News
Equal Justice Works Announces Six New 2025 Members to the Alumni Advisory Council
/ Press Release
WASHINGTON D.C. August 7, 2025—Equal Justice Works, the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law, today announced six new members of our Alumni Advisory Council (AAC).
The AAC supports and strengthens the incredible community of EJW alumni. This non-fiduciary advisory group is comprised of 26 Equal Justice Works alumni who work in partnership with the network engagement team to build lifelong relationships between Equal Justice Works, current Fellows, and alumni through programming, communication, and volunteerism.
The AAC, along with Equal Justice Works’ other strategic advisory groups – the National Advisory Council and the Board of Counselors – provides counsel that complements the Board of Directors and guides the organization’s direction to ensure our programs meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve.
Members of the AAC reflect the diverse strengths, Fellowship programs, geographic distribution, professional accomplishments, and public interest disciplines of the Equal Justice Works alumni community.
The new members of the Alumni Advisory Council are:
Ashley Deadwyler Heuman, 2010 Fellow
The Equal Justice Works Fellowship project that launched Ashley’s career gave her hands-on legal experience assisting indigent clients as they met and overcame barriers to reentry. Ashley continues to be involved with Equal Justice Works through her repeated participation in our Alumni Reviewer process, by which Equal Justice Works alumni assist in launching a new class of Fellows through their review of Fellow application materials. Since her Fellowship, she has gone on to start her own law firm that continues to serve civil legal needs for communities in Georgia. Ashley’s other community involvements include serving on the Boards of Georgia Legal Services, Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia, Gateway Foundation, Middle Georgia Justice, and Mentor’s Project.
“I am so excited to work with the AAC and to assist in mentoring and connecting EJW Fellows,” said Ashley. “I hope that by working with the AAC, we can create programs and events to better connect this incredible group of social justice-minded lawyers throughout the country. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that social justice warriors band together to protect human rights for all!”
Krista Selnau Camarda, 2013 Fellow
Krista’s career of service began as a law student in the Summer Corps, which was closely followed by her EJW Fellowship advocating for children with disabilities through a medical-legal partnership. Her project was featured in a video at our annual Scales of Justice event. She later served as a portfolio manager on the fellowships team at Equal Justice Works to directly support Fellows and facilitate relationships between Fellows, host organizations, and sponsors. Outside of the organization, Krista has served on the Board for organizations including Ms. JD and the Veterans Law Section of the Maine State Bar Association. Additionally, she is actively involved on multiple committees for the Washington Council of Lawyers. Across these roles, she has been an advocate for the communities she serves, increased awareness of important legal issues, and worked with organizations to deepen engagement and form long-term strategy.
“Joining the Alumni Advisory Council is deeply personal to me,” said Krista. “Equal Justice Works gave me the foundation to turn my lived experience into a career of impact—first as a Fellow, then as a staff member, and now as a lifelong advocate for access to justice. I’m honored to help grow and strengthen the alumni community, and I’m especially excited to support opportunities for Fellows and alumni to stay connected, collaborate, and continue advancing public service through every stage of their careers.”
After graduating law school, Andrew served as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Cabrini Green Legal Aid in Chicago, where he aimed to stop poverty cycles that are often sparked through civil asset seizure. Post-Fellowship, Andrew held clerkships in multiple federal district courts, most recently with Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez, and was a litigation associate at Barnes & Thornburg. He has remained involved with Equal Justice Works by participating in the alumni reviewer process and attending regional alumni events. Andrew is currently a Staff Attorney with the Federal Defender Program for the Northern District of Illinois, where he has worked since 2022. Andrew’s other involvements include serving on the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Young Professionals Board (YPB), the John Howard Association YPB, the IL Supreme Court Forms Committee, and the Illinois Legal Aid Online YPB.
“Equal Justice Works is a great organization doing important work throughout the country,” said Andrew. “It is an honor to continue to contribute to its mission as a member of the AAC.”
During her EJW Fellowship at Children’s Law Center, Beth advocated for children in foster care who needed behavioral health services and support. After her Fellowship, Beth remained at Children’s Law Center as a Staff and later Supervising Attorney, providing direct representation to children in foster care, supervising line attorneys, and leading parts of the organization’s mental health advocacy. After a stint at the ABA Center for Children and the Law, Beth joined the Special Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. There, she primarily enforced the civil and constitutional rights of individuals, particularly children and young adults, with behavioral health disabilities. Beth’s commitment to public service shines through her career and her volunteerism with Equal Justice Works—she has volunteered at our annual Leadership Development Training, as an alumni reviewer, and as an alumni fellowship counselor with the University of Michigan, mentoring law students who were applying to Equal Justice Works Fellowships.
“I am so grateful to be able to work with Equal Justice Works as it addresses the growing and shifting legal needs in communities across the country, and to have the chance to develop and support its wonderful community of Fellows and alumni,” said Beth.
Oliver’s EJW Fellowship project prevented COVID-19-fueled evictions of small businesses and residential renters at high risk of displacement in Miami. Post-Fellowship, Oliver often shares his experience, lessons learned, and how it helped him build his career at local events to current and former law students who are also interested in becoming Fellows. He presently works as a Senior Policy and Legislative Strategist for Commissioner Marleine Bastien in Miami-Dade County. In this role, he continues to address interconnected issues related to housing by providing strategic insight on equitable community development using tax increment financing, affordable housing, county appropriations, public transportation, and intergovernmental affairs. Oliver’s testament to how a Fellowship can be expanded upon to build a career of service will be helpful to the AAC as it considers how to engage both alumni and law students in the Equal Justice Works community.
“Serving Equal Justice Works in this moment and in this capacity is deeply intentional,” said Oliver. “Now, more than ever, we must be unwavering in our commitment to eradicate poverty and ensure that the poor have access to quality legal representation.”
Sabrina began her career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow identifying and representing non-citizen survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking who have criminal convictions in their immigration matters. She keeps her ties to Equal Justice Works strong by organizing events in New York for Fellows, participating in the annual Scales of Justice fundraiser, discussing mental health best practices during a Fellowship at our Leadership Development Training, and conducting trainings on anti-trafficking, immigration, and criminal legal services. Outside of her work with Equal Justice Works, she remains involved with other public interest-minded organizations like the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Her Justice.
“Being an EJW fellow is one of the most important experiences in my life,” said Sabrina. “In the current political climate, it is critical for EJW to continue doing its work and for fellows to feel supported and inspired.”
To learn more about the Alumni Advisory Council, click here. To see how you can stay involved as an alumni, click here.