MEET OUR TEAM
Hannah Callentine, FJLOC Intern
Hannah (she/her) is a 2026 Northwestern graduate with a BA in Communication Studies, a BA in Philosophy, a minor in Legal Studies, and a Kellogg certificate in Enlightened Disagreement. Hannah started her journey with Chicago Appleseed as an Future Justice Lawyers of Chicago (FJLOC) scholar and has continued her work as an FJLOC program leader. She is passionate about bringing communities together and encouraging equality and understanding through differences.
Allison Leon, Communications Assistant
Allison Leon (she/they) is the Communications Assistant for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. She is a current graduate student at the University of Chicago pursuing a dual masters in social work and public policy. Allison believes in storytelling and reclaiming narratives as a powerful tool to advance equity and justice, and is excited to use her writing and creativity with Chicago Appleseed. In their spare time, they enjoy hanging out with their cat Augustus and collecting hobbies.
Rachel Lyons, Executive Director
Rachel Lyons (she/her) is Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts’ Executive Director. Rachel graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Anthropology and received her Master’s in Social Justice and Community Development from Loyola University Chicago. After moving to Chicago in 2013, Rachel worked in faith-based organizing and volunteered with the Chicago Community Bond Fund (CCBF). Rachel joined CCBF’s staff in 2022 and ultimately served as co-executive director until 2024. Rachel is active on the board of CCBF and also organizes with Chicago Community Jail Support. Prior to joining Chicago Appleseed in 2026, she served as interim executive director of the Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE). She is grateful to her mother and many mentors for instilling in her strong values and practices of community care and mutual aid.
Elizabeth Monkus, Senior Attorney & Project Director
Elizabeth Monkus (she/her) is the Senior Attorney & Project Director for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. Elizabeth is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to joining Chicago Appleseed, she was an appellate attorney, served as an adviser at the Writing Center of the John Marshall Law School, and was an instructor in Constitutional Law at Governors State University. Elizabeth came to Chicago Appleseed in 2010 to manage the Judicial Performance Commission Demonstration project. She currently focuses on civil courts, the justice gap, and the economic impacts of court involvement. Elizabeth’s family has been in Chicago since the Fire and she is thrilled to be working to improve the quality of justice in Chicago.
Jason Olexa, Operations Manager
Jason Olexa (he/him) is the Operations Coordinator for Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. He grew up within the walls of John K King Books in Detroit and studied Economics and Philosophy at Western Michigan University. Over a decade later, with a detour into automotive finance, his conviction that everyone deserves a fair day in court led him to Chicago Appleseed. Jason believes all books are beautiful and always stop to pet cats.
Malcolm Rich, Intern & Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
Malcolm Rich (he/him) is Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts’ Intern & Volunteer Engagement Coordinator. Through 2023, Malcolm was the Executive Director of the Chicago Council of Lawyers (since 1987) and of Chicago Appleseed (since its creation in 1997). He is a 1979 graduate of the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he was the recipient of a Northwestern University Center for Urban Affairs Research Fellowship. Malcolm practiced with the law firm Whitted & Kraning, where he specialized in special education and mental health law. He chairs the Executive Directors’ Council of the Appleseed Network. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Foundation for Educational Research.
Austin Segal, Director of Research & Jill Dupont Memorial Fellow
Austin Segal (they/he) is Chicago Appleseed’s Director of Research and our Jill Dupont Memorial Fellow. They earned a B.A. from Northwestern University, where they studied sociology, mathematical methods in the social sciences, and legal studies. They have been involved in organizations that promote constructive dialogue and community organizing, and they wrote an interdisciplinary thesis with original research on the implementation of queer-inclusive educational policies. They are deeply invested in supporting those harmed by the criminal legal system by supporting advocacy with community-based mixed-methods research.
Maya Simkin, Appleseed Network Fellow
Maya Simkin (they/them) is a recent graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law. They have a background in farming and permaculture, and love studying Jewish liturgy and other radical texts. Maya is committed to abolition and is interested in learning how efforts in public interest law can contribute to liberation. There are lots of damsons to pick, pit, and preserve into compote this week and Maya continues to be impressed by the small fruit’s magic blues and purples, and even greens.