Illinois Criminal Justice
Former Chief Circuit Judge (11th Circuit) Elizabeth Robb was named chairman of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in March 2015. Ms. Robb brings more than 30 years of legal experience to ICJIA. She served as a trial judge for 22 years on the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois, and was the chief judge from 2004 to 2014. In that role, in addition to presiding over trials, she had administrative responsibility for the 20 judges in the court, oversaw court reporters, probation officers, and other court staff. Prior to becoming a judge, Ms. Robb was an attorney at Reynard & Robb Law Offices (1982-1987) and the Robb Law Office (1987-1993). Ms. Robb earned her bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and her law degree from Loyola University of Chicago.
Patrick Delfino was appointed director of the Office of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor in December 2008. Mr. Delfino is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and is an experienced trial and appellate attorney. Before joining the appellate prosecutor’s office as assistant director, Mr. Delfino served as a drug attorney and court specialist with the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission and as the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Director of Planning and Special Projects.
Mr. Delfino has taught both at college and law school, and he is a member of the Sex Offender Management Board and the Children’s Justice Task Force of the Department of Children and Family Services. Mr. Delfino also serves as executive director of the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association. He also serves on the Illinois Sex Offender Management Board and on the Children’s Justice Task Force of the Department of Children and Family Services. He is a past president of the Illinois Academy of Criminology and a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and the National District Attorneys Association.
John R. Baldwin was named director of the Illinois Department of Corrections in August 2015. Mr. Baldwin is the former director of the Iowa Department of Corrections and brings more than 35 years of corrections experience to the state. He led the Iowa Department of Corrections from January 2007 until his retirement in January 2015. As the director, he oversaw a staff of nearly 4,000 officers who supervised 38,000 offenders. During his tenure, he worked with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative to build a state-specific cost-benefit analysis on the state’s corrections department. The data was used to make more informed policy and budget decisions in an effort to reduce recidivism. Mr. Baldwin began working for the Iowa Department of Corrections in 1983. Before serving in the role of director, Mr. Baldwin was the deputy director of Administration where he oversaw the budget, personnel, and use of evidence-based practices. Prior to that, he supervised the business office for a forensic psychiatric hospital that was under the control of the Iowa Department of Corrections. Mr. Baldwin holds a master’s degree in political science from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Iowa.
Carla E. Barnes was appointed McLean County Chief Public Defender in fall 2014. Ms. Barnes is the first African American to lead the office, as well as the first African-American McLean County administrator.
Ms. Barnes joined the McLean County Public Defender’s Office in 2001 as an assistant public defender in the Traffic Division. She was later promoted to supervise the Misdemeanor Division while maintaining a felony caseload. Her case assignments ranged from felony traffic to murder charges.
Prior to joining the McLean County Public Defender’s Office, Ms. Barnes was employed in private practice. She later served in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Child Support Division. She also served in the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office. While Ms. Barnes flourished as a prosecutor, she felt that she could affect more change as a public defender.
Ms. Barnes holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University and a juris doctorate from The John Marshall Law School.
Dorothy Brown was first elected Cook County Circuit Clerk in 2000, becoming the first African American to hold the position. She was re-elected in 2004 and again in 2008. Ms. Brown holds a master’s in business administration, a juris doctorate, and is a certified public accountant. As the official keeper of records for all judicial matters brought into one of the largest unified court systems in the world, Ms. Brown manages an annual operating budget of more than $100 million and a workforce of more than 2,300 employees.
Amy P. Campanelli was sworn in as the 10th Cook County Public Defender in April 2015. Ms. Campanelli’s appointment was the culmination of 27 years of service representing the indigent accused. She started as an assistant public defender in the office’s Juvenile Division in 1987, after three years she moved to the Felony Trial Division, where she remained until 1998. Her caseload included felonies of every stripe, from low level drug cases to capital murder.
From 1998 until 2003, Ms. Campanelli managed criminal cases in private practice. She returned to the Cook County Public Defender’s Office in 2003 as an attorney supervisor assigned to the Felony Trial Division. She became chief of the Bridgeview Courthouse in 2008 and then transitioned to capital case coordinator in 2010.
After the death penalty was abolished in Illinois, Ms. Campanelli served as deputy chief of the Homicide Task Force and deputy chief of the Felony Trial Division. In 2012, she was promoted to deputy public defender in charge of Cook County’s five suburban districts, a position she held until her appointment as the Cook County Public Defender.
Over the years, Ms. Campanelli has been a frequent lecturer and trainer on mental health issues, trial advocacy, trial preparation, and therapeutic courts. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a juris doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Ms. Campanelli is a lifelong member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority and a past president of the Southwest Suburban Alumni Association.
Tom Dart was first sworn in as the 52nd Cook County sheriff in 2006. Mr. Dart began his career in public service as an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County. In 1992, Mr. Dart won a seat in the Illinois House, where he sponsored Mayor Daley’s Safe Neighborhoods Act and authored several state laws designed to crack down on child sex offenders, including a statute that targeted child predators that use the Internet to lure young victims. Mr. Dart also wrote the Sexually Violent Predators Commitment Act, enabling judges to detain sexual predators in state mental health facilities if they believe the offender is likely to commit new sex crimes. Mr. Dart joined the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in 2003, where he served as chief of staff to former Cook County Sheriff Michael F. Sheahan.
Brent Fischer was appointed executive director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board in December 2015. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Fischer served for 17 years as Adams County Sheriff. He began his career at the Adam County Sheriff’s Office as a court security officer in 1991 and was hired as a deputy sheriff in 1994. Mr. Fischer served 10 years as a board member of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, including two years as the board’s chairman, and he is a past president Illinois Sheriff’s Association.
Kimberly M. Foxx was elected Cook County State’s Attorney in 2016 and is the first African-American woman to lead the office. Prior to being elected state’s attorney, Ms. Foxx served as chief of staff or Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. As President Preckwinkle’s senior advisor and lead strategist, she oversaw a $4 billion annual budget. She also was the lead architect of the county’s criminal justice reform agenda to address racial disparities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Her efforts contributed to a significant drop in the Cook County jail population while promoting public safety.
A veteran prosecutor, Ms. Foxx served as an assistant state’s attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for 12 years. She has also served as a guardian ad litem in the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office.
Ms. Foxx is a board member at Adler University and Free Spirit Media, where she also served as board president. Ms. Foxx is a former board chair of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and a past president of the National Black Prosecutors Association-Chicago Chapter. She is a member of Leadership Greater Chicago and the Chicago Council of Lawyers.
Born and raised on Chicago’s Near North Side in Cabrini Green, Ms. Foxx earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern Illinois University (SIU) and a juris doctorate from the SIU School of Law.
Eddie Johnson was appointed Chicago Police Department Superintendent in April 2016. Since his appointment, Mr. Johnson has set out to implement systemic reforms around police accountability and transparency and build a culture within the department to strengthen public trust and reduce gun violence.
As superintendent, Mr. Johnson has developed a comprehensive violence reduction strategy which will add nearly 1,000 police officers to the streets of Chicago, invested in technology so officers can police smarter and more effectively, and initiated a comprehensive policy agenda to create a culture of accountability in the criminal justice system for repeat gun offenders that drive the majority of Chicago violence.
Mr. Johnson joined the Chicago Police Department in 1988, serving for the majority of his career within the Detective Division and Gang/Tactical units and Patrol Bureau, where he rose to the rank of chief. He is a Chicago native who grew up in Cabrini Green and on the city’s South Side. He is a member of the Executive Board of NOBLE’s Chicago Chapter, the St. Jude Board of Directors, and the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Assistance Committee.
Mr. Johnson is a recipient of the Chicago Defender Men of Excellence Award and has a received several department commendations. He received a bachelor’s degree from Governors State University and is expecting his master’s degree in public policy and administration with a specialization in public safety and national security from Northwestern University in 2017.
Maureen Josh is the DeKalb County Circuit Court Clerk, a position she has held for more than 30 years. As keeper of the records, Ms. Josh manages a team of 40 clerks, while working with members and agencies of the court system and the general public. Ms. Josh has served as president of the Northeast Illinois Circuit Clerk’s Association since 1989 and is a member of the Illinois Association of Circuit Court Clerks Executive Board and Legislative Committee.
In addition to her current service as an Authority Member, Ms. Josh served on the Authority from 2000 to 2006. She also currently serves as a Supreme Court appointee on the Statutory Court Fee Task Force and the e-Business Policy Advisory Board Technical Committee.
She has received numerous honors and awards for her work, including the 2013 NIU College of Law Alumni Council’s Public Service Award and Circuit Clerk of the Year in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2015. Ms. Josh earned her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin, Platteville.
Bryan Kibler is the Effingham County State’s Attorney. Mr. Kibler’s office prosecutes 250 felonies and 500 misdemeanors a year, as well as advises the county on civil issues. Previously, Mr. Kibler owned his own practice where he concentrated on criminal defense and family law. Mr. Kibler earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and his law degree from Southern Illinois University.
Lisa Madigan was elected the state’s first female attorney general in 2002 and is serving her fourth term. Since becoming attorney general, Ms. Madigan has dedicated the energy and resources of her office to protecting women and children from sexual predators on the streets and on the Internet. She also has implemented a series of proactive law enforcement strategies to combat the spread of methamphetamine throughout the state. Ms. Madigan is a leader in the public’s fight for open and accessible government, and she also has been credited with restoring integrity to Illinois’ gambling industry. Prior to becoming attorney general, Ms. Madigan served as a state senator representing the 17th District on Chicago’s North Side.
Michael McCoy is the Peoria County Sheriff. Mr. McCoy brings 45 years of experience in law enforcement and private security to the position. Mr. McCoy was appointed as the Peoria County Sheriff in 2002, and was subsequently elected to three four-year terms. He was previously the chief deputy, having returned to the department in 1994. Mr. McCoy originally joined the sheriff’s department in 1972 as a correctional officer, then became a deputy sheriff and later was promoted to sergeant. Mr. McCoy’s other experience includes six years as the police chief for Peoria Heights. He began his career at the Beardstown Police Department in 1970. Mr. McCoy also spent eight years as the corporate security director at Fleming Packaging Corp. Mr. McCoy is a veteran of the Illinois Air National Guard.
Jerry E. Mitchell is chief of the Peoria Police Department. Mr. Mitchell has been with the Peoria Police Department for more than 25 years, rising through the ranks from a recruit in 1990 to chief in 2014. Mr. Mitchell has served assignments in Patrol, Vice and Narcotics, Field Training, Information Office, Training, PHA & Taft Homes Walking Beat, and the Support Services Division. He also served as collateral duties supervisor of the Tactical Operation Center, Special Response Team, and Mentoring Program coordinator.
Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Leadership Council. He also served on the Illinois Crisis Negotiators Association Board of Directors.
Mr. Mitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Criminal Justice and Sociology from Bradley University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Staff and Command.
Pamela Paziotopoulos is an attorney and policy leader in intimate partner violence and domestic violence. She is president of the Paziotopoulos Group, where she consults for the private and public sector on workplace violence and intimate partner violence in the workplace. Her clients include NASA, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and Caterpillar.
Prior to her work as a consultant, Ms. Paziotopoulos worked for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in a variety of roles. In 1997 she established and developed the Domestic Violence Division to prosecute the 100,000 domestic violence cases the office sees annually. In 1999, she became the director of public affairs, serving as the women’s issues policy adviser. In this role, Ms. Paziotopoulos traveled to Albania to train Albanian National Police on domestic violence policy and procedures.
Ms. Paziotopoulos earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and her law degree from the Chicago Kent College of Law.
Mr. Pelletier received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Illinois University in 1972 and a juris doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in 1976. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and its Criminal Justice Section. He also is a member of the Appellate Lawyers Association and a former member of its board of directors, and he is a member of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. He is a commissioner on the Criminal Law Edit Align and Rewrite (CLEAR) Commission.
Toni Preckwinkle was elected Cook County Board President in November 2010. Ms. Preckwinkle has been a dedicated community leader for more than two decades, providing independent and progressive leadership founded on experience, coalition building, and a commitment to practical results. Prior to joining the Cook County Board, Ms. Preckwinkle served as alderman of Chicago’s 4th Ward for 19 years. In that time, Ms. Preckwinkle built a professional and responsive ward organization and worked tirelessly to meet the diverse needs of her constituents. She fought for greater funding for education and affordable housing in her ward. She also sponsored the living wage and affordable housing ordinances, and was a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit to institute a more racially equitable map of Chicago’s ward boundaries.
Prior to joining Chicago City Council, Ms. Preckwinkle taught high school history in Chicago for 10 years. During that time, she ran a non-profit organization aimed at neighborhood improvement. Ms. Preckwinkle was recipient of the IVI-IPO Best Alderman Award in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2008, and the 1997 and 2009 Leon Despres Awards. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago.
Leo P. Schmitz was appointed director of the Illinois State Police in February 2015. Mr. Schmitz’s law enforcement career spans nearly 30 years, dating back to 1986, when he joined Chicago Police Department (CPD) as a police officer. He was later promoted to work on the Joint Robbery Task Force, a cooperative effort between CPD and the University of Illinois Police Department where he and his partners made over 500 robbery arrests. After being shot twice in 1996 in pursuit of a robbery suspect, whom he also apprehended, Mr. Schmitz was presented with the Illinois Law Enforcement Medal of Honor by then-Gov. James Edgar, the Chicago Superintendent’s Award of Valor, and the Blue Star Award by the Chicago Police Department.
Mr. Schmitz quickly rose through the ranks of the CPD and has received numerous awards for his service. In 2009, he was selected to lead CPD’s Gang Enforcement Unit, which centralized all 50 district gang teams. His unit was recognized for its success with a Meritorious Citation. 2012, Mr. Schmitz was assigned to lead Chicago’s Englewood District. The district saw a 44-percent drop in homicide his first year and a 14 percent reduction in shootings. Later that year, he was promoted to deputy chief, a role in which he served until his CPD retirement in January 2015.
Nirav Shah was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Public Health in January 2015. Mr. Shah holds both a medical degree and law degree, making him uniquely qualified to understand both the health and administrative sides of this position. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Shah was an attorney at Sidley Austin in Chicago, focusing on the administrative and legal aspects of public health. Mr. Shah is a lecturer in global public health at the University of Chicago’s Medical School, where he teaches students how to solve public health problems through empirical analysis. He also sits on the board of the Northwestern Global Health Foundation and the Women’s Global Education project.
Prior to earning his degrees, Mr. Shah worked for the Ministry of Health in Cambodia as a public health economics addressing health care inefficiencies and making the public health system more cost-effective for the government and for the people. Mr. Shah graduated from the University of Chicago with a law degree in 2007 and a medical degree in 2008. He also attended Oxford University as a Rotary Scholar in economics. Mr. Shah earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Louisville.
Jennifer Vollen-Katz is executive director of the John Howard Association. In this role, she monitors conditions and programming in Illinois correction and detention facilities and helps create and implement system-wide operational and policy reform. JMs. Vollen-Katz serves as chairwoman of the State Advisory Board to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. Prior to joining the John Howard Association, Ms. Vollen-Katz was a lecturer in law and a clinical supervisor at the University of Chicago Law School Mandel Legal Aid Clinic Federal Criminal Justice Clinic. She also was a staff attorney with the Federal Defender Program of Northern Illinois, where she represented indigent defendants in federal criminal cases in the Northern District.
Ms. Vollen-Katz earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University, her juris doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center, and her master’s degree in criminal justice policy from the London School of Economics in London, England.
Beverly (BJ) Walker was appointed Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Acting Director in summer 2017. Ms. Walker has extensive experience in children’s services, human services, state and local government, and education. Her leadership and management experience in human services and education total more than 30 years
From 2004 to 2011, Ms. Walker served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Resources. There she was responsible for the state’s human services programs, including child protection services, child care, and child support, managing 20,000 employees with a combined budget of $3.4 billion. In 2009, she played a key role in creating three streamlined agencies as part of a Georgia health and human services restructuring.
Ms. Walker previously worked as Illinois Department of Human Services Director of Community Operations and was former Gov. Jim Edgar’s Assistant to the Governor for Human Services Reform. Ms. Walker also served as former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Human Infrastructure, worked on research and development projects for Chicago Public Schools, and worked on education programming and policy with the North Central Regional Laboratory.
After her public-sector service, Ms. Walker served as a senior fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She recently retired from Deloitte Consulting LLP where she was director of its public-sector children’s services and human services practice.
Paula Wolff is director of the Illinois Justice Project, a civic organization that works to reform the criminal justice system. Ms. Wolff has focused much of her career on justice policy. From 2000 to 2014, she led the Justice and Violence Group of Metropolis Strategies, the predecessor to the Illinois Justice Project.
From 1992 to 2000, Ms. Wolff served as president of Governors State University. She was responsible for the management of the university, oversaw faculty, students, the budget and strategic direction. During her tenure, enrollment grew by 22 percent to more than 9,000 students. Ms. Wolff also served as the director of policy and planning for former Gov. James Thompson. In that role, she directed development and implemented policy at all levels of state government. She also worked for former Governor Richard Ogilvie.
Ms. Wolff earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College and has her master’s degree and doctorate in political science from the University of Chicago.
