanson, Forensic Services, kswanson@crai.com

John Rademacher, Forensic Services, jrademacher@crai.com

www.crai.com

CME Group Salutes Heartland Alliance’s

National Immigrant Justice Center

and its mission to ensure human rights protections and access

to justice for all immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

CME Group is a trademark of CME Group Inc. The Globe logo is a trademark

of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.

43


Driven by justice.

© 2023 Cooley LLP, 3175 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.cooley.com

We are proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center and

the 24th Annual Human Rights Awards.

advancing justice

and human rights

CORNERSTONE RESEARCH

cornerstone.com

Congratulations to this year’s

amazing honorees!

ctsimpact.com

44


Predict, Prepare, Respond

Helping organizations and law firms predict,

detect, and respond to matters arising from crises,

controversies, and transactions.

Through forensic accounting skills, use of advanced

analytics, and the design and implementation of

programs designed to help mitigate disruptive risks,

Deloitte Forensic has the capabilities to help clients

address their most complex issues.

Learn more at deloitte.com/us/forensic-services

Copyright © 2023 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved

Dykema supports the NIJC and its critical

advances to ensure protections for

vulnerable immigrants. Congratulations

to this year’s honorees.

www.dykema.com

California | Illinois | Michigan | Minnesota | Texas | Washington, D.C. | Wisconsin

45


Thank you to the staff and supporters of the

National Immigrant Justice Center

for keeping dreams alive.

Our dreamers are here to stay!

Elizabeth M. Higashi

The Future

is Equal

Learn more at exeloncorp.com.

46


Is Proud to Support the

NIJC Human Rights Awards

Congratulations to AbbVie on Receiving the

Human Rights Corporate Award!

312-201-4000

goldbergkohn.com

goldbergkohn.com

GGU is honored to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center

and we congratulate this year's honorees of the

24th Annual Human Rights Awards.

ggulaw.com

ggu@ggulaw.com

Hinshaw is proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center.

hinshawlaw.com

© 2023 Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP | Attorney Advertising

47


48


49


We Proudly Support the Dedicated Staff of the

National Immigrant Justice Center.

Exclusively focused on Immigration and Nationality Law

www.sfortinolaw.net

Proud to be a part of

the solution.

Manatt proudly supports the National Immigrant Justice Center

and congratulates this year’s Human Rights Award recipients.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, llp

manatt.com

McDonald’s Legal Department

is honored to support

the exceptional work of the

National Immigrant Justice Center

Congratulations to our pro bono partner and hero,

Wade Thomson, and to all of the 2023 award recipients.

We also recognize all attorneys and legal staff who dedicate

themselves to providing pro bono services in the community.

50


Orrick is proud to support the

NIJC HUMAN

RIGHTS AWARDS

and we congratulate the 2023 awardees

51


We are honored to support the NIJC’s

Human Rights Awards

and congratulate all of the awardees.

Cheers to a successful event!

is proud to support the National

Immigrant Justice Center on

its 24th Annual Human Rights

Awards and joins in congratulating

this year’s honorees.

Proskauer is a leading global law firm, providing a wide range of legal services

to clients worldwide. To learn more about the firm, visit Proskauer.com.

Proskauer Rose LLP | 70 West Madison, Suite 3800, Chicago, IL 60602-4342 | 312 962 3550 | Attorney Advertising

PROTIVITI IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE

HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL

IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER

protiviti.com

© 2023 Protiviti Inc. An EOE M/F/D/V. PRO-0423

52


Congratulations

2023 NIJC

Human Rights

Awards Winners

RSHC is proud to support the rights of immigrants and

refugees through pro bono counsel and advocacy work.

#ProudtobeRSHC

rshc-law.com

CHICAGO | SAN FRANCISCO | NEW YORK | ANN ARBOR | LOS ANGELES / IRVINE

We’re proud to support the National

Immigrant Justice Center Human

Rights Awards.

rsmus.com

Visit rsmus.com/aboutus for more information regarding RSM US LLP and RSM International.

Saul Ewing is proud to support the

National Immigrant Justice Center

and congratulates the honorees of the

24 th Annual Human Rights Awards.

saul.com

Chicago Office:

161 North Clark St., Suite 4200

Chicago, IL 60601

53


Schaner Dispute Resolution is proud to support NIJC in

protecting the rights of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers,

and congratulates the 2023 Awardees.

www.schanerlegal.com

The Modern Law Firm.

Celebrating those who champion

human rights.

Taftlaw.com

54


SIDLEY IS PROUD TO

SUPPORT THE

National Immigrant

Justice Center

Congratulations to

all honorees of the

24th Annual

Human Rights Awards.

AMERICA • ASIA PACIFIC • EUROPE

sidley.com

Attorney Advertising - Sidley Austin LLP, One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603.

+1 312 853 7000. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. MN-20191

55


POST ABOUT THIS EVENT ON

SOCIAL MEDIA USING THE HASHTAG

#HumanRightsAwards

IMMIGRANTJUSTICE

IMMIGRANTJUSTICE

@NIJC

NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER

SIGN UP

immigrantjustice.org/subscribe

DONATE

immigrantjustice.org/donate

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) ensures human rights protections and

access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through a unique

combination of direct services, policy reform, impact litigation, and public education.

www.immigrantjustice.org

NATIONAL

IMMIGRANT

JUSTICE CENTER

A

PROGRAM

224 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 600

Chicago, IL 60604

(312) 660-1370

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!