Prof. Ellen Marrus is a retired law school Professor, Director of Clinical Programs, and juvenile public defender. She received her J.D. in 1990 and her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1992. She came to the University of Houston Law Center in 1995 after practicing as a public defender in California where she represented juveniles in delinquency proceedings, and children and families in child welfare cases. She is a recognized expert in juvenile law, children's rights, and professional ethics. 

Malikah is a Teaching Associate and Master of Social Work (MSW) Director at the University of Nevada, Reno and former Clinical Assistant Professor at the School of Public Affairs of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She holds a degree from Fisk University, a masters in Social Work from the University of Houston and a DSW from the University of Southern California. Prior to teaching, she was a research fellow for the Southwest Juvenile Defender Center (SWJDC), a program of the Center for Children, Law & Policy at the University of Houston Law Center in Houston, Texas and was the social worker for the agency.

Luke is at partner at Jackson Walker LLP in Houston, Texas, specializing in the resolution of business disputes. He holds a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and an MBA from Rice University. He previously served as the Program Director for the Center for Children, Law & Policy at the University of Houston Law Center. He also serves on the boards of the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston (HisBA) and Wesley Community Center, and the advisory board of Chinquapin Preparatory School.

Zarana’s career has been dedicated to building political, social and economic equity for the marginalized. She has worked in non-profits, government and media for 20 years both in the U.S. and abroad. Her expertise is in strategic planning, program design, coalition building, writing, and leadership building. Through humbling experiences working in partnership with exceptional community leaders, she has developed an approach to focus on how organizations can act on their values and hold on to their vision through difficult and uncertain times. Her career started with reporting on local politics on the edge of the Navajo reservation, led to writing for a human rights organization in India, advanced to managing a partnership network of 200 organizations in workforce development in New York, and, in Houston, Zarana’s career and passions led to a community organization where she launched a program to reduce youth incarceration. She has since worked as a consultant in social impact. Systems change and adaptive leadership are a cornerstone of her work as a consultant. She has a bachelor's from University of Houston and a master's from Columbia University. (www.linkedin.com/in/zaranasanghani)

Sonia Slone has over 15 years of nonprofit management, finance, operations experience. 

She is currently the Director of Finance and Administration at the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED) where she is responsible for overseeing the fiscal management, administration and operations. Serving in a wide range of leadership and management positions, she has worked in various nonprofit fields including, education, social justice and environmental justice. She also has experience managing the financial and operations departments for various corporations including HBO Latin America Group, La Perla, and Aviation Sales. She brings experience in strategic planning, funder relations, operations efficiency, and capacity building. Sonia is constantly challenge herself to find ways to translate, narrate and socialize finance as an organizing tool. She searches for opportunities to advance organizational culture  through innovation, with a passion for building successful and motivated teams that collaborate to a culture of interconnection. Sonia holds a Masters in Business Administration.