STAFF
Charity Ryerson
Executive director, founder Charity@corpaccountabilitylab.org
Charity Ryerson is an attorney, legal designer, activist and strategist with two decades of experience fighting corporate abuse around the globe. She is the Executive Director and Founder of Corporate Accountability Lab, where she leads a team of committed advocates who design, prototype and test new strategies to protect the world and her inhabitants from corporate misconduct. Before CAL, Charity litigated complex international human rights cases under the Alien Tort Statute, Torture Victim Protection Act and state tort law. Her passion for clean supply chains was ignited by the student anti-sweatshop movement, which occupied much of her time while pursuing her Political Science B.A. from Loyola Chicago. In 2003, she served six months in federal prison for civil disobedience at the U.S. Army School of the Americas, where she worked in a prison factory for 12 cents per hour. She has extensive experience in labor and human rights monitoring, anti-union violence investigations, and support for labor organizing in Central and South America. She graduated cum laude from Georgetown Law and is admitted to practice in D.C. and Illinois, and before the U.S. Supreme Court. She teaches Business and Human Rights at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and in 2021, she received the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable’s Gwynne Skinner Human Rights Award. She is fluent in Spanish, has two rambunctious children, and loves Chicago enough to tolerate the brutal winters.
Allie Brudney
Senior staff attorney allie@corpaccountabilitylab.org
Allie Brudney is a Senior Staff Attorney at Corporate Accountability Lab. She first joined CAL as a legal intern and then returned as a Justice Catalyst Legal Fellow after law school. At CAL, Allie’s work focuses on combating forced labor in global supply chains. Prior to law school, Allie lived in Berlin for four years, where she was a Fulbright Research Scholar studying Jewish identity and immigration in contemporary Germany, and where she earned a master’s degree in North American Studies from the Free University in Berlin. Allie graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in History and German from Middlebury College in 2011 and earned her law degree from Harvard Law School in 2019. Allie is fluent in German, speaks some Yiddish, and is admitted to practice law in Illinois.
Alev Erhan
Staff Attorney alev@corpaccountabilitylab.org
Prior to joining CAL in January 2024, Alev worked in the field of transnational strategic litigation at the European Center for Constitutional and Civil Rights in Berlin. Her area of focus included combatting double standards in international criminal law, particularly in the context of conflict and occupation. As a student advocate in law school, she worked with the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots calling for the prohibition of fully autonomous weapons systems and engaged in strategic litigation at the intersections of national security, immigration and criminal law. Alev earned a B.A. in International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.Sc. in Conflict Studies at the London School of Economics and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is admitted to practice in New York and is currently based in Chicago, where you can find her exploring new restaurants, hoarding books and planning her next road trip.
Dean Pinkert
Special Advisor Dean@corpaccountabilitylab.org
Dean Pinkert joined Corporate Accountability Lab in November 2021 as Special Advisor. His background includes private practice as a labor lawyer and government service in international trade law and policy. As an advocate for public employees who lacked collective bargaining rights, he relied on administrative litigation to give voice to his clients. As a Commissioner on the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), he notably dissented in Samsung v Apple, leading to the first Presidential veto of an ITC decision in more than 25 years, and fought to ensure recognition of the critical economic significance of global climate change. Born and raised in Chicago, Dean earned his B.A. with High Honors in Government and Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin College, his J.D. with Honors from University of Texas School of Law (Hook ‘em Horns!), and an LLM with Merit from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Susan and his two almost-grown children. Dean’s devotion to his family, including Lucky-the-dog, fortunately outweighs his dedication to fantasy football, which is itself considerable.
NADIA EL FAHDI
OFFICE manager
NADIA@CORPACCOUNTABILITYLAB.ORG
Nadia El Fahdi joined CAL as an Office Coordinator in May 2023. She is a social activist who has founded three non-profit organizations in Morocco that tackled important social issues such as poverty, education, human rights, and gender equality. Nadia has been honored with the "Women Pioneers Award" from the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication in Morocco for her work in this area. She has also accomplished many other successful projects and programs, including building the first daycare in a Morocco prison for pregnant women or women accompanied by their babies. Nadia's interdisciplinary background, combined with her Project Management Professional (PMP) and Data Analytics certifications from Google, gives her the versatility to drive sustainable solutions and empower marginalized groups through data-driven insights. She has a Bachelor's degree in French Language & Literature and holds an MBA in Finance. She is also fluent in Arabic and French. In her free time, Nadia enjoys taking walks with her son and dog Rocky, along the beautiful Lakefront trail.
MOLLY PACHAY
PROGRAM OFFICER
MOLLY@CORPACCOUNTABILITYLAB.ORG
Molly Pachay joined CAL in January 2024 as Program Officer, managing communications, individual fundraising, and supporting project management. She is a Chicago area native with a B.A. in Sociology and certificate in Community Action & Public Policy from Connecticut College. For the past decade, she has been working in the hospitality industry, doing everything from bartending to event management to communications. In 2020, Molly was a founding member of a small nonprofit that focuses on corporate accountability in the restaurant industry and organizing workers. This work ultimately led her to CAL and its expansive mission. She brings her experience in community engagement, communications, design, and project management to this role. Outside of work, she enjoys constantly redesigning her little apartment, riding her bike, and throwing elaborate dinner parties.
ADRIANa Ortiz-Serrano
special advisor
adriana@corpaccountabilitylab.org
Adriana Ortiz-Serrano is a Bilingual Human Rights Attorney at Corporate Accountability Lab. With over a decade of experience in the legal field, Adriana has worked extensively to defend and promote the rights of vulnerable populations, particularly rural communities, women, immigrants, and victims of Colombia’s internal armed conflict. Prior to joining CAL, she worked at several non-profit organizations. She also served as a consultant at the Ombudsperson’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office in Colombia, where she led research on legal protections for vulnerable groups. Adriana holds an LL.M. in Sustainable International Development from the University of Washington and postgraduate degrees in Constitutional Law and Liability & Recoverable Damages. She has also worked internationally, including roles at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Polaris, where she conducted research on the situation of persons deprived of liberty and human trafficking in various countries across Latin America. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Adriana is passionate about educating civil society on their rights and facilitating access to justice for marginalized communities. When not working, Adriana enjoys exploring the city by walking everywhere, going to live concerts, and diving into a good fiction book.
NIKKI SANTOS
LEGAL FELLOW
NIKKI@CORPACCOUNTABILITYLAB.ORG
Nicoly (Nikki) Santos is a recent graduate of Harvard Law School who is passionate about combating forced labor and improving international supply chains. She is Brazilian-American and grew up in Miami and North Carolina. Nikki is a graduate of Duke University where she studied Psychology, English and Ethics and worked extensively with refugee youths. Throughout law school, Nikki worked on tracing international tuna supply chains and connecting issues of forced labor, human trafficking, and inhumane working conditions in the seafood industry to one of the world's largest supermarkets. Outside of work, she enjoys trying out new recipes, photography, and spending hours on her e-reader.
sheye Akinfenwa
LEGAL FELLOW
SHEYE@CORPACCOUNTABILITYLAB.ORG
As a lawyer and a graduate student, Sheye is passionate about advancing human rights and justice through litigation and advocacy. He is received his LLM degree in International Human Rights at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he had the opportunity to learn from renowned experts and engage with diverse perspectives on global issues. Prior to joining Northwestern, he worked as an associate attorney at Gbenga Ogunniran & Co., a leading law firm in Nigeria, where he handled complex cases involving real estate, public interest, and human rights. He successfully represented clients in high-profile matters, such as challenging unlawful detention, securing compensation for victims of police brutality, and protecting the rights of women and children. He also contributed to the firm's pro bono and volunteer services, providing legal aid and education to underserved communities in the northern region of Nigeria. Sheye is eager to apply his skills and knowledge to make a positive impact in the field of human rights and social justice.