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
Erin Esparza - Executive Director
eesparza@classroomlaw.org
Erin became CLP’s Executive Director in 2018. Prior to this she spent three years working in Mexicco. 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.
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.
Mackendree Thompson - Program and Development Coordinator
Mackendree brings over ten years experience as an administrative professional to her role as Program & Development Coordinator. Inspired by a commitment to social justice, she has dedicated her time and talents to local non-profits, including Outside In and ROSE CDC. Under the general administrative titles she has held, she has acted as communications assistant, development associate, office manager, HR assistant, and executive assistant, working with everyone from direct service staff to directors to board members, volunteers, and donors. Raised in a family passionately devoted to civic engagement, she is pleased and proud to place her creativity, skills, and expertise in the service of CLP.
Beth Madsen Bradford - Office Coordinator
Beth is CLP’s Office Coordinator. When Beth isn’t creating spreadsheets at CLP and helping us to do pretty much everything, 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 fantastic 8 year old son, Nate.
Cari Zall - Senior Program Manager
Cari brings over 20 years of legal and education experience to Classroom Law Project. Along with her work as Sr. Program Manager, she is an adjunct at Lewis & Clark Graduate School. Prior to the Classroom Law Project, she was the Curriculum & Instruction Manager for a national online high school dropout recovery program, where she worked with faculty and designed curriculum for students returning to get their diplomas. She has been a Social Sciences educator for over 15 years, and prior to becoming a teacher, was a paralegal for 12 years in civil litigation. She also worked for several years in Human Rights advocacy, conflict resolution, and civil rights law in Northern Ireland and Washington, DC. She has experience in legislative lobbying, providing professional development, and advocacy work. Cari has a BA in Conflict Analysis & Resolution from George Mason University, an MA in Teaching from Lewis & Clark Graduate School, and an MA in Political Science from Virginia Tech. She 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 teenage son, and devotee of her west highland terrier, Sunney.
Jessica Gallagher - Senior Program Manager
Jessica Gallagher is a Senior Program Manager at the 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 passions for young people and the law. She received her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center and was a Clinical Teaching Fellow in the Street Law Clinic there. 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 13-year-old dog, Meaux.