The labor movement, women's movement, and civil rights movement fought hard to establish basic rights. But those rights only have meaning if workers know about them and can enforce them. At the Heartland Center, our team strives to do just that.
DIRECTORS
Gina Chiala, Current Executive Director and Attorney at Law
Gary Rhoades, Incoming Executive Director and Attorney at Law
Photo credit: suzanne corum-rich
Patricia has over a decade of experience in civil rights-centered impact litigation, policy, and public education advocacy. She began her legal career as an attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and law clerk in both the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, after graduating from Columbia Law School and Yale University with distinction.
Patricia Okonta, Impact Litigation Director
Natalie Branch, Eviction Defense Director
Andrew Zonoozi, Operations Director
EVICTION DEFENSE
John Michael-Pipes, a UMKC School of Law Grad, has been representing tenants in eviction court the entirety of his career and helped to implement and carry out Kansas City, Missouri’s “Right to Counsel” Program since its start in June 2021. John Michael collaborates with his clients to maintain their housing and strives to ensure Jackson County landlord-tenant proceedings are fair and just.
John Michael-Pipes, Eviction Defense Team Lead
Erin O’Leary, Eviction Defense Attorney
Eli Pearce is a native Kansas Citian who returned to the metro to defend tenants after graduating from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.
Eli Pearce, Eviction Defense Attorney
Nate Longoria, Eviction Defense Attorney
Ruth Petsch, Eviction Defense Attorney
Theo Blackwood, Eviction Defense Paralegal
IMPACT LITIGATION
photo credit: Suzanne corum-rich
Sydney Ragsdale, Stable Homes Attorney
Amy Sweeny Davis, Safe Homes Attorney
PHoto credit: Suzanne Corum-rich
Photo credit: nick coleman
Jordan Hoffman-Kahle, Worker Power Attorney
Nathan Cho, Tenants' Rights Attorney
Becca Preisendorf, Litigation Paralegal
SUPPORT STAFF
photo credit: Suzanne corum-rich
Organizer
Chris Carpenter, Volunteer Attorney
L. has over a decade of experience organizing low-wage workers, tenants, and students in Kansas city. with a b.a. in english-creative writing from the university of missouri-kansas city, l is excited to uplift worker and tenant stories.
