Our People and Our Partners
Staff
President & CEO Tracie L Washington is a very proud native New Orleanian, with deep roots in Louisiana. Tracie graduated in 1985 from Carleton College, and in 1986 she was awarded a Master of Public Administration degree from Drake University. She moved to Austin, Texas and in 1989, Tracie received her juris doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law. For over eighteen years Washington has maintained a general civil practice concentrated in education law, civil rights, and labor and employment law, including both traditional labor management relations and counseling and litigation in connection with disputes between employers and individuals in the non-union setting.
Since 1989, Washington has authored numerous papers and traveled throughout the country speaking at seminars on important issues of employment law. In addition, she has authored the "Employment Law Desk Reference for Financial Institutions." Post Hurricane Katrina, Washington's practice has focused on protecting the civil rights of individuals affected by this national catastrophe. On March 13, 2006 Washington began service to the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, as director of the Gulf Coast Advocacy Center. In April 2007 Tracie co-founded and opened LJI.
Steven Jupiter is LJI’s Vice President for Advocacy. Steve was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended college at Xavier University, where he graduated in 1992. Steve received his juris doctorate in 1996 from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University.
Steve's focus is community outreach and healthcare equity, and he organized the first Xavier University/NAACP Gulf Coast Advocacy Center Health Fair and Screening, which provided several underserved New Orleans communities with free examinations and screenings, plus access to local physicians.
Steve is also working on immigrant relief issues for the thousands of new immigrant workers in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.
Lauren Bartlett is LJI’s Staff Attorney. Lauren is a former leader of the Student Hurricane Network (SHN), where Lauren coordinated multiple volunteer projects and events for law students who came to the Gulf Coast from across the U.S. Through SHN activities, Lauren developed a wide range of partnerships with law firms and other legal advocates across the U.S., including law schools and law students, who actively provide support and services to marginalized Gulf Coast communities.
Lauren graduated in May 2007 from American University Washington College of Law. Prior to law school, Lauren worked with nonprofit social service organizations, in California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Washington D.C., Washington State, as well as internationally in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Ghana. In early 2007, Lauren helped co-found LJI.
LJI Community Partners
LJI will continue and expand upon the community partnerships developed in the past by the LJI co-founders, including with: Loyola University New Orleans College of Law; People’s Organizing Committee; New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice; Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund; ACORN; Second Good Hope Baptist Church; Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church; The Algiers Group; Watson Memorial Teaching Fellowship; the Principals Association of New Orleans; Pyramid Consulting; the Hispanic Apostolate; Juvenile Justice Project Louisiana; Downtown Neighborhood Improvement Association; Common Ground; and the Lower 9th Ward Village. Our community partners are LJI’s clients/constituents.
