Sharlyn Grace (she/her) is the Deputy Public Defender for Policy at the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, where she helps identify and implement the Public Defender’s strategic goals inside and outside of the office. Prior to her current role, Sharlyn was a founding member of Chicago Community Bond Fund and served as CCBF’s first Executive Director. She has also been the Senior Criminal Justice Policy Analyst at Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. Sharlyn has played a leading role in developing, drafting, and passing several pieces of legislation in the Illinois General Assembly, including bills affecting sentencing, diversion, pretrial policy, and public defense system reform. Outside of work, Sharlyn has provided legal and organizing support for grassroots movements in Chicago since 2012. She is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and an Illinois licensed attorney.

Ben Ruddell is the Director of Criminal Justice Policy with the ACLU of Illinois. He is responsible for drafting and analyzing criminal justice legislation and lobbying in the Illinois General Assembly. Ben joined the ACLU of Illinois in April 2015 after more than seven years in the office of the Illinois House Minority Leader, during which time he held the position of Deputy Legal Counsel and staffed the Judiciary and Criminal Law Committees. Prior to his work in the legislature, Ben practiced law in Chicago. Ben is originally from Peoria, Illinois. He graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with a degree in political science and received his JD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He lives in Chicago and is a member of the Illinois Bar.