Melody Webb
Executive Director
Melody Webb, Executive Director
Melody is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School. She has spent her career practicing public interest law, both paid and unpaid. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan, then on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Since then, Ms. Webb has focused on legislative and policy advocacy as Systemic Reform Attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, as Legislative Counsel for US Senator Robert Casey, and as Associate General Counsel for Service Employees International Union. While at home raising her young children between 2002 and 2006 she ran several pro-bono advocacy campaigns on a variety of topics, working with local and national partners. She was quoted in the media often, including an appearance on the Dianne Rehm Show on NPR. She has supervised public interest attorneys as Legal Director for the Employment Justice Center, and public interest attorneys as Pro Bono Counsel for Neighborhood Legal Services Program of the District of Columbia. In addition, Ms. Webb has represented indigent parents through the Counsel for Child Abuse and Neglect of the DC Superior Court, and served on the DC Superior Court, Court Improvement Program Advisory Committee. In 2016, the student body of Harvard Law School selected her as the alumni Gary Bellow Public Service Award recipient. She has taught on the intersecting topics of race, class and family law.
Linda Brown
Parent Peer Organizer
Linda Brown, Parent Peer Organizer
The first Parent Peer Organizer for Mother’s Outreach Network, Linda is a founding member of two Mother’s Outreach Network programs, Mother Up Guaranteed Income Research Program Community Advisory Board as well as a Moms Empower Advocacy Fellowship. Other community leadership roles that Linda plays involve serving on the board of a disability rights organization. She is also the mother of an adult daughter with a disability.
Ariel Scholl
Lead Family Defense Counsel
Ariel Scholl, Lead Family Defense Counsel
Ariel is a graduate of Temple Law School. Prior to that she studied at University of Georgia where she received her undergraduate degree and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management and Leadership through the School of Social Work. Throughout her education and career she has focused on children’s and women’s rights and family justice. She began her career as an attorney with Legal Aid and served as the co-chair for the family law unit on a statewide scale. In this role she represented hundreds of cases regarding children’s welfare and parental rights and protections. She also provided trainings and education across the organization and worked on state advocacy on the organizational and legislative levels. She is excited to bring this experience to the mission and work of Mother’s Outreach Network.
Blessing Chika Jones
Paralegal
Blessing Chika Jones, Paralegal
Blessing Chika Jones brings a wealth of international legal experience and a passion for public interest law to her role as a Paralegal at Mother’s Outreach Network (MON). With over nine years of experience advising startups, small businesses, and organizations on legal compliance, business strategy, and regulatory matters, Blessing is committed to using her expertise to support vulnerable communities and empower underserved entrepreneurs.
Before joining MON, Blessing practiced law in Nigeria, providing legal and business support to enterprises of all sizes. Her work focused on helping underprivileged Nigerian business owners engage in cross-border trade, navigating complex legal and commercial landscapes. Blessing’s passion for public interest law and litigation led her to pursue opportunities that address the legal needs of individuals and businesses facing systemic barriers and limited access to legal resources.
Sydney Thornton
Community Organizer
Sydney Thornton, Community Organizer
Sydney Thornton is a Howard University graduate and community organizer whose passion for intercommunal liberation relies on advocacy, education, and coalition as means to create and maintain sustainable movement building. While at Howard, she founded and led a student organizing chapter at Howard University, bringing together students, faculty, and community organizations across the DMV. Since then, she has continued her advocacy through Rising Organizers and their fellowship, served as a panelist for organizations including Heart to Grow, contributed to Howard University’s 2024 Energy Justice Workshop, and worked as a teaching fellow, educating high school students in Title I schools in the New York City and Boston areas on environmental justice. As Community Organizer at Mother’s Outreach Network, Sydney is excited to support its mission and help create policies that don’t equate poverty with neglect.