Brandis Friedman - Emcee

Co-anchor and Correspondent for Chicago Tonight

Brandis Friedman is a co-anchor and correspondent for Chicago Tonight, and the host of Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, both on Chicago’s PBS affiliate, WTTW Channel11. Her reporting on education and criminal justice issues has appeared on the PBS NewsHour and NPR’s The Takeaway. Before joining Chicago Tonight, Brandis worked as a reporter and anchor for WBBM Newsradio 780, and as a producer/reporter for WJLA-TV/ABC-7 in Washington, DC. In addition to earning three regional Emmy Awards for her work in DC, she’s earned two Peter Lisagor Awards, recognizing excellence in journalism, from the Chicago Headline Club, and multiple Emmy nominations. Originally from Mississippi, Brandis’ work has taken her to numerous cities including Kansas City, Missouri, Little Rock, Arkansas and Wichita Falls, Texas. She has served on the board of the Chicago Headline Club, which is the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and is a member of the Education Writers Association and National Association of Black Journalists. Brandis is a graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans, where she earned a degree in Mass Communications, and Columbia University in New York City, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Journalism. Brandis lives in Evanston with her husband and two sons. 

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Jahmal Cole

CEO and Founder of My Block My Hood My City

A champion of social justice, Jahmal Cole’s mission is to build a more interconnected Chicago on the pillars of service and education.

As the founder and CEO of the city’s fastest growing social impact organization, My Block My Hood My City, Jahmal is the creator of an exposure-based education program for teens and a network of volunteer initiatives that serve Chicago communities year-round.

Traveling, youth mentorship and community organizing are the subjects of Jahmal’s highly acclaimed books and speeches. He has spoken to audiences ranging from high school students to the Mayor of Chicago.

In 2019, Jahmal Cole was named to Crain’s 40 under 40. He’s also the recipient of the 2019 Champion of Freedom Award, the 2018 Chicago Defender Men of Excellence Honoree, and the 2018 Chicago City Council Resolution Award. In 2018, he was also named one of the “20 Most Inspiring Chicagoans” by Streetwise Magazine and a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine. Most recently he was awarded the 2020 American Red Cross Community Impact Hero Award.

Quinn Rallins

Director of Justice, Equity, and Opportunity Initiative of the Office of Illinois Lieutenant Governor 

Quinn Rallins is Director of the Justice, Equity, and Opportunity Initiative for the Illinois Lieutenant Governor’s Office and serves on the Board of Directors for Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.
 

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Dr. Dennis Deer

Vice President of Organizational Health & Management at LCLC and Cook County Commissioner for the 2nd District

Dr. Dennis Deer is a native of Chicago’s Westside Community of North Lawndale and has over 15 years of executive management experience. Dr. Deer serves as the Vice President of Organizational Health and Management at Lawndale Christian Legal Center where he is delighted to be working to impact change in his local community. In addition, Dr. Deer is a seasoned national trainer and clinician. Outside of LCLC, he serves as Cook County Commissioner of the 2nd District.  

Cliff Nellis

Executive Director at LCLC

Cliff Nellis, J.D., M.Div. is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English and a Minor in Political Science from Illinois Wesleyan University and a Master in Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Mr. Nellis studied cross-sector partnerships between government and non-profit leaders in Chicago and New Delhi, India, through the Civic Leadership Academy of University of Chicago. Mr. Nellis clerked for the Honorable Edward Nottingham of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado before founding the Lawndale Christian Legal Center in Chicago, Illinois, which provides holistic community-based criminal defense legal services for youth and emerging adults. He served on the Executive Coordination Team that established the first Restorative Justice Community Court for emerging adults in Chicago, is a member of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, and past President of the Chicago Bar Association Legal Aid Council.