11/02/2026
We are very proud to announce that three great persons agreed to join our staff. It has been really great getting to know Jess, Douglas, and Zarin over the past month or so. Please welcome them if you get the chance to meet in the weeks ahead and feel free to reach out and introduce yourselves!
Jessica Peterson joined the Sugar Law Center in the role of Development Director. Jess will lead our fundraising efforts and connect directly with communities to hear their stories and better understand the issues affecting their lives. She has spent more than 15 years working closely with small business owners, nonprofits, and community leaders throughout Michigan and is deeply interested in the intersection of economic opportunity, community development, and social and environmental justice. Outside of work, Jessica is the mother of four amazing children. She has fully embraced a life with very few quiet moments and enjoys playing pickleball with her husband, kayaking, reading, and unsurprisingly, lots of coffee.
Douglas Thomas, Jr. joined the Sugar Law Center as Staff Attorney after graduating from Michigan State University College of Law. In school, he worked for the ACLU of Michigan and Washtenaw Public Defender’s Office and organized “Know Your Rights” trainings at metro Detroit high schools, helping students navigate encounters with law enforcement and understanding their constitutional rights. Douglas is committed to protecting the rights of children and workers. He regularly engages with the writings of theoretical and political leaders of the past and enjoys both comic books and sci-fi or horror thrillers. When he is not reading, Douglas is likely crocheting or playing basketball, while listening to music whether it be hip-hop, jazz, R&B, rock, or metal.
Zarin Farook joined the Sugar Law Center as a Staff Attorney working under a fellowship through the University of Michigan Law School. She is working on matters of protester policing and free speech. Prior to her time at Sugar Law, she interned at the Innocence Project, the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Palestine Legal. Zarin holds a JD from Michigan Law and a BA from Wayne State University. She is dedicated to a career at the intersection of civil rights and grassroots organizing and aims to work with movement partners to address the overlapping issues of protester rights, police misconduct, racial and religious discrimination, and surveillance. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, traveling, and is an avid fan of the Detroit Pistons.
