Our own Khadine Bennett, was profiled in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (subscription required) on Tuesday. Khadine originally join the ACLU of Illinois in 2008 as our Reproductive Rights Fellow before assuming her current position as Legislative Counsel:
Colleen K. Connell, executive director of the ACLU of Illinois, said Bennett originally started at the ACLU on a temporary fellowship, but Connell didn't want to let her go.
"She so impressed me by her intellect and her integrity, that I said to my colleagues, 'We have got to find a way to keep her,'" Connell said.
She said Bennett adeptly navigates conflict during the legislative process.
"She's very good at confronting issues and managing that confrontation in a collegial, straightforward and very productive way," Connell said.
"She's good at drilling down on the concerns of an opposing counsel or a legislator and really addressing that concern in a way that drives the issue forward."
That ability to handle conflict stems from Bennett's respectfulness, even when speaking to someone who is completely opposed to the ACLU's position, Connell said.