About Us

Prior to becoming CLADC’s Executive Director, Whitney was an international development professional working in the areas of program monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning. She grew up in Georgia and received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Georgia. Later she obtained a Master of Public Policy degree from The George Washington University and has lived and worked in Washington, D.C. since 2010. Whitney is an active member of Restoration Church, and is passionate about seeing God transform the city through ministries like CLADC. She also enjoys spending time outside, hosting events, reading, and traveling.

Nicole Wargel moved to the DC Area when she was a child with her family. She grew up in Fairfax, VA and received her undergraduate degree in Justice Studies from James Madison University in 2018. Nicole is currently pursuing her J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and is anticipating graduating in May 2023. Prior to law school, Nicole worked for AmeriCorps for two years in the DC Public Schools. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering at Lake Accotink cleanups near where she grew up.

Julia Williams moved to the DC Metro Area with her husband in 2019. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and received a B.A. in Political Science from Emory University in 2008. In 2013, she graduated with a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Previously she worked for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation as the program coordinator for the Safe and Stable Families Project and as an instructional assistant in the North Carolina Public Schools.

Although Julia does not currently practice law, she is passionate about helping people access legal services and is excited to be working to advance CLADC’s mission. In her free time, Julia enjoys reading, exploring DC, and traveling. She and her husband attend Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda.

A native Puerto Rican, Sheily has traveled and lived in several countries. Before joining CLADC she worked as Federal Criminal Defense Legal Assistant for a small law firm in Puerto Rico and as an accountant at Public Housing Project, and spent several years volunteering with Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia. Sheily obtained her BA from the University of Puerto Rico, her Juris Doctorate from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, and an LL.M. from Temple University in Japan. She has also studied abroad in Europe and China.

She is passionate about serving others and creating opportunities for access to legal services. She has volunteered with DC Central Kitchen, Atlas Performing Arts Center, among other international and legal organizations. As a Christian, she is honored to work in advancing CLADC’s mission.

Jeremy was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Howard University in 2007. In 2009, while working as an engineer, he began to search for ways to serve under-resourced and at-risk communities and joined the staff of Daybreak Ministries. He left engineering to work full-time with Daybreak and after seven years with Daybreak Ministries, the Lord called Jeremy to plant Mercy of Christ Fellowship Church to serve the Lincoln Heights and Deanwood areas of Washington, D.C.

Jeremy is married to his wonderful wife, Tiffany, and the Lord has blessed them with four wonderful children.

Kathlyn is in private practice in Washington, DC and represents clients in probate matters, domestic and international transactions, contract development, drafting, and negotiations, insurance matters, and various civil litigation matters. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Howard University, her Juris Doctorate from the Howard University School of Law, and studied abroad in Paris, France.

Before private practice, Kathlyn worked as in-house counsel for Fortune 100 corporations and what is currently known as the United States International Development Finance Corporation.

Matthew DeGioia grew up in Queens, New York, before moving to Washington, DC to attend The George Washington University and later The George Washington University Law School, where he is a recent J.D. graduate.

Matthew has multiple years of experience assisting on disability benefits claims. In addition to SSDI and SSI cases, he also has experience working on FERS disability retirement claims for federal employees, ERISA short-term disability and long-term disability insurance claims, and disability retirement claims through the State of Maryland.

Matthew currently works at a small firm in Silver Spring, MD that specializes in disability benefits law, family law, collections, and other areas of civil litigation. He also serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate through CASA for Children of DC., which provides support for children who have open abuse and neglect cases in DC Family Court.