Josh Hilgart has extensive experience building coalitions and communication around the issues that predominantly impact communities marginalized when it comes to political and economic power.  Areas in which he has worked include voting rights, the environment, federal judicial appointments, education, civil liberties and civil rights.  Most recently Josh developed the blueprint for our local non-profit public defender office---Kalamazoo Defender---and grew it to a national model as its inaugural leader.

Throughout his career, Hilgart has consistently advocated for and advanced unique but practical solutions to societal challenges.  He helped train international climate negotiators, developed the nation's first comprehensive online polling place locator, and developed two online resources adopted by the Library of Congress (Election Protection's national resources website in 2004 and a site featuring research on judicial nominees used by the U.S. Senate in confirmation hearings).  Hilgart applied a similar, outside-the-box approach when conceiving and building the nation's first public defender office with a robust hub of outside service providers incorporated into its office space and programming.

Hilgart is passionate about people and believes if all voices found a welcoming and loving reception among fellow humans, those voices would become sweeter with time.  It was this passion that motivated his conception of Campaign for Criminal Justice Transparency, as a platform to lobby for information and dialogue that helps the public better see and hear those we choose to prosecute in the criminal courts and in our neighborhoods. 

Hilgart holds a Bachelor of Arts from Shimer College and obtained his Juris Doctorate at Michigan State University College of Law.  He has served on numerous boards and professional organizations, and ran for a Judgeship in Michigan's 9th Circuit Court in 2022.   Hilgart serves as a Commissioner on the Michigan Supreme Court's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission.