Composition and Membership

David Olson, Ph.D., is a professor at Loyola University Chicago in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department and co-director of Loyola’s interdisciplinary Center for Criminal Justice Research. Dr. Olson also is a 20-year veteran of ICJIA, where he served as director of Illinois’ Statewide Drug and Violent Crime Control Strategy Impact Evaluation Program and was responsible for overseeing the evaluation and monitoring of federally funded drug control efforts in Illinois.

With more than 30 years of experience in criminal justice, Dr. Olson has worked with a variety of federal, state, and local agencies to develop and evaluate programs and policies, particularly in community and institutional corrections.

Dr. Olson received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Loyola University Chicago, a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a doctorate in political science/public policy analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he also was the recipient of the Assistant United States Attorney General’s Graduate Research Fellowship.

Ahmadou Dramé is Illinois Justice Project director, a position he took on after serving as program director for two years. Throughout his career, Mr. Dramé has used his advocacy skills to empower communities impacted by mass incarceration, call attention to the injustices of the criminal legal system, and advance initiatives that eliminate permanent punishments and reduce society’s reliance on the criminal legal system as a response to socioeconomic and racial disparities. He was an instrumental member of the award-winning Just Housing Coalition, which eliminates barriers to housing for returning residents in Cook County by securing the passage of the Just Housing Ordinance. He directed a program that provided “Know Your Rights” training to people who are incarcerated in state prisons. Mr. Dramé was co-chair of the Chicago Mayor’s Reentry Working Group, which created the city’s first director of reentry position and secured more than $50 million for housing and services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he directed a reentry housing pilot program that served 120 households. Mr. Dramé is a 2023 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and master of public administration degree at DePaul University.

Patrick Delfino was appointed director of the Office of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor in December 2008. Mr. Delfino is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and is an experienced trial and appellate attorney. Before joining the appellate prosecutor’s office as assistant director, Mr. Delfino served as a drug attorney and court specialist with the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission and as the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Director of Planning and Special Projects.

Mr. Delfino has taught both at college and law school and is a member of the Sex Offender Management Board and the Department of Children and Family Services Children’s Task Force. Mr. Delfino also serves as executive director of the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association. He is a past president of the Illinois Academy of Criminology and a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and the National District Attorneys Association.

Candice Adams currently serves as 18th Judicial Circuit Court Clerk of DuPage County, a position she has held since her election in 2020. Prior to being elected, she was a practicing attorney for over 10 years, specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases with Ankin Law and Grotefeld Hoffman. Adams received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a juris doctor from John Marshall Law School.

Eileen O’Neill Burke was elected Cook County State’s Attorney in 2024. Eileen’s deep and diverse experience working on the front lines of the justice system began when she served as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney in 1991. After a decade as a prosecutor, Eileen worked as a criminal defense attorney, which gave her a balanced view of the justice system. In 2008, Eileen was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County, where she served for eight years, presiding over both criminal and civil litigation. In 2016, Justice Burke was elected to the First District Appellate Court in Cook County. During her time there, she authored over 800 written decisions in both civil and criminal cases and reviewed over 1,800 trial court decisions. Justice Burke has a special passion for training the newest judges and taught Civil Procedure to every new judge in Illinois for 12 years, beginning in 2012, as part of the Judicial Education Faculty. Justice Burke also served as the President of the Illinois Judges Association until June of 2023 and led that organization’s classroom education efforts. A fourth generation Chicagoan, Eileen was born and raised on the Northwest side and graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Keith Calloway is director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. In this role, Mr. Calloway serves as a liaison to training academies, entities, and the Board and travels to agencies and academies across Illinois to monitor compliance with Board policies and procedures in conjunction with state and federal laws. Mr. Calloway is a 32-year veteran of Chicago Police Department (CPD), where he served in numerous roles and retired as the chief of CPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs. Mr. Calloway completed his undergraduate studies at Northern Illinois and Chicago State Universities. He also earned a master of public administration degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is a graduate of the Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command and the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police.

James E. Chadd was appointed director of the Office of the State Appellate Defender in January 2018. Mr. Chadd has spent his entire legal career with the Office of the State Appellate Defender beginning as an assistant appellate defender in Springfield in 1984. He moved to the Chicago office in 1989, became a supervisor in 2002, an assistant deputy in 2010, and the deputy state appellate defender in 2014. In 2011, Mr. Chadd received the James B. Haddad Award in recognition of a career marked by extraordinary legal work and dedication to representing indigent clients. Mr. Chadd holds a bachelor’s degree in history and English literature from the University of Oregon and a juris doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Vickii Coffey, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Governors State University Social Work Department. Prior to joining Governors State, Dr. Coffey was assistant director of Student Activities, manager of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavilion, and an instructor and graduate teaching assistant in the UIC Department of Criminology, Law & Justice. Dr. Coffey has worked as executive director of the Chicago Abused Women Coalition, Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network, and Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago. She has served on numerous boards and committees at Governors State University and within the Chicago community and is a member of the Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health. Dr. Coffey earned a bachelor’s degree at UIC, a master of social work administration at the University of Chicago, and a doctorate in criminology, law and justice at UIC.

Tom Dart was first sworn in as the 52nd Cook County Sheriff in 2006. Mr. Dart began his career in public service as an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County. In 1992, Mr. Dart won a seat in the Illinois House, where he sponsored Mayor Daley’s Safe Neighborhoods Act and authored several state laws designed to crack down on child sex offenders, including a statute that targeted child predators that lure young victims online. Mr. Dart also wrote the Sexually Violent Predators Commitment Act, enabling judges to detain sexual predators in state mental health facilities if they believe the offender is likely to commit new sex crimes. Mr. Dart joined the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in 2003, where he served as chief of staff to former Cook County Sheriff Michael F. Sheahan.

Jerry Davis serves as the executive director of GRO Community in Illinois and Ohio, where he oversees the day-to-day operations and implements programmatic and administrative policies. Mr. Davis has been a champion for social justice for more than 10 years, with a passion for incorporating holistic approaches to address the needs of historically marginalized communities in the Chicagoland area. Prior to becoming executive director, Mr. Davis was the Gro Community director of clinical counseling services and was part of the Becoming a Man Training Academy. Mr. He been recognized with numerous awards, including the Governors State University’s Distinguished Alumni Award and the Illinois Student Laureate Award for Civic Engagement and Excellence. Mr. Davis earned a bachelor’s and master of social work degree from Governors State University.

Eric Echevarria is chief of the Peoria Police Department. Mr. Echecarria has over 30 years of military and law enforcement experience. He is involved with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Police Executive Research Forum. Mr. Echevarria also served as a corporal for the United States Marine Corps. He is a former commander of the Elgin Police Department and has extensive experience as a resident officer, working in major investigations, juvenile investigations, gang, drug, and technical investigations units, recruitment, and more. Mr. Echevarria received an associate’s degree from Benedictine University, a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Master’s of public administration from Northern Illinois University.

Keith Grant is president of the Illinois Public Defender Association, where he is serving his fifth two-year term. He is the senior supervising attorney for the Lake County Public Defender’s Office, where he has held various other positions including chief of the Special Defense, Professional Development, and Guardian Ad Litem divisions. He also was a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pre-trail Practices. Prior to joining the Lake County Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Grant served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged as a captain in 1992. Mr. Grant earned a bachelor’s degree at Ripon College and juris doctorate at the Northern Illinois University College of Law.

Latoya Hughes is acting director of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Ms. Hughes is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and is an experienced trial attorney. Prior to serving as acting director, Ms. Hughes served as IDOC Chief of Staff and Chief Inspector. Before joining IDOC, Ms. Hughes served for 15 years as an assistant state’s attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO). While there, she supervised the CCSAO Community Justice Centers. Ms. Hughes also served as a guardian ad litem in the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office.

Brendan Kelly is Director of Illinois State Police.

Prior to joining ISP, Mr. Kelly served as St. Clair County State’s Attorney. During his military service as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Mr. Kelly conducted research on Israeli-Palestinian joint police patrols in the Middle East. As an assistant state’s attorney, he served on the Illinois State Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Council. He was a member of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, the Illinois Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform Commission, and the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force.

Mr. Kelly received a juris doctor from the St. Louis University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in government and international relations from the University of Notre Dame.

Sharone Mitchell was sworn in as Cook County Public Defender in April 2021. Mr. Mitchell began his legal career in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender, first as a clerk in law school and later as an assistant public defender with assignments in the Civil, First Municipal, and Felony trial divisions.

In 2016, Mr. Mitchell joined the Illinois Justice Project, a policy reform organization dedicated to supporting people, programs, and policies that can reduce inappropriate incarceration, improve community safety outcomes, reduce recidivism and increase justice in the legal system. He became Illinois Justice Project director in 2019.

Mr. Mitchell has received several professional awards, including the Safer Foundation Visionary Award in 2020 and the Barbara Jordan Award for Excellence in Judicial Advocacy and Education from Judicial Accountability PAC in 2019. Mr. Mitchell also is a member of the Associate’s Board of Chicago Debates, St. Leonard’s Ministries, and the Board of Live Free Chicago, the local chapter of a national faith-based organization created to organize people of color against mass incarceration and violence.

Mr. Mitchell has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a law degree from DePaul University College of Law.

Kendal Parker is senior director of Inclusive Engagement for UIC Advancement at the University of Illinois Chicago. He works with internal and external constituencies to maximize philanthropic capacity and support for the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Mr. Parker previously served as the director of the UIC CHANCE Program and has more than 20 years of experience developing and cultivating relationships resulting in initiatives that help to advance equitable outcomes in academic and community settings. He serves on the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc, and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce- Emerging Leaders. Parker received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Toni Preckwinkle was first elected Cook County Board President in 2010. Prior to joining the Cook County Board, Ms. Preckwinkle served as alderman of Chicago’s 4th Ward for 19 years. In that time, Ms. Preckwinkle built a professional and responsive ward organization that met the diverse needs of her constituents. She sponsored the living wage and affordable housing ordinance, and was a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit to institute a more racially equitable map of Chicago’s ward boundaries.

Prior to joining Chicago City Council, Ms. Preckwinkle taught high school history in Chicago for 10 years. During that time, she ran a non-profit organization aimed at neighborhood improvement. Ms. Preckwinkle was recipient of the IVI-IPO Best Alderman Award in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2008. She also received the 1997 and 2009 Leon Despres Awards. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago.

Kwame Raoul was sworn in as the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois in January 2019. He began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office handling matters at the trial and appellate level in the criminal, civil, and juvenile divisions of the office. He subsequently served as a senior staff attorney for the City Colleges of Chicago, handling primarily labor and employment matters. Mr. Raoul also has been a partner at two national law firms, serving in the health care and labor and employment practice groups.

In 2004, Mr. Raoul was appointed to serve as the state senator representing the 13th Legislative District, where he was subsequently re-elected on multiple occasions to represent the district. As a senator, Mr. Raoul led negotiations and sponsored legislation that eliminated the death penalty, required background checks on private gun transfers, and promoted law enforcement and criminal justice reform.

Mr. Raoul has been recognized for his work on behalf of survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, which includes passage of the Safe Homes Act and the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights. He earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and a juris doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Eric Rinehart is the Lake County state’s attorney, serving as chief administrator for the prosecutor’s office. Prior to becoming Lake County state’s attorney, Mr. Rinehart was the principal assistant for the Lake County Public Defender’s Office, where he represented approximately 100 defendants in felony cases and served as the lead attorney in 30 jury trials. He also trained assistant public defenders on trial and litigation tactics. Mr. Rinehart was the lead appellate counsel in successful oral arguments before the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals as a Schopf & Weiss litigation associate. He is a member of the Lake County Bar Association & Criminal Law Committee, Illinois Public Defender Association, Lake County Coalition to Reduce Recidivism, and the North Suburban Legal Aid & Illinois Domestic Violence Coalition. Mr. Rinehart earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Knox College and a juris doctorate at the University of Chicago Law School.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the front door to the criminal justice system, and Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos has pledged to keep that door open to all by ensuring the office’s services are transparent, accountable and accessible.

Upon taking office in December of 2024, Clerk Spyropoulos began her work to increase access to every community, to institute the highest ethical and professional standards and to improve service by expanding technology. As the daughter of immigrants, Clerk Spyropoulos strongly believes in supporting diverse and underserved populations navigating the justice system.

Clerk Spyropoulos grew up on Chicago’s South Side, attended Chicago Public School and took an early interest in public service. She earned a law degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago. She is a former Cook County assistant state’s attorney.

Clerk Spyropoulos’ passion for reforming government led her to win the election in 2010 as a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, a $1.7-billion-dollar agency responsible for protecting our water environment through the collection and treatment of waste and stormwater throughout the region. She was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2016 and 2022. She served as board president from 2015 to 2019.

While overseeing the district, Clerk Spyropoulos advanced cutting edge green technologies, transparency and fiscal responsibility. She was also a strong supporter of labor and veterans’ initiatives.

Clerk Spyropoulos maintained the district’s impressive AAA bond rating and introduced independent inspector general oversight while live-streaming board meetings to the public. Her work was recognized in 2017 with the Illinois Water Environment Association Public Official Award, in 2021 with the Public Service Award from the Water Environment Federation and in 2022 with the Alumni Public Service Award from the University of Illinois School of Law.

Sameer Vohra is the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. He is a general pediatrician and cross-disciplinary leader in state and national health policy formulation. His recent focus has been on improving health outcomes in central and southern Illinois. An associate professor of Pediatrics, Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Law at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIU SOM), Dr. Vohra also serves as interim chair of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership.

Dr. Vohra serves on the IDPH Illinois State Board of Health, the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Committee, and the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, and recently completed a term on the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee. He previously served on national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of American Medical Colleges, and American Medical Association, and on the Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medical Society Board of Trustees. In 2020, Dr. Vohra was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar, selected by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Presidential Center, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation.

Dr. Vohra completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago. He holds a medical doctorate from SIU SOM, a juris doctorate from SIU School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and science in human culture from Northwestern University.