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Christine Link
executive director
Christine Link is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Ohio, a post she has held for
over 20 years, making her one of the most experienced directors among 53 ACLU affiliates.
Chris has an academic background in health care policy and public health. For many
years she worked for the expansion of reproductive rights and health care services with
organizations such as Planned Parenthood. Joining the ACLU as executive director in 1990,
Chris has overseen the expansion of the organization in all program areas.
During Chris’ leadership of the organization the Ohio ACLU has litigated scores
of civil liberties cases involving issues as diverse as religious liberty, racial profiling,
voting rights, the reform of prisons, free speech, the rights of students, women’s
rights, reproductive rights and privacy. Chris is the primary spokesperson for the
organization on all issues and as such appears in print and electronic media routinely.
Under Chris’ leadership the ACLU of Ohio has been wildly successful in creating
cutting-edge programs to promote civil liberties to different constituencies. Today,
civil liberties groups use a number of the programs she conceived nationwide. In addition,
she created the organization’s internship program, which provides a venue for scores
of young people to learn about democracy.
To support of the organization’s litigation and education programs, Chris led the
agency in the purchase and renovation of the building in Cleveland, which is today the Max
Wohl Civil Liberties Center. In addition to housing the ACLU, the building has become a
community center for a diverse array of organizations that hold meetings and programs in
support of civil liberties.
Post 9/11, Chris and members organized the resources of the organization to take up the
cause of protecting all people from the over-reaching violations of rights by the executive
branch and led the challenge to Ohio's own version of the Patriot Act. Now Chris and all
ACLU members work to restore the protections of the Constitution and repair the damage done
to fundamental rights.
Melissa Bilancini
policy coordinator
Melissa Bilancini is policy coordinator for the ACLU of Ohio. A member of the legislative
team, she identifies key elected officials to engage, integrates volunteers into the
organization’s legislative efforts and supports statewide advocacy campaigns. She is
also coordinator of the ACLU of Ohio’s new Stern Institute, seminars designed to advance
the knowledge and skills of activists in support of civil liberties. With the organization
since 2007, Melissa’s additional responsibilities include supervision and coordination
of education programs, coordinating continuing education programs for lawyers and social
workers, and integrating the use of technology into the organization’s advocacy efforts.
A licensed social worker, Melissa serves as co-coordinator of the Cuyahoga County Conference
on Social Work, and is active in the regional leadership team of the National Association
of Social Workers Ohio Chapter. She also serves as a mentor for Esperanza, Inc., a non-profit
working to improve academic achievement of Hispanics in Greater Cleveland, and volunteers
with City Fresh, a local community supported agricultural program.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in social
science administration from Case Western Reserve University.
Mike Brickner
communications and public policy director
Mike received his Master’s degree in psychology from Cleveland State University’s
Diversity Management Program and his Bachelor’s degree from Hiram College.
During his seven year tenure at the ACLU, Mike has worked on a variety of critical civil
liberties campaigns. These include the Cincinnati-based Police Reform Project,
coordinating the advocacy campaign against the Ohio Patriot Act, and promoting state
criminal sentencing reform.
In August 2010, Mike co-authored the report Reform Cannot Wait: A Comprehensive
Examination of the Cost of Incarceration in Ohio from 1991-2010. The report analyzed
two decades of research showing the state’s “tough on crime” laws were
a burden on state finances, diminished public safety, and perpetuated racial inequalities.
Mike also co-authored and designed the ACLU’s April 2011 report, Prisons for
Profit: A Look at Private Prisons. The report highlights the problems faced by other
states who have privatized prisons, including: increased costs, safety problems, a lack
of transparency, and increased recidivism.
Mike frequently provides commentary to members of the media on core ACLU issues ranging
from ending capital punishment to strengthening state privacy laws.
Mike also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Greater Cleveland Community Shares,
who named him the 2009 Volunteer of the Year. Recently he was named a Sue B. Mercy Fellow
with Humanity in Action, an international non-profit organization devoted to promoting
global human rights.
 Gary Daniels
associate director
Gary Daniels is the Associate Director of the ACLU of Ohio and heads the ACLU of Ohio Regional Office in Columbus, where he's lived since February 2008. Gary has worked for the ACLU of Ohio for over 10 years, from 1995-2000 and 2003-present. Before becoming Associate Director, he worked for the ACLU of Ohio in the position of Litigation Coordinator.
During the time he wasn't working for the ACLU of Ohio, Gary lived in New York City where he was the Cuba Travel Project Coordinator for the Center for Constitutional Rights and later the Media Affairs Coordinator for the National Coalition Against Censorship. He was also the sole employee of the Free Expression Network, where he managed and provided content for that group's website.
Gary currently serves on the boards of the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education and Community Shares of Mid Ohio, where he's also on that organization's Governing Committee. He is a two-time past board member for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.
Gary is a 1994 graduate of Kent State University where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science. He is originally from Youngstown, Ohio.
Carrie Davis
staff attorney
Carrie Davis joined the ACLU of Ohio in 2003 as Staff Attorney. Carrie travels the state working on important civil liberties litigation, lobbying all levels of Ohio government, helping to organize other Ohioans to lobby their officials, and speaking on a variety of subjects.
Carrie is passionate about too many issues to name, and has many notable accomplishments with the ACLU. Carrie has served as counsel on landmark cases involving voting rights, free speech, and individual liberties. She regularly testifies before and lobbies members of the Ohio General Assembly. She serves on the board of Ohioans to Stop Executions, a growing organization dedicated to ending the injustice of capital punishment. In 2006, Carrie was honored as a “Champion of Choice” by NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. Carrie’s proudest accomplishment with the ACLU of Ohio is that she has trained scores of Ohioans to speak out through her advocacy training program.
Carrie is a native Ohioan. She has an academic background in public policy and public service, philosophy, and law. Carrie worked on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. as part of a Women in Public Policy internship program. She went on to work as a Congressional Aide for a U.S. Representative from Michigan. Carrie returned to Ohio to attend law school and enter public service. During law school, Carrie worked as a legal intern with the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, served as Editor-in-Chief of The Internet Law Journal, and competed in mock trial and moot court.
Carrie has a BA in philosophy and public policy from Albion College and a JD from Case Western Reserve University.
Shakyra Diaz
policy director
Shakyra Diaz is the policy director for the ACLU of Ohio. She works on public policy campaigns, legislative
advocacy, coalition building initiatives, and impact programming.
During her time at the ACLU she has worked on initiatives that have successfully reversed long-standing
racially disparate practices that have resulted in sentencing reform. Diaz develops impact programs that
give voice to constitutional concerns around the state. Some of those programs have examined hip-hop as a
form of political activism, reproductive health care access for Latinas, ineffective gang initiatives, failed
and biased drug law policies, selective enforcement, youth and police relations, the school-to-prison
pipeline, anti-immigrant policies, and sentencing reform.
Diaz has co-authored or contributed to several ACLU of Ohio publications, curricula and reports dealing with
youth rights, immigrant rights, juvenile justice, racial justice, prison privatization, drug law reform,
and criminal justice reform.
Prior to joining the ACLU, Diaz served as both project director and program coordinator for Youth
Opportunities Unlimited and as retention specialist and education specialist for Case Western Reserve
University's Upward Bound Program preparing high school students for college.
Diaz is a member of the Employment Ex-Offender Work Group for the Ohio Re-Entry Coalition and a member of
the Board of Directors of Hispanic Urban Minority Alcohol & Drug Abuse Outreach Program. Diaz is the
vice-chair of Citizens for a Safe and Fair Cleveland. She formerly served as chair of the Interpreters
Advocate Advisory Committee via the Center for Reducing Health Disparities, board of Hispanas en Lake
Y Ashtabula, committee member Hispanic Health Committee and Ohio Social Service Workers Association.
Diaz received her Bachelor of Arts from Case Western Reserve University in Communication Sciences
and Sociology with a concentration on social inequity.
James Hardiman
legal director
In April 2010, James L. Hardiman joined the ACLU of Ohio as Legal Director, where he oversees complex litigation and strategy on a wide range of civil liberties issues.
James is recognized as a national leader in civil rights litigation and has served the Cleveland NAACP in a variety of significant volunteer leadership roles, including chairing the NAACP’s Legal Redress Committee, serving as Branch President on two separate occasions and, currently, serving as first vice president.
As an attorney, he is perhaps best known for his cases that led to the desegregation of school and police departments in places such as Cleveland, Lorain, Alliance, Columbus, and Cincinnati.
James has significant criminal defense trial experience, crucial to the organization as it continues to battle the erosion of Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. He also is well versed in Constitutional law, from freedom of speech to protection of the rights of all minority groups.
Outside the courtroom, James spends his spare time teaching a college course on the history of civil rights, and has been a frequent guest lecturer on civil rights and civil liberties issues.
He also chairs Citizens for a Safe and Fair Cleveland, a coalition credited with successfully ending the disparate treatment of drug offenders. He previously served on the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Racial Fairness Implementation Task Force.
James received his undergraduate degree in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace College. While teaching at Cleveland’s Glenville High School he attended Cleveland State University’s Cleveland Marshall College of Law.
Jason Jaffery
development director
Jason Jaffery began work as the ACLU of Ohio’s Development Director
in March of 2007.
A native Clevelander, Jaffery has been very active in the non-profit
sector. He has served as Development Director for several prominent
organizations, including Cleveland Public Theatre, the AIDS Housing
Council, the Hunger Network, Free Clinic and he served as
Director of Major Gifts for the School of Medicine at Case Western
Reserve University. Most recently, Jaffery was Development Director
for Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple.
Jason’s activism began in college as a film student at New York
University, where he volunteered and demonstrated for the free
speech movement when the National Endowment for the Arts was being
attacked. Jason has also volunteered with the ACLU of Ohio in the
past, as an organizer for public education events.
Jeff Miller
technology director
Jeff Miller joined the ACLU of Ohio in 2006, charged with updating the organization’s website. Now serving as technology director, he provides technology training and support for staff and volunteers in the Cleveland and Columbus offices. He maintains the donor, member, and activist databases and works closely with the development director, providing analysis and reporting. In part because of his business background, he has been asked to assist with facilities and other administrative matters, most recently participating in the development of the ACLU of Ohio’s strategic plan. He has also led meetings with legislators, crafted web and other messaging for volunteer advocates, and works to provide technology support in the organization of those efforts.
A native of northeast Ohio, Jeff operated a small furniture making and restoration business in Wooster, Ohio for 20 years. During this time, he was active in social justice, public sanctuary, and corporate social responsibility issues, with a particular interest in the issue of inequality. After closing his business in 2002, he decided to devote his career to these concerns. He enrolled at the University of Akron, where he received a degree in Philosophy/Political Science/Economics in 2005.
Jeff was on the board of the Wayne Center for the Arts and also served as its president. He has also served as a member of the WKSU-FM Community Advisory Council. Jeff is the great-great-grandson of “General” Jacob S. Coxey, who led what is considered to be the first march on Washington in 1894, advocating for public investment to ease the plight of the nation’s unemployed, with the conviction that citizens had the right to voice their demands in the nation’s capital.
ann rowlett
deputy director
Ann Rowlett is deputy director of the ACLU of Ohio Foundation. She
had previously served as administrative director since she was hired
in 1995.
In addition to managing the agency’s internal operations — finance,
project supervision and evaluation, publications, equipment and
facilities — her responsibilities also include grant writing,
representing the ACLU on community coalitions, staffing board
committees, and overseeing all agency activities in the absence of
the executive director.
Ann is editor of the agency’s award-winning statewide
newsletter, ACLU News.
Ann holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Akron, and
a Master’s degree from the Ohio State University, both in English
with an emphasis on women’s issues. In 2007, Ann earned
a Master's in Library and Information Science from Kent State
University.
For more than 20 years, Ann has worked for various
organizations seeking to advance the rights of individuals in the
areas of welfare, labor, and law. She also spent two years managing
communications for a political campaign. She is experienced in
writing and publications, public relations, teaching, and nonprofit
administrative and financial management.
In addition, Ann has volunteered with a number of organizations
enhancing opportunities for women, for the disabled, and for
artists.
She recently completed two terms on board of directors of Greater Cleveland
Community Shares, and continues to serve on the Development
Committee. She has also served on the board of Cleveland Public Theatre,
and currently sits on the Finance Committee.
anthony scott
staff counsel
Anthony Scott joined the ACLU of Ohio in August 2011 as the newest member of
the organization’s growing legal team. Already Tony has begun work on critical
civil liberties issues such as debtors’ prisons, access to housing, free
speech, and students’ rights. In addition, Tony is passionate about juvenile
justice, racial justice, criminal justice and voting rights issues.
Tony has a long history of public service, which began with 8 years in the
U.S. Marine Corps, followed by internships at the Ohio Attorney General’s
office, Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners, and Northeast Ohio Regional
Sewer District. Prior to joining the ACLU, Tony was an associate attorney
with Brouse McDowell, LPA where he worked in the commercial and business
litigation practice groups. He also serves as an adjunct professor at
Chancellor University where he instructs courses on English and Business
Law.
Tony received his Bachelor of Arts degree and Master’s degree in Public
Administration from Cleveland State University, and his J.D. from the
Cleveland-Marshall College of law. Cleveland-Marshall College of Law’s
Black Law Student Association (BLSA) recently honored him with a “2011
Outstanding Service Award” for his work with the Frederick Douglass'
Moot Court team.
In 2010, Tony was featured in Kaleidoscope Magazine’s annual
“40 Under 40,” which highlights young professionals on the rise
in northeast Ohio. He has also been active with the Black Professional
Association Charitable Foundation (BPACF), having served as co-chair of its
annual gala’s programming committee for two years and assisting with
developing its strategic plan.
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