Spotlight on Our Longest-Serving Staff Member, Julie Mennel

Meet Julie Mennel.

Julie may be a familiar face to most at Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic. Her time at the Clinic began in October 2008—giving her a longer continuous tenure than any other current employee! She has overlapped with all five executive directors and served in a variety of roles, including three paralegal jobs, two coordinator positions, and two stints as an executive assistant. She is currently wearing the title of Senior Manager of the Expungement Help Desk. In this position, Julie has been integral in expanding the Help Desk to a robust operation consisting of a large staff and volunteer team with notable community partnerships. Keep reading below to find out more about Julie!

Q: As the longest running employee, you must take immense pride in the change and growth you have seen at the Clinic. What changes and growth have you witnessed since you joined the team in 2008? What does this mean to you?

A: “I’ve been witness to God’s faithfulness time and time again as programs have changed to reflect community need, funders have come and gone, staff has turned over and COVID chaos took its toll. Through it all, God has shown us again and again that the Clinic is here for the long haul. It has been so very rewarding to watch the Help Desk go from being a fledgling little ‘program’ in the basement of the City County Building to a recognized community resource that received grant funding allowing us to hire an awesome team of individuals passionate about the work we do.”

Q: A lot of your dedication to this job comes from your faith. How does your faith motivate you to stay at the Clinic and keep doing this work?

A: “I believe expungement is a perfect fit for the Clinic’s mission – The Indiana legislature refers to the expungement statute as the ‘2nd Chance Law,’ but as Christians, we believe our God is a God of 2nd, 3rd, 4th . . . chances. At its inception we referred to our work in re-entry as ‘Project GRACE.’ Isn’t that what our God calls us to? To extend to others the grace that He so freely extends to us? Everyone has a story, everyone’s on a journey. I’ve made plenty of mistakes of my own. What a privilege it is to help others take a tangible step toward leaving their past in the past—where it belongs!”

Q: For those who do not know or are not familiar, what does the Expungement Help Desk currently do for the Clinic’s visitors?

A: “We assist our eligible visitors with expungement of their criminal records free of charge, without representation of an attorney and are able to assist anyone whose criminal case occurred in Indiana. Our dedicated staff navigates the process start to finish alongside our visitors until the expungement is granted by the courts. The expungement allows individuals to pursue employment and obtain housing such that they can care for their families and contribute meaningfully to their communities.”

Q: What is one fun fact about yourself that you would like to share?

A: “In 2019, I went on a once-in-lifetime trip to Israel thanks to a Lilly Endowment grant award I received through United Way of Central Indiana’s Human Services Professional Renewal Program. This program encourages and reinvigorates human services professionals to remain committed to their work while raising awareness in the community about those who serve our most vulnerable populations. The trip served as a beautiful reminder as to why we do this work. Standing in the place where David defeated Goliath drove home for me that we each have our own giants that, but for the grace of God, would always stand in our way. The work that we do slays the giants that prevent our visitors from flourishing, aligning perfectly with the Clinic's mission.”