E. Hoy McConnell, II
Executive Director
Even before Hoy McConnell became BPI’s third Executive Director in September 1999, he was active on the Board of Directors — as a member since 1981 and president from 1990-96. Previously Hoy led a distinguished career in the advertising agency business. At the Leo Burnett Company, Hoy was Senior Vice President, Account Director. He joined Burnett from D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles Worldwide (DMB&B), where from 1983 until 1995 he served as Managing Director of DMB&B/Chicago, leading the 160-person Chicago office, which steadily grew under his direction. Hoy received a BA magna cum laude from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
hmcconnell@bpichicago.org
PROGRAM STAFF
Aya Barnea
Staff Counsel
After serving as a Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellow beginning in August 2010, Aya Barnea became a permanent BPI staff attorney in September 2011. She received her JD magna cum laude in 2010 from the DePaul University College of Law, where she was a member of the DePaul Law Review and served on the Public Interest Law Committee. Before entering law school, she taught first grade for two years through Teach for America in Baltimore and received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. As a law student, Aya served as a law clerk with the Cook County Public Guardian and the Family Defense Center and held internships at BPI and the Citizen Advocacy Center. Aya was awarded a BA in Public Policy Studies with Honors from the University of Chicago in 2005.
Julie Elena Brown
Senior Staff Counsel
Julie Elena Brown has served as Staff Counsel since 1989 and currently works on housing litigation and policy development. Prior to
her role at BPI, Julie served as Assistant Corporation Counsel with the City of Chicago Law Department. She received her bachelor's degree
from the University of Wisconsin and JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she was on staff at the Law Review and an
editor at the International Law Journal.
jbrown@bpichicago.org
Ellen Elias
Director of Development
Ellen joined BPI in 2000. She was formerly Assistant Director of Development at the John G. Shedd Aquarium where she worked in
planned giving and donor communications. In addition to her involvement with other nonprofit organizations, she has been part of start-up teams
for two Web-based companies. Ellen has a BA in English Literature from Loyola University and JD from the DePaul University College of Law.
eelias@bpichicago.org
Adam Gross
Director, Regional Affordable Housing Initiative
Adam Gross has served as Staff Counsel at BPI since 1995, focusing on housing and community development issues. He now leads BPI's
efforts to increase the supply and equitable distribution of affordable housing. He received his BA from Yale University, MA in Public
Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and JD from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was
Comment Editor at The University of Chicago Law School Roundtable.
agross@bpichicago.org
Betsy Lassar
Policy Analyst
Betsy Lassar is a member of BPI's Affordable Housing team. Prior to joining BPI, Betsy served as Housing Planner and Consultant to the City of Highland Park, where she was responsible for affordable housing activities, including coordinating implementation of the city’s Affordable Housing Plan. Betsy is founder and currently vice-president of the Highland Park Community Land Trust, and served as Vice Chair of the City’s Housing Commission. She also serves as Commissioner of the Lake County Affordable Housing Commission. Betsy is no stranger to BPI, having served as staff counsel from 1977-1984. She holds a JD from Northwestern University and a BA from the University of Michigan. Betsy was elected to BPI's Board of Directors in September 2007.
Susannah Levine
Senior Policy Analyst
Susannah joined BPI in July 2003 after receiving her Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago's Irving B. Harris School of
Public Policy Studies. Currently, she engages in policy analysis, advocacy, research and community organizing for BPI's Affordable Housing Initiative. As a Public Policy Associate at Illinois Action for Children, Susannah led lobbying efforts
and conducted legislative advocacy on behalf of low-income families. Susannah has also worked with the Financial Research and Advisory
Committee (FRAC). She received her BA from Brandeis University.
slevine@bpichicago.org
Alexander Polikoff
Director, Public Housing Program
Alexander Polikoff has served as lead counsel in the Gautreaux public housing litigation for more than 40 years. Alex joined BPI one year after its founding in 1970 as Executive Director, a position he held for almost 30 years. Previously, he was a member of the Chicago law firm Schiff Hardin & Waite (now Schiff Hardin LLP). He received his BA, MA in English Language and Literature and JD from the University of Chicago. He is the author of three books, The Path Still Open: A Greater Chance for Peace Than Ever Before (2009), Waiting for Gautreaux: A Story of Segregation, Housing, and the Black Ghetto (2006), and Housing the Poor: The Case for Heroism (1978).
apolikoff@bpichicago.org
Kim Zalent
Director, Public Education Program
Kim Zalent joined BPI as Director of the Public Education Program in 2003. Prior to joining BPI, Kim served as the Executive Director/Lead Organizer for the South Bronx Churches/IAF, where she co-led a project to create 19 small public high schools. A founding organizer for Lower Manhattan Together, an Industrial Areas Foundation organization in New York, Kim also led a number of Chicago-based initiatives, including the Organization of the NorthEast (ONE) and the Pilsen Resurrection Project. Kim holds a BA from Valparaiso University.
POLIKOFF-GAUTREAUX FELLOWS
Emily Blumberg
A 2010 graduate of Harvard Law School, Emily clerked for Justice Denise Johnson of the Vermont Supreme Court before coming to BPI. As a law student, Emily was an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review, a research and teaching assistant for Professor Lani Guinier, and a mediator with the Harvard Mediation Program. Her internships during law school included work with The Legal Aid Society (NYC), Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (Boston), and Advancement Project (Washington, D.C.). Prior to law school, Emily was a Teaching Fellow at Citizen Schools in Boston, a publication assistant for Harvard’s Global Equity Initiative, and a research assistant with the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research. As a Rockefeller Fellow, she worked on community development projects with rural farming communities in Mexico. Emily received her BA magna cum laude in History and Literature from Harvard College in 2004.
Taylor Healy
Taylor Healy received a JD magna cum laude in June 2010 from Villanova University School of Law where she was named a Public Interest Scholar and inducted into the Order of the Coif. While in law school, Taylor worked with the Clinic for Asylum, Refugee and Emigrant Services (CARES), National Advisory Committee of Equal Justice Works, Housing Unit at Philadelphia’s Community Legal Services, Inc., and Guardian Ad Litem Program of the Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. Prior to law school, Taylor was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study immigration law in the expanding European Union. She also worked as a program analyst with the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC) of Washington, D.C. on issues affecting hurricane and disaster affected legal aid programs. Taylor also holds a BA from Boston College, and held an internship in the Massachusetts State House.
SKADDEN FELLOWS
Robbie Silverman
Robbie received a JD in June 2010 from Yale Law School. He will receive an MBA in 2013 from Harvard Business School, where he was awarded the Horace W. Goldsmith Fellowship for outstanding commitment to the non-profit sector. As a law student, Robbie served as student director of Yale’s Legal Services for Immigrant Communities and Complex Federal Litigation/Prison Legal Services clinics. His affordable housing experience also includes work with Telesis Corporation and Habitat for Humanity in New York prior to law school. Robbie received his BA from Harvard College, where he served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Crimson.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Marissa Manos
Administrative Director
mmanos@bpichicago.org
Viviann Jones
Finance Manager
vjones@bpichicago.org
Paula Kruger
Technology Coordinator/Administrative Assistant
pkruger@bpichicago.org
Deborah Johnson
Receptionist
djohnson@bpichicago.org
