From policy to practice, we’re planting the seeds that transform courts, communities, and culture.

Join Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual fall fundraiser on Monday, November 10 at 6:00 pm at the Ivy Room (12 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611) to celebrate where we’ve been and where we’re going—and how we’re staying rooted in justice along the way. 

We’re thrilled to welcome Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as our guest of honor and keynote speaker, who we’ll be presenting with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades-long commitment to promoting policies and practices to improve equity and accessible justice. President Preckwinkle will be joined by Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr., as a featured speaker. Learn more about them below.

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All donations to Chicago Appleseed in support of the Cultivating Seeds of Justice event are tax-deductible, less the cost of services rendered, and will be used for charitable purposes consistent with our mission. Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We do not endorse, support, or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by speaker(s)/participant(s) are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Chicago Appleseed, its staff, or the Board of Directors.

President Toni Preckwinkle is the 35th president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, an office she has held since 2010. She is the first Black woman to be elected to the office. A dedicated and effective public servant, President Preckwinkle has worked to transform County government through increased fiscal responsibility, transparency, and improved services. As the top executive in Cook County, the nation’s second most populous County, President Preckwinkle oversees one of the nation’s largest public health and hospitals systems and one of the nation’s largest criminal justice systems. Under her leadership, Cook County used the Affordable Care Act to create CountyCare, a managed care program for Medicaid-eligible residents; Cook County provides quality care to more than 500,000 individuals through the health system and health plan. President Preckwinkle has remained committed to reimagining our criminal justice system and taking an approach that also addresses mental health issues, substance abuse and addiction as illnesses to be treated, not crimes to be punished. During President Preckwinkle’s administration, she has worked to expand the scope of the Justice Advisory Council (JAC) to coordinate and implement juvenile justice reform and public safety policy. In coordination with the JAC, President Preckwinkle has worked collaboratively with the County’s public safety stakeholders towards the goals of safely reducing the population of the Cook County Jail and Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center while preserving public safety, reducing recidivism, and promoting fair and equitable access to justice.

Before she was elected Cook County Board President, President Preckwinkle served 19 years as Alderman of Chicago’s 4th Ward. As Alderman, she oversaw the redevelopment of the Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas, Grand Boulevard, and Hyde Park neighborhoods. She established a reputation as a progressive on the City Council and a champion for affordable housing. She was a co-sponsor of the living wage ordinances that passed the City Council in 1998 and 2002. Prior to holding elected office, President Preckwinkle was a high school history teacher for ten years, before serving as an economic development coordinator for the City of Chicago and the executive director of the Chicago Jobs Council. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, President Preckwinkle came to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago, from where she holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She is the proud mother of two and grandmother of three.

Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr. is a passionate advocate for the rights of everyone represented by the Public Defender’s office and for reform to increase justice in the legal system and to keep communities safe. He was nominated by President Preckwinkle, confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Cook County Board, and sworn into office on April 1, 2021 for a six-year term as Public Defender. Public Defender Mitchell began his legal career in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, first working as a clerk in law school and later as an assistant public defender with assignments in the Civil, First Municipal, and Felony Trial Divisions. The Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender is one of the largest unified public defender offices in the nation with more than 650 employees, a budget of approximately $85 million, and 23 divisions and units. The Office provides legal services for people who cannot afford to hire an attorney to represent them in misdemeanor, felony, traffic, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, child protection, and similar cases and appeals.

Prior to becoming Public Defender, Mitchell joined the Illinois Justice Project (ILJP), a policy reform organization dedicated to supporting people, programs, and policies that can reduce inappropriate incarceration, improve community safety outcomes, reduce recidivism and increase justice in the legal system. Mitchell became Director of ILJP in 2019 and solidified its reputation as one of the state’s leading criminal justice reform non-profits. During his tenure as Director, ILJP helped lead the Coalition to End Money Bond’s successful effort to outlaw wealth-based pretrial incarceration in Illinois. His volunteer service includes membership on the boards of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, Chicago Debates, St. Leonard’s Ministries, and Live Free Chicago. Mitchell has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his law degree from DePaul University College of Law. A lifelong resident of Chicago, he grew up in the West Pullman neighborhood and is a Morgan Park High School graduate.

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