Tzedek DC is thrilled to announce the growth of our development and communications team! We recently welcomed Jessica Trease as our first-ever Director of Development and Sarah Foster as Development & Communications Associate. Longtime Tzedek DC colleague Caitlyn Hickman has been promoted to Assistant Director of Development.
Development Director Jessica Trease brings more than a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, with a career centered on strengthening nonprofit organizations in the District. Her deep experience includes serving as Development Director and Interim Executive Director at Ayuda, one of Tzedek DC’s partner organizations, and she holds a Master of Social Work and is a Certified Fundraising Executive.
Assistant Development Director Caitlyn Hickman served singlehandedly as Tzedek DC’s full-time development and communications manager since February 2020, until this expansion. Under her leadership during the past five years, Tzedek DC’s development revenue has more than quadrupled. Prior to joining Tzedek DC, Caitlyn worked in business development and communications for a DC law firm, and she holds a Master of Science in Philosophy.
Sarah Foster is Tzedek DC’s Development & Communications Associate. Sarah began her fundraising career working in student development and alumni relations at York College of Pennsylvania and expanded her reach to the DC area through a year-long internship at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Sarah holds a Master of Public Policy and Administration.
Tzedek DC’s Founding Director Ariel Levinson-Waldman said: “In response to community demand, in the nearly nine years since we opened our doors, Tzedek DC has grown to a paid staff of 20, supported by many volunteers. The addition and promotion of these talented development professionals reflect the need to sustain, expand, and adapt our work in response to the increasing needs of our clients and the DC community we serve in these challenging times.”
About Tzedek DC
Tzedek DC’s name is drawn from the ancient Jewish teaching “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof,” or “Justice, justice you shall pursue.” Headquartered at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and with offices also in Ward 8, Tzedek DC’s mission is to safeguard the legal rights and financial health of DC residents with lower incomes facing the often-devastating consequences of debt collection and credit-related obstacles. This mission is carried out as anti-racism work in response to the massive wealth gaps tracking race in DC and nationwide. Tzedek DC seeks to serve and empower our client base, which is comprised of 90% Black people, 60% women, and 25% disabled community members. Our strategic approach combines three synergistic activities: (i) free direct services—legal representation and advice and financial counseling; (ii) working in coalition to make systemic change; and (iii) providing bilingual community legal education on debt collection, identity theft, and credit management. Since launching in 2017, Tzedek DC has served over 6,000 households and catalyzed systemic change benefiting hundreds of thousands of DC community members.