Classroom Law Project
620 SW Main St Ste 102
Portland, OR 97205
503.224.4424
office@classroomlaw.org
We are located on the ground floor of the old Gus Solomon courthouse.
Classroom Law Project
503.224.4424
Beth Madsen Bradford - Program and Development Coordinator
Beth is Classroom Law Project’s Program and Development Coordinator. When Beth isn’t creating spreadsheets, designing all manner of graphics, and figuring out logistics for programs and events at CLP, she works as a classical musician, singing with opera companies, chamber orchestras and symphonies throughout the West Coast. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Linfield College, and apprenticed with Des Moines Metro Opera and the Aspen Music Festival. In her spare time, Beth enjoys gardening, cribbage, playing ukulele, and hanging out with her awesome son, Nate.
Erin Esparza - Executive Director
Erin became CLP’s Executive Director in 2018. Prior to this she spent three years working in Mexico. At the Universidad Metropolitana de Monterrey, she developed programs and operational models to provide education and social mobility opportunities for underserved populations. As Academic Portfolio Manager, she oversaw the development of academic offerings, As Director of Expansion Strategy for Vía Educación, a nonprofit focused on education and participatory citizenship, Erin grew the organization and created the Jóvenes Atiempo program to keep youth in school by matching middle school students with high school mentors. Before embarking on her career in education and youth development, Erin worked in the financial industry for more than a decade in senior roles with TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab & Company. In the 1990s, she served in various roles at Intel, including leading strategic venture capital investments in technologies for small businesses as Corporate Business Development Manager. Erin’s education includes a B.A. in Economics and a Masters in Education from Harvard University. She is bilingual in English and Spanish. She has served on several nonprofit boards over the years, and is currently Vice Chair of Journeys Within Our Community, a nonprofit that empowers low income Cambodians with free education and scholarships.
Jessica Gallagher - Senior Program Manager
Jessica Gallagher is a Senior Program Manager at Classroom Law Project. Gallagher received her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Hendrix College. After spending time working as a summer camp director in the mountains of Western North Carolina, she enrolled in Lewis & Clark Law School. As a law student, she volunteered with the Northwest Environmental Defense Center and the Public Interest Law Project, was a law clerk for the Earthrise Law Center, and participated in the Earthrise Clinic. Gallagher also participated in the Street Law seminar, where she discovered how to combine her passion for working with young people and the law. She received her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a Clinical Teaching Fellow in the Street Law Clinic. She has also conducted Street Law training for educators and law students internationally. Gallagher has also been a Red Cross CPR and Lifeguarding instructor for 12 years. Gallagher is a podcast junkie who loves to bake, swim, and hang out with her precocious Corgi, Frida.
Dennis Gerl - Willamette Valley Regional Coordinator
Dennis is a Willamette Valley Regional Coordinator for Classroom Law Project. He retired Plaintiff personal injury and product liability attorney, an active member of the Oregon State Bar, and a guest teacher in the Eugene 4J school district. Dennis earned his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California in Santa Barbara and a J.D. from the University of Oregon. He also received an M.A. in Teaching and Learning from the University of Oregon, and is trained in mediation, crisis intervention, and restorative justice. Dennis has coached Mock Trial for almost a decade and created the website mocktrialstrategies.com to help teachers and coaches start and maintain high school Mock Trial teams. His interests include writing, mycology, ornithology, spending time with his family, and hiking.
Alex Herrera - Office Coordinator
Originally from Denver, Office Coordinator Alex Herrera is a graduate from Portland State University with a degree in political science & Black studies. Their thesis was on state surveillance & social services. When not at work or studying, Alex enjoys reading, sitting in the sun, & playing with their cats.
Robert Hulshof-Schmidt - Director of Development and Communications
Robert is CLP’s Development and Communications Director and has a long past with CLP. He worked as our Data Coordinator and helped to streamline our data management systems; he also coordinated volunteers for fundraising events before coming on full time. Robert has an extensive background in non-profit management and board service, and spent the first part of his career working as a librarian and library membership and communications coordinator. A native Oregonian, he grew up in Albany and graduated from Willamette University. He learned civic engagement at a young age, helping his grandfather deliver voting machines around Linn county. Robert also has a Certificate in Comics Studies from Portland State University and has published articles about comics in a variety of academic journals and textbooks.
Cari Zall - Senior Program Manager
Cari Zall is the Sr. Program Manager for Classroom Law Project, an Oregon nonprofit that provides professional development and student programs in Civic Education. She is also an adjunct at Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education. Cari brings to her civic education practice over 25 years of legal and education experience. She has been a Social Sciences educator for over 15 years, and prior to becoming a teacher, was a paralegal for 14 years. She also worked in human rights advocacy, conflict resolution, and civil rights law in Northern Ireland and in Washington, D.C. during and after the armed conflict in Ireland. She has been a curriculum and faculty administrator for a national online high school dropout recovery program, and currently is a visiting lecturer Social Science Methods classes in most of Oregon’s Teacher Education programs. Cari has experience in legislative lobbying, providing professional development, and advocacy work. She has a BA in Conflict Analysis & Resolution from George Mason University, an MA in Teaching from Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education, and an MA in Political Science from Virginia Tech University. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education Theory and Practice with Equity at Simon Fraser University. She is a licensed teacher in multiple states, is certified in online education and gamification, and is a James Madison Foundation Fellow for Constitutional Law Educators. Cari is a table-top gaming enthusiast, wrangler of a teenager, and a devotee of her Westie, Sunney.