Page 7 - Power the Vote Program Compiled v3

OF ILLINOIS

Panelists

Jen Dean, Deputy Director of Chicago Votes, is a political strategist, sociologist,
youth mentor, and community organizer. Most of her time is spent protecting and
expanding voting rights, working to ensure people most impacted by the criminal
justice system and young people have a seat at the table when policy decisions are
being made. This includes extensive programming and legislative implementation
inside Illinois jails and prisons. Jen’s passion is to cultivate new social justice initia-
tives such as Rest for Radicals, #ParadeToThePolls, #GiveAShitChicago, and #Unlock-
Civics. The wins created from the Unlock Civics program sparked a rapid national
movement protecting civil rights and voting rights for people inside jails. This model
of civic engagement has spread to over 30 detention facilities since 2018. The
legislation Jen co-drafted, SB2090, turns Cook County Jail into the first jail in the
country that is an official polling location. Jen has worked with several organizations
on the legalization of cannabis, reducing stop and frisk, #ByeAnita, Say Her Name,
Black Lives Matter and the Fight for 15, while serving on the boards of Parole Illinois,
Chasing23 and Bring Your Bag Chicago. Jen received the MTV as a “Leader for
Change” Award and the Barbara Jordan Award for excellence in judicial advocacy and education from Judicial Accountability
PAC. Jen is involved in the creation and distribution of 500,000 judicial voter guides each election cycle and launched a new
court watching program. Jen’s mission in life is to find the balance between adventures, traveling, and politics while encouraging
other women to bring their "full selves" to the table.

Martina “Tina” Hone is Chief Equity Officer at YWCA Metropolitan Chicago where she leads
efforts to promote equitable community and economic development. She is also responsible for
the organization’s overall public policy strategy. Tina is a native south side Chicagoan – born in
Hyde Park and raised in Roseland. She recently returned to Chicago and the south side after
more than two decades in Washington, DC working on a range of civil rights and social justice
issues. Most recently, Tina was Policy Director on the Education & Workforce Committee in
the US House of Representatives. She previously served as an Associate Under Secretary at the
US Department of Commerce, where she oversaw national outreach for Census 2000. She was
also lead Democratic Counsel on the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigra-
tion. From 2007-2011, Tina served as an elected member of the Fairfax County (Virginia) School
Board, where she focused on closing the achievement gap and ensuring that Black and Latino
students had equitable access to the full range of programs offered in that school system. Tina
graduated on the Dean’s List from the College at the University of Chicago and received her law
degree from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, where she was an Associate Editor of the California Law
Review. The daughter of an African American mother and Serbian father who came to the US as a political refugee after World
War 2, Tina has been driven to level the playing field for underserved people and communities her entire life.

Jennifer Taff is the Associate Director at DuPage Habitat for Humanity, based in Whea-
ton. Bringing over twenty years of experience in the non-profit industry with expertise
ranging from mental health and loan origination, Jennifer is leading DuPage Habitat’s
five-year advocacy campaign, Cost of Home. Jennifer Taff’s commitment to advocating
for families in need of support to thrive and not just survive goes beyond affordable
housing. Jennifer has been involved in advocating for people with disabilities, veterans
and other disenfranchised groups that are faced with discrimination. In 2018, Jennifer
was the recipient of the Village of Hanover Park Humanitarian Award for her role in
providing a Quality of Life Framework for residents and the community at large to build
sector impact. Jennifer is a Board member of the Glendale Heights Chamber of Com-
merce, previous President and current at-large Board member of the Hanover Park
Community Resource Coalition, and an at-large member of the Hanover Park Cultural
Inclusion Diversity Committee. Jennifer’s ability to align DuPage Habitat with the goals of
local mayors and managers has made her instrumental in affecting systemic change and
creating sustainable outcomes in the affordable housing sector throughout the county.