Hannah Makowske is a Court Management Consultant with the National Center for State Courts, where she works on a variety of access to justice initiatives. Prior to joining NCSC, Hannah was a staff law clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. During law school, Hannah worked with several public interest organizations, including as a participant in the Housing Law Clinic, where she provided services to individuals facing housing instability. Before law school, she worked as a high school teacher in Chicago, and she is dedicated to thinking holistically about improving access to justice. Hannah earned her B.A. in public policy and master’s in education from the University of Michigan, and she received her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She currently lives in Chicago.

Andy Wirkus J.D. (he/him) is a Senior Court Management Consultant with the National Center for State Courts where he works on the Access to Justice team. His areas of expertise include appearance rates and solutions for missed appearances, inclusive language, language access in courts, high-volume dockets, and community driven solutions to the justice gap. Andy’s work includes video production, data collection and visualization, low code tool builds, public speaking, and report writing. Prior to joining NCSC, Andy worked with The Disability Law Center of Utah, the ACLU of Utah, Michigan Indian Legal Services, Catholic Community Services, and the Salt Lake County Criminal Justice Services Division. He received his JD from the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, International Development, and Social Impact.

Rexanna Lilly was born and raised in Arkansas.  Ms. Lilly’s family moved to Berryville, Arkansas when she was four years old and she attended the Berryville Public Schools until she graduated in 1984.  After high school she studied Business Administration at the University of Central Arkansas.  Ms. Lilly started her career working as a Secretary in the Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney office in Berryville.  Thereafter Ms. Lilly became a Certified Travel Industry Specialist through Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and worked in Branson, Missouri for many years.  She ultimately became the Director of Sales and Marketing for a few of the Branson shows.  Ms. Lilly started as a Deputy Clerk at the Berryville District Court in 2017.  She was promoted  to Chief Clerk in 2020.  District Courts in Arkansas hear traffic, misdemeanor, and small claims cases.  She is now attending the Arkansas Certified Court Manager Program.  Since becoming Chief Clerk, Ms. Lilly has implemented several initiatives to improve and streamline the court process for individuals that come into contact with the court such as defendants, witnesses, victims, women’s shelters, bondsmen, law enforcement officers,  and attorneys.  One of these initiatives has been to use a standardized set of documents and forms that are given to defendants that explain their obligations and options, such as completing community service in lieu of having to pay fines.  The Berryville District Court deals with many individuals who do not speak or read English. After learning about the capabilities of Arkansas Access to Justice in 2023, Ms. Lilly had AATJ translate her court’s forms into Spanish, Marshallese, Karen and Chuukese.  These forms are now used regularly in her court.  Ms. Lilly believes that every defendant should be able to understand what is happening when they attend court. 

Edith started at Access to Justice as the Interim Program Coordinator and served in that role from January 2023 to March 2024. Currently, Edith administers the Free Legal Answers website, spearheads our language access initiatives, and assists with outreach, on a contractual basis.

Edith received her Juris Doctorate from the William H. Bowen School of Law, where she presided over the Hispanic Law Students Association. Before joining Access to Justice, Edith worked as a paralegal and interpreter. Edith’s desire to pursue law stems from her grandfather’s influence as an attorney and activist in Nicaragua.

Edith grew up in Cancun, Mexico. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering.