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 CLP’s Program and Development Coordinator. When Beth isn’t creating spreadsheets 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 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.
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 baby Corgi, Frida.
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 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.