who is justin?

Justin’s work centers around civil and human rights, new technologies, open data, and new forms of collaboration. He spends his time assisting the Metro Chicago Information Center open their data, serving as the executive director of MoveSmart.org, building simple WordPress sites, and as a writer/blogger.

MoveSmart.org, which he co-founded, is a start-up organization dedicated to fostering vibrant and diverse neighborhoods by empowering housing seekers through technology to move to opportunity.

Justin sits on the Reader’s Bureau of the Chicago Reporter and the Program Committee of the Community Media Workshop. He is also a co-covener of Chicago Net Tuesdays. In 2009, he was named one of the “35 Under 35″ emerging civil rights leader in Chicago by the Community Renewal Society. He previously served on the board of directors for the Fund for an OPEN Society, Fair Housing for All, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, and the National Advisory Board of NeighborScapes.

From the spring of 2009 through February 2010 Justin was the Program and Technical Coordinator at NetSquared, where he coordinated internal communication and helped run innovation competitions. Before that, he was the Fair Housing Testing and Outreach Coordinator for the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. There he supervised the testing program, handled intake and investigation, and conducted fair housing trainings for 3.5 years. At CLCCRUL, his work focused on the intersection of fair housing and technology and he the led the investigation into craigslist’s publication of discriminatory advertisements, helping create the model for pursuing complaints against creators of discriminatory online housing ads.

Prior to working in fair housing, Justin was a Chicago Public School teacher (8th and 3rd grades) for two years and a research analyst for the Center for New Community for four years. At the Center, he monitored white nationalist activity and trained more than 5,000 young people on how to spot and respond to hate. While at the Center, he wrote for Fellowship, Intelligence Report, and Searchlight magazines and appeared on CLTV, VH1, and NPR’s “All Things Considered”.

Justin holds a BA in Political Science, with a minor in Womens’ Studies, from Loyola University of Chicago and a MA in Teaching from National Louis University. He completed the Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST training and NFHA’s Fair Housing School. In the past, he helped organize meetings of the now-dormant Illinois Data Exchange Affiliates.

From 1998 through 2002, he was the co-host of Government Music on WLUW, 88.7fm in Chicago, a Friday night punk and hardcore radio show. During the same time he co-founded and ran a record label of the same name. He is pleased to have put out a one great and one truly amazing record. Born and raised in New Orleans (geaux Saints!), Justin now lives in Chicago’s South Loop with his wife Abbie and dog beast Reggie. In his spare time, he is an avid boxing fan.