Alisa Kaplan Alisa joined Reform for Illinois in 2018, drawn to the organization’s long history of fighting for campaign finance reform and against systemic corruption. As Executive Director, she leads RFI’s policy development, advocacy, and educational initiatives and oversees operations.
Under Alisa’s leadership, RFI has expanded its role as a nonpartisan watchdog advancing ethics and election reform across Illinois. She frequently testifies before state and local legislatures, provides expert analysis to media outlets like the Chicago Tribune, WBEZ, and Crain’s, and collaborates with good government and community partners to push for greater transparency, accountability, and integrity in Illinois politics. She has developed and championed bills to increase government oversight and strengthen campaign finance laws in the General Assembly, Chicago City Council, and other local governments.
Alisa holds a J.D. and a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University, where she taught courses in constitutional law and civil liberties, and a B.A. from Yale. She brings a background in legal analysis, civic education, and grassroots organizing to her work at RFI. She feels fortunate to be able to spend every day fighting for a more ethical and equitable Illinois government that works not just for the wealthy and well-connected, but for everyone.
Contact Alisa with media or other inquiries at 312-436-1274 or alisa@reformforillinois.org.
As Cook County Clerk, David Orr served as the chief election authority in one of the largest election jurisdictions in the country and has found innovative ways to reform how government works.
David has been a reformer in a town known for insider deals and corruption. He beat the machine to become County Clerk in 1990 and was instrumental in remaking election law in Illinois. David served as Alderman from Chicago’s 49th ward from 1979-1990. As Vice Mayor under Mayor Harold Washington, he served briefly as Mayor after Washington’s unfortunate passing in 1987.
David most recently served as Director of the Good Government Illinois PAC, whose mission was to recruit, train and endorse quality candidates who are dedicated to good government while facilitating collaborations that connect candidates and elected officials to government innovations from around the country. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. He lives in Rogers Park, travels extensively and is a frequent guest on talk shows. He is married to Kim Bobo and has 4 adult children.
Bijan is a Rogers Park resident with expertise in grassroots organizing, political philosophy, and campaign finance law.
Growing up in New Jersey, Bijan co-founded an independent political organization for young activists in his hometown. He also supported grassroots organizations across NJ through digital media production and narrative strategy. Through his early experiences, he was exposed to the power of money in politics and began to develop an interest in philosophy as an undergraduate.
Shifting from organizing to research, Bijan moved to Chicago in 2023 to pursue a PhD in philosophy where he studied election law and political philosophy, while teaching courses on race, the history of philosophy, and contemporary moral issues. As a PhD student, he developed an understanding of law and politics, while clarifying his commitments to democracy and justice. Eager to turn understanding into action, he began organizing with grassroots organizations to advocate for publicly financed elections. As Associate Director, he works alongside our Executive Director to champion advocacy efforts and maintain day-to-day operations.
Bijan holds a MA (PhD-ABD) from Northwestern University in philosophy and a BA from Rutgers University New-Brunswick in philosophy/political science.
Jan Kralovec served as the Director of Elections for Cook County under Cook County Clerk, David Orr. She worked on the passage of Motor Voter in Illinois. She helped advance and implement an array of state election reforms that had a profound effect on making voting easier and more accessible. This included on-line voter registration, early voting, mail voting, election day registration, automatic voter registration, and required voter-verifiable paper audit trails on all touch-screen voting equipment. In 2016, Jan was asked to step in to assist the Kane County Clerk’s office in preparing for that year’s election.
Jan has also served as an election monitor for other countries on behalf of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe. This included two stints in Albania, one in Ukraine, and one in Egypt. She was a former member of the Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission; the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks; and the Chicago Board of the League of Women Voters.
Shawn Healy, PhD, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, leads iCivics’ state and federal policy and advocacy through the CivXNow Coalition and oversees civic education campaigns in several key states and the nation’s capital. He plays an active role in recruiting supporters to fund policy, advocacy, and implementation efforts nationwide to ensure impact. Since Healy joined iCivics in 2021, 35 states strengthened civic education policies, Congress quadrupled funding for K-12 civics, and the CivxNow Coalition grew to more than 400 pluralistic organizational members with representation in 45 states and DC.
Healy is also an adjunct professor in Public Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago and serves as the Board President of the Legislative Semester, Inc. and on the Board of Directors of Reform for Illinois. He recently completed his second term as a Serve Illinois Commissioner.
Before joining iCivics, Healy worked for fifteen years at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, most recently serving as Democracy Program Director. During his time at McCormick, Healy chaired the Illinois Task Force on Civic Education in 2014 and later led separate, successful legislative campaigns for a required civics course in Illinois in middle and high school, respectively. He also convened the Illinois Social Science Standards Task Force. The Illinois State Board of Education adopted its recommendations in 2015.
Healy began his career as a social studies teacher at West Chicago Community High School (IL) and Sheboygan North and South High Schools (WI).
A 2001 James Madison Fellow from the State of Wisconsin, Healy holds a MA and PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Political Science. He earned a bachelor’s degree with distinction in Political Science, History and Secondary Education from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
David Melton joined the RFI Board in 2013, and has served as an Interim Executive Director and Senior Advisor to the organization. Previously, he was an attorney in private practice, most recently with Mayer Brown and Foley & Lardner, with extensive experience in intellectual property matters. Melton was part of the pro bono team of attorneys that sued the State of Illinois to compel compliance with federal statutes requiring “Motor Voter” registration. A former Board member (including a term as Board President) of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, Melton has devoted significant time and expertise to improving judicial selection and protecting civil liberties.
Jaylin D. McClinton served as the Obama Foundation’s first-ever local Community Organizer and as District Manager for then-Illinois State Representative Juliana Stratton, now Illinois Lieutenant Governor. He is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences and current law student at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Jaylin is passionate about reforming the American criminal legal system, good government, voting rights, and equity in education and has dedicated his professional career to law, litigation, public policy, and public service.
Ben has taught political science at Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and other institutions. His recent book with Martin Gilens, Democracy in America?, explores proposals to reform campaign finance; enhance citizen participation; and give citizens equal voices in elections and legislative processes. His other books include Billionaires and Stealth Politics; The Rational Public; Who Deliberates?; and What Government Can Do about Poverty and Inequality.
Carl Johnson is an associate at the litigation boutique, Novack and Macey LLP. He earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology from Yale University and his J.D. from Columbia University. In the 2016 election cycle, Carl was a Deputy Voter Protection Director in Wisconsin, and in the fall of 2014, he was a Legal Research Fellow at ICPR.
Oren Jacobson currently works as a multi-sector consultant helping to develop effective strategies for businesses and nonprofits across the country. He holds an MBA and is currently working on his Master’s in Economics and Policy Analysis at DePaul University.
Sarah Brune is the Director of Public Policy for Neighborhood Housing Services, an organization that works to increase access to the wealth-building opportunities of homeownership for borrowers of color across Chicagoland. She was Executive Director of Reform for Illinois until 2018, and brings a wealth of knowledge in RFI’s issue areas and operations and a passion for its mission. She has also served as Chair of the Board of The Ideal Candidate, a nonprofit training academy that builds life and professional skills for young people from neglected communities and helps companies diversify their workforces.
Kira Dault is a nonprofit strategist and communications leader with extensive experience in social justice and civic engagement. Currently the Communications Director for Faith in Place, she has led multi-state communications strategies, including issue advocacy and electoral campaigns across the Midwest. With a background in strategic planning, crisis communications, and public narrative, Kira brings a deep commitment to democracy, transparency, and inclusive leadership. She lives in Chicago with her family.
Ricky was born and raised on the Southwest Side. He graduated from DePaul with a BA in political science, BS in biological sciences, and an MS in economics and policy analysis. He moved to DC for a few years and worked for the federal government and Congress as an economist. He returned home in 2019 to run for state representative. After a stint in the private sector, Ricky became political director for a non profit, where he lobbied for legislation in Springfield. He now currently works for the federal government as an economist. In his free time, Ricky enjoys traveling, learning languages, reading, and working out.
Rachel Ruttenberg has 20 years of experience as a policy and advocacy leader. She was Executive Director of a legal aid non-profit that served Illinois families and pursued child welfare system reform. She led coalitions that fought for economic justice, healthcare access, criminal legal system reform, and racial equity as the Senior Director of Policy at Heartland Alliance. She also was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Rachel has held various leadership positions with the Democratic Party of Evanston over the past decade. She has a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law, a MS from Northwestern University, and a BA from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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