Meet Our Team
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Claire Nilsen Blumenson, Executive Director & Co-Founder (she/her)
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Tayo Belle, Esq., Deputy Director (she/her)
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Rachel Russo, Esq., Director of Operations (she/her)
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Aubrey Dillon, Esq., Managing Attorney (he/him)
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Rachel Goodman, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney (she/her)
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Sophie Thackray, Esq., Supervising Staff Attorney (she/her)
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Rebecca Desta, Esq., Staff Attorney (she/her)
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Katie Martinez, Esq., Staff Attorney & Community Outreach Lead (she/her)
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Morgan Crawford, Esq., Staff Attorney (she/her)
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Zina Charles, LCSW-C, LICSW, Social Worker (she/her)
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Irene Ameena, J.D., Equal Justice Works Fellow Co-sponsored by the Home Depot and Evershed Sutherland, LLP/Staff Attorney (she/her)
Access to Justice | Access to Education
Kate A. Martin, Board Chair
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Kate is proud to have served as Chair of the Board of SJP since its founding. Martin served as Director of the Center for National Security Studies for more than 20 years doing litigation, policy research and advocacy on issues at the intersection of national security, civil liberties, and human rights. The New York Times Taking Note blog described her as an expert on surveillance and detention, and a leading advocate for the rule of law in the so-called war on terror. She has testified before Congress, commented in the national media, and written extensively on these issues for more than 30 years. She has taught national security law and also served as general counsel to the National Security Archive. Most recently, she was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. She was a partner at the law firm of Nussbaum, Owen and Webster before becoming a public interest lawyer. She has a BA from Pomona College and a JD from the University of Virginia Law School.
Sarah Remes, Board Member
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Sarah Remes is a senior education attorney with the Children's Law Center's Healthy Together medical-legal partnership and the Guardian ad Litem (GAL) project. She represents parents and caregivers primarily in special education and discipline cases, as well as provides technical assistance and consultation to GALs on education-related issues for youth who are the subject of abuse and neglect cases. Prior to joining Children’s Law Center, Sarah was a Guardian ad Litem with D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Program and an immigration attorney in private practice, where she represented immigrants applying for asylum and for relief from deportation.
Sarah received her bachelor's in public policy from Brown University, J.D. from UCLA, and Master's in Social Work from the University of Maryland. She lives in DC with her husband and two children.
Claire Nilsen Blumenson, Non-Voting Board Member
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Claire has focused her career on the intersection of juvenile justice and education. After graduating from University of Virginia Law in 2011, Claire joined the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. Through this two-year fellowship, Claire provided post-disposition special education representation to young people ages 18-22 who had been placed in DC's secure juvenile facility. To continue this work, she co-founded and launched School Justice Project (SJP) in August 2013 thanks to seed funding from Echoing Green’s Black Male Achievement Fellowship. SJP is a DC-based special education legal services nonprofit for older court-involved students with disabilities.
Prior to working at PDS, Claire received her Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, majoring in government, sociology, and psychology. After joining Teach for America’s New York City cohort in 2006, Claire earned her master’s degree while teaching third and fourth grade at Excellence Boys Charter School. From 2016-2020, Claire was an adjunct professor The George Washington University Law School.
Claire is an attorney admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Claire can be reached at: cblumenson@sjpdc.org.
Board
Christy Weisner, Secretary
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Christy is a lawyer who focuses on legal operations and innovation to help improve the way that lawyers deliver services to their clients. Prior to law school, Christy worked on Capitol Hill in the personal office of the Honorable Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07) and as an intern for Senator Paul S. Sarbanes (MD). Christy graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2010, clerked for the Honorable Edward Hogshire in Charlottesville, Virginia, and practiced as a litigation associate at a global law firm, where she dedicated significant time to pro bono cases. Christy stopped practicing law and began innovating it through process and technology improvements, first at alternative legal companies and now in the practice innovation department at Paul Hastings, LLP.
As a member of the board of School Justice Project since 2013, Christy has focused her efforts on community outreach, fundraising, and governance improvements. She has led or supported SJP’s annual fundraising event since 2013, she served as the Secretary from 2016-2017, as the Treasurer from 2018-2024, and currently holds the role of Secretary.
Dan Sharpe, Board Member
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Dan is a former patent attorney who is now the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at Foley & Lardner LLP. Prior to starting in this role, Dan practiced law at Bookoff McAndrews, a patent law firm specializing in patent counseling and prosecution. Dan’s practice includes all aspects of patent prosecution and portfolio development in a variety of technologies including sporting goods, augmented reality, safety equipment, apparel, and medical devices.
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering along with a certificate in African American Studies from Princeton University, and his J.D. from The University of Virginia Law School. Prior to law school, Dan was a patent examiner at the USPTO.
Marcus Littles, Board Member
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Marcus is an experienced social entrepreneur with expertise in racial and gender justice, strategic philanthropy, and social justice and advocacy. He is the Founder and Senior Partner at Frontline Solutions, a Black-owned national consulting firm that offers clients in the nonprofit and public sectors a full range of services to enhance impact. Under Marcus’ leadership, Frontline has provided support services to numerous social change organizations, including philanthropic foundations, affinity groups and support organizations, as well as nonprofits advocacy groups and social enterprises. Frontline has three offices, in Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Durham, NC, and 17 full-time staff.
Previously, Littles worked as a consultant for TCC Group, served as a Program Associate in the Ford Foundation’s Community and Resource Development Unit and has held positions as a policy analyst at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, an educator at a middle school in South Africa and a program director at several youth development organizations.
Originally from Mobile, Alabama, currently Marcus lives in Washington DC with his wife and toddler son.
Dave Bligh, Treasurer
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Dave is a forensic accountant at AlixPartners. He has nearly 15 years of experience assisting clients with their investigation and compliance needs focused primarily on accounting, disclosure, and internal controls matters. His practice often involves advising clients on reporting to and negotiations with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice.
Dave is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional. Dave holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with honors in accounting and management from the University of Richmond.
Prior to his career at AlixPartners, Dave was a senior auditor at a Big Four public accounting firm.