Federal Judge, Appellate Justice Join Western Justice Center’s Board

A sitting federal judge and a retired state appellate court justice have joined the board of Western Justice Center, the Pasadena-based nonprofit that teaches conflict resolution to students in local schools including Pasadena Unified.

The organization announced the three new board members and two new senior staff hires this month as it advances a strategic plan for 2026–2030. Since 2022, WJC has trained more than 4,000 students, educators and volunteers across 40 Los Angeles County schools, reaching more than 25,000 young people, according to the organization.

U.S. District Judge Michelle Williams Court, who presides over cases in the Central District of California, joins the board alongside retired California Court of Appeal Justice Halim Dhanidina and Pasadena attorney Nancy Fong.

“Advancing the use of conflict resolution education and restorative practices in our schools has always been critical to democracy and as a member of the Los Angeles community I am grateful for the work WJC is doing in this regard,” Judge Court said in a statement released by the organization.

Judge Court, confirmed to the federal bench in September 2024, began her career as a civil rights attorney and has spent decades mentoring young people through programs including Dialogues on Freedom and Teach Democracy.

Justice Dhanidina, who retired from the Second District Court of Appeal in 2021, has spent three decades supporting youth through programs including Project LEAD, Teen Court and Juvenile Court Diversion. He was the first Muslim judge appointed in California history when Governor Jerry Brown named him to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2012.

“As a retired Justice of the California Court of Appeal I am now deeply involved in the dispute resolution world as a mediator and arbitrator,” Justice Dhanidina said in the statement. “It is my hope that I will be able to help WJC expand and improve its work in the dispute resolution and restorative justice space by leveraging my experience in these areas.”

Fong, a partner in the Labor and Employment and Litigation departments at Allen Matkins, is based in Pasadena and brings more than 20 years of legal advocacy experience. She also founded Kids Reading to Succeed, a nonprofit providing tutoring to underprivileged youth in the Pasadena area.

“After volunteering at PMI last year I am left with real hope,” Fong said in the statement, referring to the Peer Mediation Invitational, WJC’s annual event that trains student mediators. “Watching young peacebuilders use peer mediation skills was remarkable.”

The organization also hired Magdalena “Maggie” Mireles Corzo as Director of Programs and Partnerships and Cristina Briskie-Wood as Director of Development. Mireles Corzo previously led grantmaking at Liberty Hill Foundation, including the Ready to Rise initiative that invests in youth diversion programs across LA County. Briskie-Wood served as Chief Development Officer at Heart of Los Angeles, where she grew the organization’s budget from $6.5 million to $10 million, according to the press release.

WJC, founded in 1987 by U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, operates programs in eight school districts including partnerships with Pasadena, Azusa and El Monte Unified. The organization is headquartered in the Maxwell House, a historic 1920s building on South Grand Avenue that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The outgoing board members are Dr. Malikah Nu’Man, Emily Murray and retired Judge Suzanne Segal.

“This work has never been more urgent or more powerful,” Briskie-Wood said in the statement.