Tzedek DC and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law are jointly celebrating both the formal renewal of their long-standing partnership and Tzedek DC’s recent hiring of three outstanding School of Law alums.
Elsie Daniels is a Staff Attorney at Tzedek DC who focuses on intakes and brief services. Since graduating from the School of Law in 2020, Elsie has worked in the areas of criminal, guardianship, estate planning, domestic relations, and consumer law. Elsie is also a Tzedek DC alum, having volunteered as a student with Tzedek DC starting in 2017 through law school and in 2018 as one of Tzedek DC’s first-ever summer law student interns. Elsie has a passion for helping people reach their financial goals; along with her work at Tzedek DC, Elsie also volunteers with the Financial Fortitude Committee of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Naji Mujahid Fenwick is a Staff Attorney leading Tzedek DC’s Disabilities Community Project. Naji was born and raised in the DC area and earned degrees from UDC for his undergraduate studies (2013) and from the School of Law (2016). Naji’s lived experiences, including as a person who is neurodivergent, bring an important lens to his disability work in DC. Prior to joining Tzedek DC, Naji worked as a Staff Attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance and as an Assistant Public Defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Before becoming an attorney, Naji was an activist-journalist in DC focused on issues of racism and injustice related to crime and punishment.
Melissa Millar joined as Tzedek DC’s first-ever Policy Director and is responsible for leading and facilitating Tzedek DC’s systemic and coalition work related to debt, credit, fines and fees, consumer rights, and related areas at the DC Council, Congress, and other government agencies. Since graduating from the School of Law in 2008, she has gained substantial experience with the legislative and executive branches of the DC government, including having served as the legislative and government affairs representative for DC’s Department of General Services, Legislative Counsel and Analyst for three different DC Council Committees, and Policy Director for Community of Hope.
“We’re thrilled to continue our wonderful partnership with Tzedek DC,” said Dr. Twinette Johnson, Dean of the School of Law. “Since Tzedek DC first launched in 2017 as a public interest center headquartered here, we have been proud to see many UDC students and alumni, including these three talented alums now working full-time at Tzedek DC, contributing to the group’s crucial work fighting for DC residents facing debt, credit, financial abuse, identity theft, and fines and fees-related problems.”
“We’re celebrating both the renewed partnership with the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law under Dean Johnson’s strong leadership and the arrival of these three outstanding colleagues,” said Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Tzedek DC’s Founding President & Director-Counsel. “We have enthusiastically recruited Elsie, Naji, and Melissa and are already seeing that they are terrific additions to our team.”
