Current Board
Through organized activities and individual contributions from its members, the CCBA has held various legal clinics and community forums at various sites and is supported by renowned civil rights organizations including Rainbow PUSH, local chapters of the NAACP, and other local groups and churches.
Executive Board
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Nicholas E. Cummings | [President]
President Cummings is the founder of Osiris Professional Services, LLC, and the former Corporation Counsel/City Attorney for the City of Evanston, the first person of color to serve in the role. Prior to being appointed to Corporation Counsel, Nicholas served as the Deputy City Attorney, where he advised Evanston’s Reparations Subcommittee regarding the legal hurdles facing restorative justice programs.
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Nicholas currently serves as the President-Elect of the Cook County Bar Association and will be installed in June 2024. Prior to being elected to President-Elect, Nicholas has served as the Vice President of Committee on Committees; Vice President of Education and Information; Financial Secretary; and Chair of the Judicial Evaluation Committee.
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Antonio C. Lee | [President Elect]
Antonio Lee is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana at the U.S. Department of Justice. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Lee was an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO), where he handled all aspects of civil litigation for torts and civil rights cases in state, appellate, and federal court.
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Prior to working at the CCSAO, Mr. Lee was selected into the prestigious U.S. Presidential Management Fellows program, where he served with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Department of Justice – Community Relations Service. He holds several local and national leadership positions while tutoring law students to successfully pass state bar examinations and increase diversity in the legal profession. Mr. Lee is a licensed attorney in Georgia, Illinois, and the District of Columbia.
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LeDeidre S. Turner | [Vice President of Operations]
LeDeidre Turner currently serves the Cook County Bar Association (“CCBA”) as the Vice President of Education and Information and Co-Chairman of the Minority Law Student Job Fair. She is an Assistant General Counsel with Commonwealth Edison Company (“ComEd”) where she represents ComEd before the Illinois Commerce Commission and other state agencies in administrative proceedings and other relevant litigation.
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LeDeidre also serves as a Board Member for Legal Aid Chicago and Foster Progress. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Lambda Tau Omega Chapter. LeDeidre received a Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School (now known as UIC School of Law) and a Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College.
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Mark A. Dunham | [Vice President of Education and Information]
Mark A. Dunham, Jr. serves as the Parliamentarian of the Cook County Bar Association, providing advice to the Board of Directors and the membership on the application of parliamentary procedure and the interpretation of the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws, as well as chair of the Bylaws Committee. Professionally, Mr. Dunham works as Director & Senior Counsel, Corporate Governance & Compliance at Mondelēz International – makers of iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, Ritz, and Clif Bar.
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Prior to in-house work, Mr. Dunham was in private practice at three large, international law firms. Prior non-profit board service includes work with the National Black Law Students Association, Inc., where he served in numerous roles, including as its 48th National Chair, chair of its Alumni Advisory Committee, and general counsel. A double graduate of American University, Mr. Dunham received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2012 and his law degree in 2018. Mr. Dunham is married to Attorney Christian A. Conway, a member of the New York and Illinois bars, and lives in Oak Park, Illinois.
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Vy'Shaey M. Mitchell | [General Secretary]
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Wiley S. Adams | [Financial Secretary]
Wiley S. Adams retired as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of PGIM, Inc., the global investment management businesses of Prudential Financial, Inc. PGIM has offices around the world and is one of 10 largest investment managers in the world with approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2021. Wiley led a team of approximately 80 lawyers in support of PGIM’s operations around the world.
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Prior to his role above, Wiley was Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Prudential Capital Group (now known as PGIM Private Capital (“PPC”) which is a division of PGIM). PPC is the largest manager of privately placed debt investments in the United States with over $97 billion of private debt and equity securities under management as of December 31, 2021. Upon his retirement, Wiley was enshrined in PPC’s Hall of Fame being one of fewer than 10 individuals awarded that honor during PPC’s 97-year history.
Wiley is a lifetime member of (i) the National Bar Association (and honored as, among other honors, a Living Legend of the organization) (“NBA”), (ii) the National Bar Institute, (iii) the Cook County Bar Association (an inaugural lifetime member), (iv) the Garden State Bar Association and (v) the NAACP, in addition to serving on the board of the Cook County Bar Association Foundation. He was recently elected NBA President-Elect and has served on the board of the NBA, as a Vice President, as NBA Region VII director and made substantial contributions to numerous NBA committees and programs over the years (including the MLK Competition).
Wiley has been a faithful contributor to the Cook County Bar Association (“CCBA”) and the Cook County Bar Association Foundation (“CCBAF”). In addition to financially supporting the CCBA in numerous ways, Wiley has contributed his time serving as a director on CCBA’s board and served on numerous committees.
Over the years, he has personally positively impacted hundreds of lawyers, students and others and his work continues to this day.
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Charmaine A. Saffore | [Treasurer]
Charmaine A. Saffore is a current member of the Board of Director’s for the Cook County Bar Association. She is a solo practitioner specializing in tax law. Before that she was an Assistant Attorney General at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office litigating white collar crime. Also, she served an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Lake County States Attorney’s Office. She received her Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) in 2017 and Juris Doctorate in 2015 from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law. She is the mother of twin daughters currently in college
Board of Directors
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Glori Bond
Glori is an associate in the Firm's business litigation practice. She handles complex business litigation and class action matters, typically representing city governments and municipalities.
Glori enjoys how litigation cases do not have a one-size-fits-all solution and finds that each case has a unique set of complex issues, allowing her to constantly learn something new.
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She is very proud of the work she is doing in an ongoing police brutality and excessive force and civil rights claims case.
Prior to joining Thompson Coburn, Glori worked as an Assistant State's Attorney in the Municipal Litigation Unit of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. In that capacity, she represented elected Cook County Officials and their offices in a myriad of litigation matters. She also handled the entire Building and Zoning Circuit Court Call for Cook County. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic she was promoted to the Supervisor of the FOIA Unit. She was tasked with staffing and building a unit from the ground up. During her time there she handled very high profile and sensitive matters for the State's Attorney's Office and was pivotal in implementing new processes and technology. She started her career in law as a real estate paralegal and worked everywhere from state agencies to private firms handling commercial and residential real estate matters from start to finish. Glori earned a B.A. in Political Science from DePaul University, a certificate in legal studies from Loyola University Chicago, and her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
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Joseph Deloney
Joseph Deloney is an associate at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, where he practices product liability and mass tort litigation. Prior to working in private practice, Joseph served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Justice Carl A. Walker of the Illinois Appellate Court. He currently sits on the associate board for the Black Men Lawyers' Association and is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated.
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Lesley Gool
Lesley D. Gool grew up in the Beverly Hills neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Morgan Park High School. She earned a B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and later pursued further education, receiving her J.D. and LL.M. in Intellectual Property from The John Marshall Law School. During law school, Lesley worked as an extern at the Illinois Appellate Court, where she clerked for the current Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville, gaining valuable experience in the field.
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Lesley is authorized to practice before the United States Supreme Court and is a member of the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois Bar as well as the state of Illinois Bar.
Lesley began her legal career as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney (“ASA”) and worked in that position for 15 years. As an ASA, Lesley ensured that justice was dispensed fairly and that the rights and welfare of all parties were protected. She used her discretion without hesitation when carrying out her ethical duties as a public servant. Currently, Lesley is the Deputy General Counsel for the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court.
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Hon. Arnette Hubbard, Ret.
Judge Arnette R. Hubbard has had a long tenure in law and public service. As an attorney, public official and elected circuit court judge in Cook County, Judge Hubbard has devoted her life to working for the protection of individual rights and freedoms. Judge Hubbard was appointed to
the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1997, and elected by the people of Cook county in 1998.
Judge Hubbard, a local and national legal trailblazer was installed in 1978 as the first female President of the Cook County Bar Association, the oldest Association of African-American lawyers and judges in the nation. Judge Hubbard continued to make history by being elected as the first female president of the National Bar Association on July 31, 1981. Judge Hubbard has served in many leadership positions in a number of renowned organizations and boards such as the Illinois Commission on the 50 th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the American Law Institute, and the Chicago Board of Elections to name a few.
Judge Hubbard began her legal career in 1969 as an attorney for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, eventually focusing her practice on criminal defense and civil litigation.
Judge Hubbard’s career in private practice spanned two decades in Illinois and federal courts.
Before taking the bench, Judge Hubbard served for nine years as a member of the Illinois Bar Admissions Committee. In this position, she championed unrestricted access for all qualified applicants.
Judge Hubbard received her Juris Doctorate degree from the John Marshall Law School which honored her with its Distinguished Alumnus Citation. Her undergraduate degree, earned at Southern Illinois University is in chemistry and mathematics. She was bestowed Southern
Illinois University’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Judge Hubbard has also been installed into the Cook County Bar Association’s Hall of Fame.
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Alexzandria N. Rice
Alexzandria N. Rice (Johnson) is employed as an Associate Attorney at Lipe Lyons Murphy Nahrstadt & Pontikis practicing civil defense-insurance litigation. Alexzandria was honored as a Rising Star in Civil Litigation by Illinois SuperLawyers for the 2023-2024 year. Previously, Alexzandria served as a State's Attorney. In 2020, NCCU’s Law Review published Alexzandria’s article entitled, “We Deserve Better: How Hip Hop Perpetuates the Rape Culture of Black Women.”
Alexzandria has been honored by CCBA with awards including the Junior Counselor Award, Meritorious Service Award, Next Generation Award, and Presidential Awards. In 2016, she founded the MD Chamberlain Foundation which is named after a friend she lost to gun violence. The organization focuses on uplifting underserved communities. Alexzandria also mentors law students, and is a member of ELITE Chicago, which provides young women with mentorship.
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Louis Raymond, II
Louis C. Raymond II, Esq., is a dynamic attorney and seasoned government affairs expert with a rich background spanning law, military service, and impactful leadership roles. As the Principal of Raymond Law Group, LLC, he specializes in municipal law, real estate, and probate matters, actively assisting not-for-profit organizations and small businesses.
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Born and raised in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, Louis's values of leadership and service were ingrained early on. Armed with a B.A. in Political Science from Illinois State University and a Master's in Policy Studies from Roosevelt University, he joined the U.S. Navy as an Intelligence Officer, where he coordinated international operations and delivered over 1,000 intelligence briefs to senior military leaders.
Currently serving as the President of C & J Strategies and the Principal of Raymond Law Group, LLC, Louis is a sought-after government affairs consultant navigating legislative complexities for municipal and private sector clients. Simultaneously, he prosecutes ordinance violations, ensuring compliance with municipal laws. A dedicated family man, Louis, along with his wife Lauren Raymond, Esq., cherishes time with their two children, Louis 'Trey' Raymond III and Liberty Raymond. With a comprehensive background in law, government affairs, and education, Louis C. Raymond II continues to be a driving force for positive change and community advancement.
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Larry Rogers, Jr.
Larry R. Rogers, Jr. is a trial lawyer with over 25 years of experience advocating for victims. As a trial attorney and partner at Power Rogers, LLP, Mr. Rogers, Jr. has successfully settled and tried to verdict many multi-million dollar results for his clients in medical negligence, trucking, product liability, and civil rights litigation.
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He is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates an invitation-only group of trial lawyers from across the country invited and admitted based upon their results and commitment to representing victims. Mr. Rogers Jr. was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the top personal injury lawyers of a new generation of trial attorneys.
Mr. Rogers, Jr. has been involved in several significant high-profile matters, including the investigation of what happened to Sandra Bland a Chicagoland resident who was found dead in a Texas jail cell after an unlawful traffic stop. He represents families in several civil rights and police brutality cases including the tragic shooting of Bettie Ruth Jones on the west side of Chicago which he recently resolved for a record 16 million dollars. He has been a frequent guest on local and national radio and television shows to discuss events affecting the citizens of Chicago and the country.
Mr. Rogers, Jr. and the attorneys at Power Rogers have represented victims against some of the most powerful interests in the country and have been ranked at the top of their field, with 11 consecutive 1st place rankings from 2010 to 2020 in the Chicago Lawyer Annual Settlement Survey which ranks firms based on their results.
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Lori Roper
Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. I attended Lindblom Technical High School, Class of 1983. I received an Associates of Arts from Kennedy – King College and a B. A. in Political Science from Roosevelt University. Received a Juris Doctorate from The Claude Petit College of Law at Ohio Northern University in 1993. Employed as an Assistant Public Defender at the Law Office of the Cook County Public
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Defender for 29years. As an Assistant Public Defender, I’ve been assigned to the Child Protection, Juvenile Justice, Felony Trial Division in Night Drug Court, Felony Trial and Markham Divisions. Represented the indigent accused charged with all classes of felonies, including First Degree Murder. Formerly, an Attorney Supervisor in charge of the Problem-Solving Courts in all six districts. Served on the Screening and Referral Committee for the Restorative Justice Community Court, was the designee for the Public Defender of Cook County as a member of the Oversight Board for Adult Redeploy Illinois as a voting member and on Site Selection and Monitoring Committee, Co-Chair of the Policy Committee for the Justice and Mental Health Collaborative, former member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association of Problem Solving Courts. Former supervisor in charge of Bond Court at 26th and California
Currently, I am an Attorney Supervisor in the Felony Trial Division at 26th and California.
I am on the Board of Directors of the Cook County Bar Association, the oldest bar association of African-American lawyers and judges in the country. a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.
I am married and the mother of one child plus four “Bonus” babies, and adoptive mom to an Australian Cattle Dog named Mr. Shadow.
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Felicia Simmons-Stovall
Attorney Felicia H. Simmons-Stovall has been practicing law for over 25 years. Attorney Simmons-Stovall is currently an Assistant State’s Attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Child Support Enforcement Division. In this capacity, she manages a daily court call involving child support and enforcement matters on behalf of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
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She has served as an Administrative Hearing Officer presiding over formal hearings for the Illinois Secretary of State and prosecutor for the same agency. Felicia also represented the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department as a prosecutor, in actions involving fraudulent financial investments, loan brokering, business opportunities and business brokering. As a seasoned attorney, Attorney Simmons-Stovall successfully advocated for clients in landlord tenant disputes, civil asset forfeiture, parental allocation and dissolutions of marriages matters, in her prior solo practice.
Felicia is an active member of the Cook County Bar Association. She is presently a member of CCBA’s Board of Director and has served on CCBA’s Judicial Evaluation Committee, Judges Night Committee, Hall of Fame Committee and Family Law Committee.
Attorney Simmons-Stovall was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools and earned her bachelor’s in business administration from Iowa State University, Master of Business Administration from DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law.
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André A. Sutton, Esq.
Originally from South Florida, Andre is a double graduate from the University of Florida. He was a first generation college student and is the first attorney in his family. Moving to Chicago 10 years ago with just a television and two suitcases, Andre attended and earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. While his original plan was to move back to Florida, he fell in love with the city of Chicago and now calls it home. Andre began his legal career at Chicago Transit Authority before moving into private practice as a Labor and Employment attorney. Having received valuable experience and training at law firms, Andre now works as Lead Labor and Employment Counsel at the Cook County Public Defender's Office. He is the first person in this role.
Andre has been a part of the CCBA since he started law school and was a part of the 2023 inaugural class of CCBA's Next Generation awardees. In Andre's spare time, he serves as Corresponding Secretary for the Theta Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., traveling the world, and binging shows on Netflix.
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Juan Thomas
Juan R. Thomas is Of Counsel to Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A., and is the founder and principal of The Thomas Law Group. Dr. Thomas practice includes the following specialties: real estate/estate planning, labor and employment, and family law. In addition, Dr. Thomas provides counseling and training to firm clients in areas involving personnel, collective bargaining, and business development matters.
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The National Black Lawyers: Top 100 includes Dr. Thomas on its list of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, an honor given to only a select group of lawyers for their superior skills and qualifications in the field. Membership in this exclusive organization is by invitation only and is limited to the top 100 attorneys in each state or region who have demonstrated excellence and have achieved outstanding results in their careers. Dr. Thomas’ selection was based upon his performance as an exceptional lawyer in the practice area of matrimonial and family law in the state of Illinois.
Because of Dr. Thomas’ dedication to developing lawyers for bar leadership and community service, in August of 2023, he was elected Secretary of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP), a national association of lawyers-leaders whose mission is to provide high- quality programming and leadership development training for members of the legal community.
With his election, Dr. Thomas is in line to serve as President of NCBP during the 2026-27 bar year. Dr. Thomas served as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Civil Rights & Social Justice Section during the 2022-23 bar year. As Chair, he convened the first ever Economic Justice Summit where he brought together policy makers, experts, and community leaders to develop policy solutions to address issues of economic inequality. Dr. Thomas also launched and hosted a weekly podcast named “The Chair Chat” where he interviewed leaders in numerous fields to address civil rights and social justice issues. Currently, he serves the ABA as a member of the Africa Law Initiative Council and on the Nominating Committee.
In June 2023, Dr. Thomas was elected 3rd Vice President of the Illinois Bar Foundation making him only the second African American lawyer to be in line to become President of the foundation since its creation in 1951. Dr. Thomas also represented the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) in the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates from 2021-2023, becoming the only the second African American lawyer in the 148-year history of the ISBA to represent the state bar in the ABA House of Delegates. He previously served on the ISBA Board of Governors from 2019-21. Dr. Thomas is also a Past Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Constitution Society (Chicago chapter) and serves as the General Counsel to the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. Currently, he is on the Board of Directors of the Leadership Greater Chicago Fellows Association, the Cook County Bar Association, and is the Board Treasurer for Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC).
Dr. Thomas served as the 75th President of the National Bar Association (NBA) from 2017-18. During his term as President, the NBA co-founded the National Commission for Voter Justice to address voter suppression across the country while advancing electoral reform and civic engagement. Under his Law & Technology Initiative, Dr. Thomas was the first NBA President to lead the Association to Silicon Valley to promote more diversity and inclusion in the technology industry. Also, under Dr. Thomas’ leadership the NBA established its first LGBTQ+ Lawyers Division to further advance an inclusive environment for all members of the Association regardless of their sexual orientation or identity.
Dr. Thomas’ passion is community and public service. While in law school, he successfully ran for the West Aurora School Board, commuting 120 miles each way every weekend during the campaign. At the age of twenty-five (25), Dr. Thomas became the youngest person ever elected to the West Aurora School Board and became the first African American ever re-elected to the Board in 1999. While on the school board, Dr. Thomas served as Chairman of the Board’s Personnel Committee. In 2005, he was elected Aurora Township Clerk becoming the first African American to win a township-wide office in Aurora, IL, the second largest city in the state. In 2009, he was re-elected Aurora Township Clerk with 57% of the vote, receiving more votes than any other candidate seeking an Aurora Township office that year. Dr. Thomas was the first Democrat ever to serve as Aurora Township Clerk.
From 2013-19, Dr. Thomas served on the Board of Directors of Mutual Ground Inc., an organization committed to providing services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families. He is the Past Chair of the State Conference of Illinois NAACP Legal Redress Committee, past board member of the A + Foundation for the West Aurora School District # 129, and the past General Counsel and past board member for 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc.
Dr. Thomas is a past 1st Vice President of the DuPage County Branch of the NAACP and has previously served on the boards of the Community Renewal Society, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the University of Illinois College of Education Board of Visitors, and the University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Association.
Dr. Thomas received the American Bar Association’s 2024 Spirit of Excellence Award for his efforts to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. The Spirit of Excellence Award is presented to lawyers who excel in their professional settings, who personify excellence, and who have demonstrated a commitment to racial and ethnic diversity. In 2023,
Dr. Thomas was selected by the Chicago Defender as a Men of Excellence Honoree. In 2018, Dr. Thomas was awarded the Katie Holmes Educational Foundation Public Service Award for Leadership and Service in the Legal Community. In 2011 and again in 2015, Dr. Thomas was given the honor of being named Citizen of the Year by his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, Mu Xi Chapter for his service and dedication to the community. He has received the NAACP, DuPage County Branch’s President’s Award both in 2013 and 2014, as well as, a 2014 recipient of the NAACP, DuPage County Branch’s Claude Audley Award of Leadership Excellence, for his leadership and service to the community. Dr. Thomas has received five Presidential Service Awards from the National Bar Association in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013, and in 2016 for his contributions to the field of law. In 2011, he was invited to become a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation because of his outstanding achievements in the legal profession. Dr. Thomas is a 2004 Fellow of the Harvard Divinity School Summer Leadership Institute, and a 2002 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow.
A graduate of Morehouse College, Dr. Thomas received his Juris Doctor and master’s in educational policy degree from the University of Illinois in Campaign-Urbana. An ordained Baptist minister, Dr. Thomas also holds a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a Doctorate in Ministry Degree in Preaching from the Chicago Theological Seminary. In addition to his professional and civic involvement, Dr. Thomas and his wife, Angela, are proud members of Cathedral of Grace, St. John in Aurora where he serves as the Minister for Social Justice.
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Mecca L. Thompson
Ms. Thompson received her undergraduate degree (political science), minor in African American Studies, and International Studies from Loyola University of Chicago in 1995. Before entering law school she worked for Kirkland Ellis from 1995-1996. She graduated from Howard University School of Law in 2001.
• She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Cook County Bar Association
• She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Westside Branch of the NAACP
• She has served as member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution.
• She possesses a license to practice law before the courts in the state of Illinois and the general courts of the Northern District of Illinois.
• Ms. Thompson has served as an arbitrator with the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration program and has also served as an instructor for East West University.
• Ms. Thompson is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Mecca Thompson entered private practice to provide legal services to anyone seeking to
prepare for the transitions of life like, death, disability, divorce, or unplanned pregnancies..
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Monique Woody
Monique Patton Woody currently serves as Assistant General Counsel for ComEd’s Regulatory Litigation Division. She is the General Secretary for the Cook County Bar Association’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Cook County Bar Association’s Mental Health Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors for Center for Independent Futures.
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Raymond D. Rushing | [ Ex-Officio]
President Raymond Rushing is Corporate Counsel of Global Litigation at Cummins Inc. Prior to Cummins, President Rushing spent six (6) years at national and global law firms helping clients solve some of their most complex issues in the areas of product liability, toxic tort, and commercial litigation. Prior to private practice, President Rushing served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Maria Valdez of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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In 2021, President Rushing was named as a Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer 40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch honoree. In 2024, President Rushing was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Committee on Character and Fitness. President Rushing is also a fierce advocate for service in the community and lives by the motto "be better and do better." President Rushing also serves on the board of BUILD, one of Chicago’s leading gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organizations. A native of Oklahoma, President Rushing received his Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies and Master’s in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. President Rushing received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
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Eileen Letts | [General Counsel]
Eileen Letts is a premier civil trial attorney, with dozens of jury trials and over 100 bench trials, often. to Fortune 500 companies and iconic government entities. Ms. Letts has won high-stakes trials in a wide variety of subject matter areas. Areas of focus include complex tort and commercial litigations.
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She also has experience with employment matters and internal investigations. Ms. Letts is a member of the House of Delegates (i.e.: the policymaking body) of the American Bar Association and a Trustee of the National Judicial College. She currently chairs the Magistrate Selection Committee for the Northern District of Illinois.
Ms. Letts is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education seminars and panel discussions. Ms. Letts began her career clerking for the Honorable Glenn T. Johnson, Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court.
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Cordelia Brown | [ Executive Director]
Cordelia Brown serves as the Executive Director for the Cook County Bar Association, which is the oldest association of African American Lawyers and Judges in the Country. She has served as the head administrator for Bar Associations for past 19 years. Cordelia is known for her warm smile, thoughtful ability to recall everyone’s name, kind spirit, and generous soul. Cordelia has helped organize and manage conferences, seminars, and organizations for a variety of law related organizations, including having served as the Administrator for the Illinois Judicial Council Foundation and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association.
She was also instrumental in volunteering for a variety of projects for Just the Beginning—A Pipeline Organization.
Cordelia is married to her husband of 29 years, Andre Brown and they have 3 children, William, Andre II and DeAndrea, and a seven-year old granddaughter, J’Nyah. She received her degree in Computerized Accounting and Business Administration from the Illinois School of Commerce.