The American Equity & Justice Group is the non-profit team behind the dashboard. Led by founder Anthony Powers, it is supported by a team of individuals with expertise in technology, data, criminal justice, business metrics, and legislation.
AEJG Executive Director & Board President
Anthony Powers is an experienced, inclusive, and inspirational leader, helping people to forge positive futures, and organizing people to work towards more equity in the justice system. He founded the American Equity and Justice Group to make data more available and useful, helping decision-makers understand the fairness of policy and sentencing decisions and ultimately improve equity in the justice system. In 2023, Anthony was honored to receive the Champion of State Criminal Justice Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Senior Strategy Specialist, Seattle Clemency Project
AEJG Board Vice President
Kate Sigafoos is a former Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney and Pro–Tem Judge, who now works with Microsoft as an employment lawyer. She was instrumental to the success of the 2020 Hackathon as she provided legal advice and bridged the gap between the worlds of criminal justice and technology. As American Equity and Justice Group's founding Secretary, she continues as an instrumental part of the team.
Employment lawyer, Microsoft
AEJG Legal and Policy Director & Board Treasurer
Kim Gordon is a strong and dedicated advocate for people involved in federal, state, and misdemeanor courts. Through her courtroom advocacy, assistance to clients, policy and legislative work, teaching, and mentorship, Kim has changed lives. Kim served three terms on Washington's Sentencing Guidelines Commission (appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee.) Kim was a key legal advisor to all Hackathon projects and was the founding President of American Equity and Justice Group.
Partner of Gordon & Saunders PLLC
AEJG Board Secretary
Ashley O'Connor McCready is the founding partner of Justitia Collective, LLC, a law firm specializing in post-conviction legal support and the decarceration of over-criminalized persons. Ashley previously served as a law clerk for Judge Leonard Feldman at the Court of Appeals, Division 1, after receiving her Juris Doctorate from Seattle University School of Law, her master's degree from the University of Illinois, and her bachelor’s degree from California State University. For over two decades, Ashley has advocated for marginalized communities through Youthcare, Treehouse, Advocacy for Patients, Team Gleason, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Path with Art, and the Washington Innocence Project, where she is currently board president.
Justitia Collective, LLC
AEJG Board Member
Nick Allen is the Policy and Advocacy Director at Group Health Foundation (GHF), a 501(c)(4) philanthropic organization committed to partnering with communities across Washington state to transform the balance of power to ensure equity and racial justice in Washington and beyond. Prior to joining GHF, Nick practiced law for over a decade at Columbia Legal Services (CLS), where he engaged in systemic advocacy on behalf of people in Eastern Washington jails and prisons, including serving as the Deputy Director of Advocacy for CLS's ending mass incarceration work.
Policy and Advocacy Director, Group Health Foundation
AEJG Board Member
Abron Arrington is a change maker, the founder and CEO of Imhotec Geo Engineering, Imhotec Bio Engineering, and Geoclipse LLC (Reneble Energy System), and the inventor of the patented A-Wall flood mitigation system, the patented Eclipse renewable energy system, and the ATIEM microbial treatment system. He was incarcerated for 30+ years for a wrongful conviction before receiving a rare immediate clemency from Colorado Gov. Polis in 2019. He is also an A&P mechanic for a major airline.
CEO, IMHOTEC Geo Engineering
AEJG Board Member
Marc M. Howard is a leading voice and advocate for criminal justice and prison reform, a prize-winning and innovative Professor of Government and Law at Georgetown University, the founding Director of Georgetown's Prisons and JusticeInitiative, the Founder and President of the non-profit Frederick Douglass Project of Justice, and an accomplished author. His work with current and formerly incarcerated individuals is changing lives.
Professor of Government and Law at Georgetown University
Director, Prisons and Justice Initiative
AEJG Board Member
Julius Lang is an experienced lawyer and community organizer with a passion for criminal justice reform. Julius served at the Center for Court Innovation for 24 years as Senior Advisor and Director of Training and Technical Assistance, responsible for leading the agency's community justice consulting services for jurisdictions around the nation and internationally. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Villanova University School of Law.
Former Director, Center for Court Innovation
AEJG Board Member
Chris Zachary is a former US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jet pilot who flew 180 combat missions before receiving his honorable discharge. He earned his MBA from the University of Washington and has since accumulated over a decade of experience leveraging data and technology to develop scalable business solutions. Chris is now the Founder and Principal of Zialectics LLC, dedicated to creating digital assets and integrating accessible AI engineering solutions, helping businesses of all sizes streamline operations, drive growth, and create lasting value.
Founder & Principal, Zialectics LLC
AEJG Technical Director
Rachel is a principal data scientist at Microsoft and has previously worked at Nielsen, American Red Cross, and National Opinion and Research Center. Rachel is passionate about using technology for positive social impact and became involved with AEJG through joining the AEJG team at Microsoft's Hackathon.
Principal Data Scientist, Microsoft
AEJG Data Scientist
Daniel has a background in economics and political science with a master’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business. During his career in custody and investment banking, Daniel built a strong quantitative foundation, rounded-rounded off by attaining a certificate in Data Science from the University of Washington. Daniel was born in Russia. In 1998 he immigrated to the United States by way of Ukraine. He became a citizen of the united States in 2003.
AEJG Project Manager
Addie Michaelson is a recent UW graduate. The focus of her studies was Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior. She has a background in social justice research projects. She is currently the project manager for American Equity and Justice Group.
These passionate volunteers continue to support this project and are committed to increasing the adoption of the Equity Dashboard by those in the criminal legal system nationwide.
