Amber Coleman-Mortley

Amber Coleman-Mortley is the Director of Program                   Development/Partnerships at The Female Quotient, an organization that works towards advancing equality in the workplace through the power of collaboration. She was previously the Director of Social Engagement at iCivics where she recruited teacher influencers; elevated diverse voices and perspectives within the civic education space; and managed the Youth Fellowship. She holds a B.A. in African American Studies from Oberlin College and an M.A. from American University in Media Entrepreneurship. A decorated three-sport varsity athlete, Amber continued her athletic passion as a P.E./Health teacher and varsity head coach at Sidwell Friends School for nine years. Amber covers civics, K12 education, edtech, and family life at MomOfAllCapes and on her podcast with her daughters, LetsK12Better. She has been featured in the LA Times, NY Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and a variety of other broadcast, podcast, and online media outlets.

Maryam Judar is the Senior Presidential Advisor at American Bar Association in Chicago, IL. She previously served as the Executive Director and Community Lawyer at the Citizen Advocacy Center in Elmhurst, Illinois for nearly 12 years. She was the chief spokesperson for the organization and was primarily responsible for fundraising, lobbying, legislative and program strategy, media appearances, and all other activities, including supervision of staff and determining budget priorities. She served as an appointee to the Illinois Task Force on Civics Education in 2014, which resulted in the high school graduation requirement of a stand-alone civics education course. Maryam’s work with students from Benedictine University resulted in amendments to the Open Meetings Act.

Prior, Maryam clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She also worked as the managing attorney for the Legal Services of Northern California’s health rights advocacy program where she utilized a grassroots and systemic approach to solving community members’ health care concerns.

Maryam graduated from Northwestern University and subsequently received her Master in Public Health from The George Washington University. Maryam had the unique opportunity to be a health communications volunteer serving in Peace Corps Madagascar. There, she identified pressing health education needs in local communities, trained health care professionals in outreach communication strategies and counseling skills, and implemented outreach programs and the development of educational materials.

Maryam graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law with certificates in Public Interest Law & Policy, and in Critical Race Studies, and she is a member of the Illinois and California Bars.