Inland Counties Legal Services announced Feb. 1 that longtime staff attorney Tessie Solorzano replaced Darrell K. Moore as executive director, effective that day.
ICLS, officially established in 1958, is a nonprofit that provides pro bono legal services to low-income and senior residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The counsel is provided by attorneys, and paralegals under the supervision of attorneys.
According to the press release, Moore had been the executive director for five years. He will remain with ICLS and will assist with the transition.
Solorzano had been serving as deputy director of operations. She started working with ICLS in 2011 as a paralegal in the Rancho Cucamonga branch office.
Board president Marvin Powell Jr. said Solorzano’s work to date represents the impact and direction the board is looking for.
“From driving the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives to leading the transition to remote services during the pandemic, she has proven her ability to carry ICLS into the future and to expand and improve our legal service offerings for the neediest residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” he said in the release.
Powell credits her with automating court documents, upgrading technology, improving the client and staff experience, and opening new offices “to meet clients where they’re at.”
“When you work with someone for that long, you really get to know their strengths and see how they react during tough times,” said Moore, who has worked Solorzano for more than 10 years, in the release. “Tessie and I have been through it all, from challenging budget years to housing crises to a global pandemic. Everyone at ICLS turns to Tessie, both when times are tough and when celebrations are in order. I think that’s exactly the type of person you want as a leader and as an executive director.”
Solorzano said in the release that her career has been inspired by growing up in the Inland Empire among children facing evictions and food insecurity. She said ensuring the staff has the tools to expand the organization’s reach is her priority in working to close the justice gap in the Inland area. This will include using impending grant awards to focus on professional development, community partnerships, outreach and improved accessibility.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to legal services, regardless of what they can afford, and we are excited to enter this next chapter with Tessie at the helm,” Powell said.
