Meet The Team

Bryant Garcia is from SouthCentral Kentucky. He recently graduated from Russellville High School and BCSkills Web Development Academy, and is currently studying computer science. As an intern for the Justice Beat Talk Show Bryant hopes to gain experience on updating and maintaining a website, improving his web development skills and increase project management, marketing, and social media skillsets. Bryant hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the justice system from the guests that attend the show.

Vito joins us from Adler University where he is a masters student in the Couples and Family Therapy department. Hailing from Washington, DC, Vito has been interested in social justice from a young age. After working for the Maryland State’s Attorney’s office in the Domestic Violence Unit throughout High School, Vito continued cultivating his passion for criminal justice reform in Chicago, during and after college. Having done community-organizing work across the city in various non-profits, this will be his first role focusing on using social media to cultivate criminal justice reform. He is excited to expand his horizons at the Justice Beat Talk Show!

Nik Wicks is a nonbinary Chicagoland Native and a decade-long Chicago Transplant. They studied Illustration at Columbia College Chicago, and work as a freelance illustrator while pursuing their Masters in Counseling & Art Therapy at Adler University. They are the proud parent of two cats (Alice & Dorian Grey), love to take long walks on Chicago's lakefront trails and through the various city parks, and are very passionate about art history and art accessibility.
They came to The Justice Beat as part of Adler's Social Justice Practicum, hoping to address and educate themselves and others on the various issues that face our incarcerated siblings and their families. They believe by understanding the experiences facing those who have been processed through the criminal justice system and their loved ones, we can begin to address inequalities in these systems and move towards equitable change.

Thandolwethu is a South African isiXhosa mother tongue speaker. She graduated from Rhodes University with a Humanities degree. Currently, she holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Media Studies degree, double-majoring in Writing and Editing, and German Studies, minor subjects included Legal Theory, Philosophy, and Politics.
Thandolwethu is a flexible writer in form, length, style, language, tone, and point-of-view.
Thandolwethu is multilingual, speaking five South African languages. She is a strategic communicator with public speaking skills and also a published poet in South Africa and international anthologies.

Danielle Logan is a Culinary graduate, as well as a recent graduate from BC Skills Web Development Academy. Danielle is leading the E-commerce site development and digital communications. She was responsible for multiple things; such as web-site design, e-mail blast, and etc. She was very excited to be a part of a team, whose main focus is to educate and support others, not only in law, but in so many other important topics as well.

Having spent the better part of her adult life honing her creativity through the publishing, packaging, and public relations arenas...it was time to work person-to-person.

The alliterative "p" is intentional as Ruth's PRIORITIES align with her conviction that doing good work can extend to her daily practice as a mindful citizen and a creative scholar.

With experiences as a "yankee-neck" explaining her midwestern accent to her southern neighbors and her time on the roller derby track...Ruth
has found that she has an open mind and heart, in addition to a tenacious need to move positively forward...is fulfilling as much as it is fun.

Jordan is a Criminal Justice graduate looking for a career change to follow his passion for coding/programming. He is currently a Junior Web Developer in training with Commonwealth Coders. Jordan is very excited to be a part of The Justice Beat Talk Show team, and is bringing with him the experience and knowledge that he has with current web technologies.

Natalie Jones is a graduate student at Adler University, currently pursuing
two master’s degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Sport and Human Performance. She
recently joined the Legal Hour Show as an Associate Producer, as well as the Just-US YOUth
team as a junior associate producer/research assistant. She works as an office manager at a
private practice, and works with young athletes as well. This has expanded her experience on mental health, and relevant issues of diverse youth, especially athletes. She believes that working in
these positions will expand her knowledge of incarcerated individuals and youth. This experience can also help her to be a multi-faceted and multi-cultural counselor, equipped to work with different populations.

Andrew Lindsey is a graduate student at Adler University and currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Andrew has recently joined the Just-US YOUth team here as an associate producer / research assistant. In past work experiences, Andrew has worked with middle school aged youth who were contending with trauma, a range of diagnoses, and challenging situations at home. Due to the converging of these factors, this frequently led youth to entanglements in the justice system. Andrew believes the upcoming Just Us Youth program will give a powerful voice to the challenges youth face in this system and how to effectively implement positive and necessary changes.

Melissa is a Masters-level student majoring in Arts Therapy/Counseling at Adler University. in Chicago, IL. As a NxGen Media Intern, Melissa is part of the production team and is dedicated to a special leadership project within the program, 'Leading From The Rear" that will focus on ways to effectively lead a team remotely in today's environment.

Brennan is currently attending the University of Missouri, where he is majoring in Communication (with an emphasis in Mediated Communication) and Political Science. Brennan is also working towards earning certificates in American Constitutional Democracy and Multicultural Studies.

I am a Commonwealth Coders Graduate looking to begin my career in programming and computer technologies. I am thrilled to be in the Justice Beat WebMaster Team and am looking forward to demonstrate all that I've learned so far, and to grow and learn some more in the process.

Renn is a Commonwealth Coders graduate; which is based out of Kentucky. She has a mission to help as many people with their mental health as she can, and hopes to one day fund treatments for those who need it. She is also a domestic abuse awareness advocate, and is excited about being part of the Justice Beat Talk Show!



Renn is passionate about justice reform because of her experience with close loved ones who have been incarcerated, along with understanding the importance of mental illness treatments for those in & out of the system.

I am currently a certified SNRA, I have worked in the health field for most of my life. I have always been interested in computers and how they work. I was looking to learn something new and found the Commonwealth Coders class after talking with Myra and Lindsey, decided to give it a try and I love it. I am looking forward to the internship with The Justice Beat Talk Show. I am excited to learn more about Justice Reform and to enhance my knowledge of web development.