Our Team
The ENDPP.ORG team consists of our Executive Director, staff, and founding board of directors. We are all are formerly incarcerated people who are now leaders in criminal legal system reform.
Marlon Chamberlain
Founding Executive Director
Marlon leads ENDPP.org. He brings over 20 years of lived and professional experience and is an advocate for people directly impacted by the criminal legal system. Marlon is a seasoned organizer, coalition manager, and legislative advocacy strategist. He most recently was the Fully Free Campaign Manager at Heartland Alliance. Previously, he served as the Englewood Project Manager with READI Chicago. Prior to that, he was a Community Organizer with the FORCE (Fighting to Overcome Records and Create Equality) Initiative, developing FORCE into one of the strongest organizations led by people with records to advance issues, policies, and legislation at the state level - including passing the largest sealing expansion law in the United States and leading a voter registration campaign. Marlon is a recipient of many awards, including the Visionary Award from Cabrini-Green Legal Aid.
Antonio Lightfoot
Deputy Director
Antonio Lightfoot comes to ENDPP with over a decade of experience in community organizing, nonprofit management, and coalition-building. His goal is to amplify the voices of those directly impacted by the criminal justice system having previously been incarcerated for 30 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections. For the past 7 years, he’s served as the Deputy Director of Workers Center for Racial Justice, an ENPP.org coalition partner, where he helped build the organization into a powerhouse grassroots organizing and policy advocacy organization boasting multiple c3 and c4 victories. He also specializes in using digital tools to streamline organizing capacity and civic engagement programs.
Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Antonio has a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Chicago State University and a minor in Social Work. When not working, Antonio is either watching football, attempting to make the perfect “old fashioned,” or spending time with his family. Antonio is a husband to Loren and a father of Antonio Jr., Lynden, Riley, and Reese.
Gregory Chambers
Director of Policy
Gregory Chambers’ association with various community-based organizations and campaigns in the interest of criminal justice reform include the Community Renewal Society, People’s Liberty Project, Illinois Alliance for Re-entry and Justice, Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois (RROCI), Illinois Justice Project, Restore Justice, Just Leadership USA, Black Policy Institute, Midwest Academy, Coalition to End Money Bond, People’s Coalition for Safety and Freedom, Fully Free, and Live Free Illinois has given him a foundation to thrive as part of the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments.
After serving as policy organizer for Live Free Illinois, in June of 2023 he was asked to join ENDPP.ORG as its Policy Manager. Beyond the foundation mentioned above, he brings to the table the best of both worlds. After serving several years as a law enforcement officer in the city of Chicago, he served a lengthy term of imprisonment where he gained the compassion necessary to advocate for just policies and laws to better serve marginalized people in communities that are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system.
Harry Pena
Chicago-based Organizer
Harry Pena is the Campaign Manager for the Illinois Coalition To End Permanent Punishments. He is also the coalition manager for the Fully Free Campaign which advocates for the rights and dignity of people impacted by the criminal legal system. Harry has over 22.5 years of lived experience and has founded several reentry programs and resources for returning citizens through his organization Life Impacters Foundation located in Chicago. He is passionate about bringing freedom and justice to systemically oppressed communities. He lives in the Austin neighborhood with his wife, Yolanda.
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Paul Rothschild
Managing Director of Operations
Having volunteered with the Fully Free Campaign, the Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, and the People’s Coalition for Safety and Freedom (and more!) over the last three years, Paul Rothschild joined ENDPP.ORG as our Operations Manager on 5/5/2023. Paul brings decades of experience in leadership from the corporate world, from small business to publicly traded organizations, in business operations, IT, finance, and HR, in addition to his own lived experience, having served a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence in federal prison, to help ENDPP.ORG streamline, professionalize and prepare for growth. Paul’s passion for this work grew out of the shocking experience of the disproportionate effect of incarceration on black, indigenous and people of color, and his own experience of the continuation of privilege after release on the processes of reentry, reintegration, and restoration of rights.
Shimere Love
Coalition Coordinator
Shimere Love is a dedicated advocate for criminal legal system reform, with a rich and diverse background. A distinguished graduate from Rockford Career College with a background in paralegal studies certification, Shimere’s professional journey encompasses diverse roles.
Shimere has embraced a new role as the Coalition Coordinator at the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments (ENDPP.ORG), where she will actively contribute to impactful initiatives aimed at dismantling barriers to education, employment, housing, and civic engagement.
Having served 2.5 years of a 9-year prison sentence in a Wisconsin state women’s prison, she emerged stronger, later channeling her resilience into academic pursuits. As a committed advocate for men and especially women with incarceration backgrounds, she draws from her personal experiences to provide empathy and support.
Post-incarceration, Shimere achieved a significant milestone by completing her education. This triumph marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life. Shimere’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish Sisters By Love, a business crafting handmade hair oil and misting spray.
Beyond her professional and entrepreneurial endeavors, Shimere is an accomplished writer currently working on her first book, “Rewriting the Narrative: Advocating for Myself,” set to be published by July 2024. Her story is a testament to her resilience, strength, and commitment to making a positive impact in various facets of life.
EPP Board of Directors
WILLETTE BENFORD
Former Director of Reentry
City of Chicago
FLOYD STAFFORD
Program Officer
Steans Family Foundation
DR. QUINTIN WILLIAMS
Program Officer
The Joyce Foundation