LEADERSHIP

Ms. Clay is the founder and CEO of The Village Legal and Community Project. With over 20 years as a licensed attorney, Joan has spent half of her career as a public interest attorney committed to providing access to justice to overlooked and underserved communities. Her experience includes private practice, volunteer work in public interest law, as well as experience as a law school professor who oversaw a mortgage foreclosure clinic run by law students dedicated to helping those facing foreclosure at a time when banks were less than cooperative with homeowners.

For Joan, it is important to not only help make the legal system more accessible to those who can’t afford private attorneys, it is also important to mentor the next generation of public interest attorneys. Ms. Clay received her B.A. in Communications, with an emphasis in Journalism from Loyola University of Chicago and her J.D. from The University of Detroit Mercy.

As a first-generation lawyer, Shannon is passionate about the intersection of social work and legal advocacy as a method to deconstruct systems of oppression. Prior to and throughout law school, Shannon worked alongside adolescents and emerging adults at a Chicagoland residential treatment facility, providing holistic therapeutic services.



Shannon has worked with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in compliance and policy development, with legal aid organization, Ascend Justice, as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence, as a guardian ad litem in the Cook County Child Protection Division, and as a juvenile justice defense attorney specializing in arrest response. A double alumna of Loyola University Chicago, Shannon has a Master of Arts degree in Literature and a Juris Doctorate with a certificate in Child and Family Law.

Mr. Wilson has more than 20 years of accounting and finance experience. Prior to his work with Project SYNCERE as the Director of Finance & Operations where he managed the Finance, Payroll and HR for the organization, Geirge worked at Northwestern University, where he served as an Accounting Specialist, his focus was in grant proposal budgets and managing funds awarded to faculty in the Life Sciences department.
 
Mr. Wilson currently serves as the principal of Jefe Financial Solutions, where he is a consultant, specializing in providing expert CFO advisory and bookkeeping services tailored to all for profit and nonprofit business needs. George is passionate about helping new businesses establish a strong foundation in the accounting and finance areas. He is a graduate of Central State University in Ohio where he studied Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.

Mr. Wilbon is a Business Community Officer responsible for educating and providing resources to small businesses in the Chicagoland area with an emphasis on multicultural and underserved areas. Johnny also serves as the National CDFI Ambassador Program Co Chair where he leads the initiative to connect Entrepreneurs with local CDFI partners who further can assist clients with access to capital throughout the country.

He currently serves as a member of the Black Professional Group (BPG), Cook County Census Bureau, Chicago Racial Equity Committee as well as Board Chairman for the Greater Auburn Gresham Corporation and the Brookfield Zoo. On a personal note, Johnny played college football at Trinity International University while majoring in business management.