Home > About Us

Mission Statement

The Tennessee Justice Center advocates on behalf of poor Tennesseans:

• in areas of public policy having the greatest impact on their health and welfare;
  
• by means which afford clients opportunities to make their own voices heard; and
  
• in ways which emphasize collaboration across lines of race, class and generation.

Our clients inspire and drive the work that we do. The Center also supports the work of others engaged in similar advocacy efforts, beyond state boundaries, on behalf of the poor.

Click here to read more about TJC in "Battling Goliath in Tennessee," an article by Ted Parks that appeared in Sojourners magazine.

READ YEAR-END LETTERS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2009• 2008 • 2007• 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000

Staff

• Executive Director Gordon Bonnyman

• Managing Attorney Michele Johnson

• Staff Attorney Chris Coleman

• Staff Attorney Beth Hutto

• Office Manager Cathy Austin • Secretary Christie Lockard

• Paralegals & Client Advocates Jane Beasley, Bobby Gambrel, Declan Gould, Jennifer Tlumak

• Client Advocate & Educator Susanne Bennett

• Volunteer Attorney Ngozi Joe-Nwankwo

• Interns Chris McCain and Mary Catherine Cesarini

Henry Hill and Kavi D'Souza Stevick complete document review during litigation. As the adage goes, it takes a whole nonprofit to raise a baby.

TJC is a family-friendly employer.  Employees who welcome infants into their families are permitted to bring their newborn children to work with them until the child celebrates his or her first birthday.  Six children have spent the first year of their lives as part of our office.  We find that our policy both enhances the ability of employees with young children to be productive while striking a good work-family balance, and also allows the entire office to enjoy the stress-relieving presence of babies at work.

Many thanks to Ed Kashi, who donated his time and talent to TJC by photographing our staff. View his work at www.talkingeyesmedia.org

Internships

Click here to learn more about 2010-2011 internship opportunities.

Board

The Tennessee Justice Center is privileged to have an experienced, knowledgable Board. Read more about Board members here.

*Affiliations are listed for informational purposes only. ** Denotes Board Intern.

TJC Heroes

TJC could not exist without the support of volunteers. We are inspired daily by the generosity of the individuals and companies who have come to the aid of our clients. The "TJC Heroes" featured here are just a few of the outstanding individuals and companies who have made much of our work possible. Click here to read more.

Click to read more about our work.

Click to get involved.