POLIKOFF-GAUTREAUX FELLOWS 1999 — PRESENT
2007
Katie Hill
JD University of Chicago Law School
BA Stanford University
Katie joined BPI in September 2007. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, where she worked for the Mandel Legal Aid Criminal Clinic and Juvenile Justice Project and was a member of the boards of the Chicago Law Foundation and the Public Interest Law Society. In addition to a summer internship at BPI, she clerked for the law firm Goldberg Kohn and interned at Children’s Rights (NY). Prior to law school Katie taught in a public elementary school in San Jose, CA, through Teach for America, and was a teaching fellow at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. She graduated from Stanford University, Phi Beta Kappa, with a BA in Public Policy.
Katie is a current Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellow.
2006
Nadia Wishne Underhill
MPA Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs,
Princeton University
MSc London School of Economics
BA Carleton College
Nadia joined BPI in September 2006 and works on public and affordable housing. She received her MA in Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. She also has an MSc in Cities, Space and Society from the London School of Economics. Prior to her graduate education, Nadia was a Housing Development Coordinator for the City of Oakland, developing policy and managing financing for affordable housing development. She has worked on issues relating to immigrant women and trained volunteer tutors in Brooklyn public schools. Nadia graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College with a BA in English Literature.
nunderhill@bpichicago.org
Nadia is a current Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellow.
2005
Rosanne Aviles
JD Columbia University School of Law
BA University of Virginia
Rosanne joined BPI in September 2005. She received her JD from Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Charles Evans Hughes Fellow working for the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs and a Joseph L. Brechner Fellow with the Anti-Defamation League in New York. She also interned for a human rights organization in Sao Paolo, Brazil and volunteered at the Goddard Riverside Tenant Assistance Project and the D.C. Employment Justice Center. She received her BA in Latin American Studies with a Distinguished Major from the University of Virginia in 2000.
Rosanne says, "From drafting court pleadings to policy research, as a Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellow at BPI I had the opportunity to participate in various facets of public interest advocacy and work with incredibly experienced and dedicated colleagues on some of the region's pressing social justice issues."
Currently, Rosanne is a staff attorney in the housing law unit of The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia.
2004
Kelli Harsch
JD Yale Law School
BA University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Throughout her fellowship, Kelli worked on public housing, affordable housing and public education issues. She represented members of the Gautreaux plaintiff class on working groups created to aid in the development of the Chicago Housing Authority's new mixed income developments. She assisted in developing an inclusionary zoning ordinance and providing legal research assistance to the city of Evanston. In an effort to preserve affordable housing, she provided support to other city organizations and tenant groups in interpreting and enforcing their rights under the Federally Assisted Housing Preservation Act. In addition to housing policy work, she monitored the implementation of the Chicago Public School's Renaissance 2010 program to build 100 new schools. As staff counsel, Kelli continued her work with BPI's public housing and affordable housing programs as for more than a year after her fellowship.
Kelli says, "BPI enables me to apply both legal and policy skills to advocate for social justice. I enjoy working at BPI because it's one of those rare places where you can see the impact of day to day work."
Kelli currently practices affordable housing law with Applegate, Thorne & Thomsen in Chicago.
2003
Jessica L. Webster
MPP Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota
BA Purdue University
As a fellow, Jessica worked on BPI's public education and affordable housing programs. She drafted a school information guide for public housing residents and participated in BPI's state legislative efforts to address exclusionary zoning laws. Throughout her fellowship, Jessica met with municipal officials, state legislators, developers, residents and advocates to promote the creation and preservation of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families. She authored the report "Success in Affordable Housing: The Metro Denver Experience." After her fellowship, Jessica continued with BPI as a Senior Policy Analyst, working on the Regional Affordable Housing Initiative.
Jessica says, "For those of us genetically wired to do public interest work, BPI is an excellent fit. It's rewarding to work for an organization that has been at the front lines of social justice issues for so many years. BPI has encouraged my ideas and hopes and allowed me to see results in arenas that are often socially and politically complex."
Jessica currently works for the Legal Services Advocacy Project of Minnesota and is working towards her law degree.
2002
Henry J. Ford, Jr.
JD/MA Syracuse University
BA Hampton University
Henry worked on BPI's public housing program. He conducted research in an effort to explore litigation to reform the Housing Choice Voucher program. Henry also organized both public housing residents and local organizations on the Near West Side of Chicago to address quality of life issues in their community.
Henry says, "My community organizing work allowed me to give back to a community that is similar to the community where I grew up. Professionally, I had a greater level of responsibility as a young attorney at BPI than I would have had with another legal organization."
Henry is currently an Assistant Attorney General in the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
2001
Beth Valukas
JD Northwestern University
BA Colorado College
Beth worked on a diverse range of public policy issues while focusing primarily on the development of strong, sustainable small schools in Chicago, which culminated in the publication of "Small Schools, Next Steps: Voices from the Field." In conducting this research, she visited dozens of Chicago public schools and interviewed teachers, principals and other school personnel.
Beth says, "The Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellowship provided me the opportunity to work with some of the brightest and most dedicated advocates I have had the privilege to know. BPI provides the rare opportunity to hone all the tools critical to becoming an effective advocate - from legal research and writing to community organizing and policy work. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in such a dynamic environment."
Beth left BPI to become the Executive Director of a non-profit organization that serves the interests of youth.
2000
Nicholas J. Brunick
JD/MA University of Texas
BA North Central College
Nick continued at BPI following his fellowship for three additional years, during which time he directed BPI's Regional Affordable Housing Initiative. He led BPI's efforts to help secure passage of the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act and to provide technical assistance and legal support to municipalities seeking to enact inclusionary housing polices. While a fellow, Nick organized residents of the Henry Horner Homes and the surrounding West Haven neighborhood to form block clubs and neighborhood groups.
Nick says,"BPI is one of the few places in the country where you can combine legal, policy research and advocacy and organizing strategies in order to make a difference on major public equity issues confronting our society today. For people who want to bring about social change, the Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellowship is a perfect fit."
Nick currently practices affordable housing law with Applegate, Thorne & Thomsen in Chicago.
1999
Jennifer Salvatore
JD University of Michigan
BA Miami of Ohio
Jenny worked on BPI's public education program, where she provided legal counsel to the Young Women's Leadership Charter School of Chicago (YWLCS), helped design and launch the Chicago Public Schools Design Competition, and conducted litigation-related research on inclusionary housing.
Jenny says, "My fellowship at BPI was probably the most important thing I've done professionally. I feel proud of the work BPI does and I learned so much during my time there."
Jenny currently practices civil rights litigation in Michigan.
