Michael P. Jacobson

Executive Director
Michael.Jacobson@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3481

Michael Jacobson is ISLG's founding Executive Director as well as a sociology professor at the CUNY Graduate Center (GC). Prior to joining CUNY in May 2013 to help create ISLG, Michael was president of the Vera Institute of Justice, serving from 2005 to 2013. He is the author of Downsizing Prisons: How to Reduce Crime and End Mass Incarceration (New York University Press 2005). Holding a Ph.D. in sociology, he has had an ongoing academic career coupled with more than 20 years of government service. From 1998 to 2005 he was a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the GC. He was New York City correction commissioner from 1995 to 1998, New York City probation commissioner from 1992 to 1996, and worked in the New York City Office of Management and Budget from 1984 to 1992 where he was a deputy budget director. In 2010 to 2012, Michael served as the chair of Altus, a global alliance working across continents and from a multicultural perspective to improve public safety and justice.

Julia Bowling

Research Associate
Julia.Bowling@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3477

Julia Bowling is a researcher on various projects at the institute, including capacity-building work to improve data and transparency at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. She has supported the development and implementation of multiple projects, including research funded through the Safety and Justice Challenge Research Consortium and the establishment of the Equity Indicators framework in multiple cities. Prior to joining ISLG, she provided research and communications assistance for States of Incarceration, a national public dialogue and traveling museum exhibition about local histories of incarceration. Previously, Julia worked as a research associate in the Justice Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law where she co-authored a 2015 report analyzing the impacts of increasing incarceration rates and other factors on declining crime rates. Julia holds an M.S. in urban policy analysis and management from The New School, and a B.A. in economics and environmental studies from Oberlin College. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal justice at Rutgers University.

Siobhán Carney

Policy Director
Siobhan.Carney@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3484

Siobhán Carney leads ISLG’s policy agenda. As policy director, she manages a multidisciplinary team overseeing all work within the Policy Department portfolio, including the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, a $250 million dollar justice reinvestment initiative supporting communities across NYC. Siobhán also manages ISLG’s Fellowship programs — the Lindsay Fellowship for elected officials and the Kriegel Fellowship for legislative chiefs of staff. Her areas of interest include community investment, leadership development, social entrepreneurship, and initiatives supporting young people and families, survivors of crime, diversion from the criminal justice system and successful reentry from jail or prison. Prior to joining the Institute, she served as chief of staff and acting research director at the Vera Institute of Justice. She has also served as a consultant to the nonprofit sector in Ireland, as an evaluator for projects funded under the Peace and Reconciliation Program for Northern Ireland and the European Union LEADER program. She holds an MA in spatial analysis, a post-graduate diploma in education and a Ph.D. in geography from Trinity College, Dublin.

Sara Carrión

Senior Policy Associate
Sara.Carrion@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3478

Sara supports the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative and other projects under ISLG’s policy director. Prior to joining ISLG, Sara was a planning and development associate for a real estate development firm specializing in affordable and supportive housing projects. She also previously worked as a quality manager and director at a Health Home program, where she conducted an internal audit, coordinated the reorganization of staff, and supported the development and implementation of new procedures. Sara holds an M.S. in Public Policy with a focus on quantitative analysis from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service, as well as a B.A. from the University of Southern California.

Annie chen

Senior Data Scientist
Annie.Chen@islg.cuny.edu

Annie Chen is a member of ISLG's Data Team who is currently supporting the Safety and Justice Challenge and the NYPD reform initiative. Before joining ISLG, she worked as a Quantitative Social Scientist at Dartmouth College where she assisted research exploring attitudes toward American democracy and analyzed data measuring online (mis)information exposure on social media platforms. She graduated with a Master's degree from the Department of Political Science at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, and obtained her BA in Political Science and Criminology from the University of Toronto.

Reagan Daly

Research Director
Reagan.Daly@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3493

Reagan Daly is the Research Director at the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance, where she develops and oversees a broad portfolio of research projects in criminal justice and other public policy areas, and manages the Institute’s growing research department. Reagan has almost 20 years of experience developing and managing criminal justice research in applied settings, including experience in experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation design, implementation assessment, and performance measurement. Prior to joining the Institute, she served as the Assistant Commissioner for Research and Planning at the New York City Department of Probation (DOP), where she helped advance data-driven decision-making by providing research and analytic support to departments and units across the agency. During her time at DOP she oversaw the implementation of new risk-needs assessment instruments, including the development of a monitoring and validation plan; and, collaborated on a quasi-experimental evaluation of the agency’s neighborhood-based model of probation supervision, called the Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON), that was funded by the National Institute of Justice. Prior to DOP, Reagan was an Associate Director at the Vera Institute of Justice, where she oversaw, among other projects, a two-year mixed methods research study of parole violations for the New York State Division of Parole and an evaluation of New York City’s first Social Impact Bond Initiative. Reagan received her Ph.D. in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Alison Diéguez

Program Director
Alison.Dieguez@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3433

Alison Diéguez is a Program Director who oversees the Institute’s work on Gender Based Violence and Trauma. She has over 18 years of experience in the fields of trauma, gender based violence and community violence. Prior to her work at ISLG, she was the Director of Planning and Community Resilience at the Center for Court Innovation Red Hook Community Justice Center where she designed, launched, and managed several court- and community-based programs and led broader efforts in strategic planning. She’s also worked within the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Mental Health and served as a Clinical Forensic Specialist at Safe Horizon’s Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center. Ms. Diéguez holds a B.A. from Purchase College at SUNY and an M.S.S.W. from Columbia University School of Social Work.

Kathleen Doherty

Research Project Director
Kathleen.Doherty@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3441

Kathleen Doherty is the senior research associate for a study to determine whether enhanced documentation and video recording requirements of street encounters by the New York Police Department is effective and not unduly burdensome. Prior to joining ISLG, Kathleen was an assistant professor in the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. While at USC, she conducted research on political control of policy implementation and its effect on quality. Her research is published in top political science and public administration journals, including the Journal of Politics, Public Administration Review, and the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. In addition, she previously served as a visiting assistant professor at New York University and a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University. Kathleen has a B.A. in Government from Wesleyan University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Virginia.

Ben Estep

Research Project Director
Benjamin.Estep@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3492

Ben Estep brings extensive experience in both criminal and juvenile justice reform and applied research and analysis. Most recently, he was the Head of Research at the Centre for Justice Innovation, a justice research and development charity, where he oversaw all research work and led projects on diversion from the justice system and improvements to the court system for youth and young adults. Before that, at the New Economics Foundation, he led a work stream dedicated to identifying and supporting promising practice in courts and across the youth justice system. Prior to that he was a researcher at the Vera Institute of Justice, where he worked on a range of projects in areas such as juvenile justice, international legal development, and child welfare.

Douglas Evans

Senior Research Associate
Douglas.Evans@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3479

Douglas Evans is a faculty member at Fairleigh Dickinson University in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. His research explores how criminal legal system involvement impacts access to housing, post-secondary education, and relationship formation and maintenance as well as the benefits of higher education programs in prisons and how incarceration affects public health and family stability. He has written successful federal, state, and foundation grants for which he has conducted multiple evaluation projects as a project and research director. He teaches college courses in prisons through Hudson Link (in collaboration with Mercy College), NJSTEP (in collaboration with Rutgers), and the Prison to College (through John Jay College) programs. He earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University–Bloomington.

Jennifer Ferone

Deputy Research Director
Jennifer.Ferone@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3469

Jennifer Ferone is the Deputy Research Director at CUNY ISLG leading a portfolio of research projects and working with the Research Director around strategy and development for the research department. Jennifer has extensive experience in the development and management of criminal justice research in applied settings, most recently, leading work to enhance data and analytic capacity and conduct research around racial and ethnic disparities across prosecutorial decision-making in Kings County, designing a process evaluation to assess implementation of the New York State Criminal Justice Reform Legislation, and managing a research consortium that aims to advance the Safety and Justice Challenge research agenda. At ISLG, Jennifer has also engaged in performance measurement work for both the Safety and Justice Challenge and Criminal Justice Investment Initiative. Prior to joining ISLG, Jennifer worked at the Vera Institute of Justice managing research focused on system involved young people in New York City. She received two M.A. degrees in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Rutgers University and is A.B.D. in criminal justice at Rutgers University.

Rhokeisha Ford

Program Director & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
Rhokeisha.Ford@islg.cuny.edu

Rhokeisha Ford is the Policy Program Director at ISLG overseeing the NYPD policy and reform portfolio.  Rhokeisha has extensive experience and passion for youth and community development, organizational leadership, program design and strategic planning.  Prior to joining ISLG, Rhokeisha served as the Director of Programs at the Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub which is a Credible Messenger led program designed for young people and their families who are impacted by the criminal legal system and one of 5 Hubs initiated by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Investment Initiative.  She also is the founder and CEO of RNF Innovations LLC, a consultancy company that focuses on strategic planning and leadership development for emerging community based organizations. Rhokeisha also brings over 18 years of experience as an educator  within the New York City Department of Education with 5 of those years as Principal of the Academy for Social Action which was a high risk low performing 6-12 school in Harlem. Rhokeisha has a MA in administration and supervision from Bank Street College of Education, and a BA in education from CUNY City College. ​

Dean Fuleihan

Senior Fellow
Dean.Fuleihan@islg.cuny.edu

Dean Fuleihan is a Senior Fellow in the Operation Group. Dean served as the New York City First Deputy Mayor from 2018 through 2021 under Mayor Bill de Blasio with direct operational and policy responsibilities for education, criminal justice, sustainability and resiliency, labor, and budget.  Dean was the Director of the NYC Office of Management and Budget from 2014 through 2018, building the City’s reserves and funding the Mayor’s major policy initiatives including Universal Pre-K.  He was Executive Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering from 2011 to 2013.  For more than 30 years, Dean held senior staff positions in the New York State Assembly, including both Secretary to the Speaker for Program and Policy and Secretary to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and was the principal staff negotiator for the Assembly on the New York State budget. Dean currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Board of the NYC Independent Budget Office. 

Jose Garcia Portillo

Policy Associate

Jose Garcia is a public policy professional with expertise in economic mobility, workforce development, and data-driven policy analysis. Most recently, Jose served as a Project Manager at NYC's Mayor's Office of Talent and Workforce Development, where he led economic analysis of NYC's Community Hiring program, a new initiative leveraging billions in City procurement spending to create job opportunities for economically disadvantaged workers. Prior to working with the City of New York, he was a Policy Analyst at the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. As an analyst, Jose published research highlighting the challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in California, driving advocacy efforts to enhance and expand the state’s small-business support programs. Jose initially began his career as a Communications Associate in the philanthropic sector, where he managed digital communications, community outreach, and statewide advocacy campaigns. He holds a Master of Public Policy from UCLA and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. 

Evan Goldstein

Senior Policy Associate
Evan.Goldstein@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3456

Evan Goldstein supports the planning and implementation of diversion and reentry initiatives within the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative. Previously, Evan worked at the Drug Policy Alliance where he promoted drug policy reform in New York State through research and advocacy. As a policy coordinator at DPA he supported and managed several projects, including the passage and implementation of the 911 Good Samaritan Law and state and local marijuana arrest reform campaigns. Evan has held internships at the Open Society Foundations where he focused on international and domestic drug and health policy issues and the Legal Aid Society where he provided support to indigent defense lawyers. Evan holds a Master in Public Affairs degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a B.A. from New York University.

Karen Goldstein

Counsel to the Executive Director
Karen.Goldstein@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3472

Prior to joining the Institute, Karen Goldstein was vice president and general counsel of the Vera Institute of Justice, serving between 2000 and 2015. In addition to her legal responsibilities, Karen supervised Vera’s large scale demonstration projects, managed its fiscal sponsorship program, created new not-for-profit organizations from existing programs, and authored Vera’s Spin-off Tool Kit (2007). She also served as Vera’s interim executive director during 2013. While at Vera, Karen served on the board of Altus, a global alliance working across continents and from a multicultural perspective to improve public safety and justice. In addition, she has had more than a dozen years of government service. She worked as general counsel to New York City’s Department of Homeless Services from 1994 to 2000 and in New York City’s Human Resources Administration, first as associate, then as deputy general counsel, from 1986 to 1990. Between 1990 and 1992, she worked at New York State’s Office of Court Administration, assisting the administrative judge to the Family Courts in the five boroughs of New York City. Karen began her legal career at the Legal Aid Society, first as a trial attorney in the Juvenile Rights Division and then as a supervising attorney in the Criminal Appeals Bureau.

DELIA GONZALEZ

Administrative Assistant
Delia.Gonzalez@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3462

Delia Gonzalez is a member of ISLG’s administrative team. Prior to joining the ISLG team, Delia worked in as an Administrative Compliance Manager in an apparel agency where she handled production projects, logistics, factory compliances overseas, and provided administrative support. Delia holds a A.A. in Liberal Arts from Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Miriam Goodman

Senior Policy Associate
Miriam.Goodman@islg.cuny.edu

Miriam Goodman has spent the past fifteen years working with survivors of trauma.  Most recently she was the Director of Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI)program at the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) where she helped to create a trauma-responsive program that advocated for women to stay in their communities, rather than go to jail or prison. She helped WPA’s ATI specialize in supporting survivors of intimate partner violence and exploitation, who were criminalized for their survival and consequently charged with violent felonies. Previous to WPA, she was the Assistant Director of Anti-Trafficking and Trauma Initiatives at the Center for Court Innovation (CCI). At CCI she designed alternative to jail programs for people arrested on prostitution charges. She provided training and clinical support to on the ground social workers, as well as local and national training for judges, lawyers, and clinicians on working with survivors of trauma. She was also a therapist for survivors of trauma.

Mia Greco

Policy Associate
Mia.Greco@islg.cuny.edu

As a policy associate, Mia Greco supports the Policy Director and greater policy team in implementing the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, the NYPD reform project, and the Kriegel and Lindsay Fellowships. Prior to ISLG, Mia worked as a foster care case planner at HeartShare St. Vincent's Services, where she partnered closely with families to overcome barriers to reunification, meet their safety and service needs, and place children into permanent homes. Before her work in foster care, Mia filled public service internships within the Chicago Department of Family Services and the Office of Congresswoman Robin Kelly, where she conducted policy research. Mia holds a B.A. in Public Policy and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. Her honors thesis applied qualitative research methods to explore the role of city government employees in implementing youth programs in Chicago.​ 

Chengen Gu

Research Analyst

Chengen.Gu@islg.cuny.edu

Chengen Gu is a Research Analyst at ISLG, currently focusing on the Community-Based Restorative Justice (CBRJ) project and the New York Police Department (NYPD) Reform project. Before joining ISLG, Chengen Gu was a research assistant at the Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices (CESP), where he analyzed student-level administrative data from various New Jersey school districts to identify trends in middle school computer science performance among demographic groups, preparing detailed reports for district leaders. He assessed survey responses and interview transcripts to extract insights from teachers and administrators, creating comprehensive school profiles. Additionally, he served as the data lead for a project evaluating the Second Chance Policy implemented by the Computer Science Department at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Prior to CESP, Chengen interned with Jersey City Councilmember James Solomon, conducting policy research on diverse urban issues and drafting ordinances and resolutions that were successfully passed by the Jersey City Municipal Council. Chengen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Boston University and a Master of Science in Public Policy from NYU Wagner.

Roohi Gupte

Deputy Legal Counsel
Roohi.Gupte@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3408

Roohi Gupte is the Deputy Legal Counsel at ISLG and supports the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge and other initiatives at ISLG. Prior to joining ISLG, Roohi was a corporate associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. During her time at the firm, Roohi provided pro bono legal services to non-profit clients seeking to merge or form partnerships with other organizations. Roohi began her career in Beijing at the JUMP! Foundation, a non-profit social enterprise that delivers personal development and global issues training to youth and educators around the world. At JUMP!, Roohi served as a program facilitator, implemented a new business structure for the organization and scaled its operations. Roohi holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Saffi Hadi

Policy Analyst
Saffi.Hadi@islg.cuny.edu

Saffi Hadi currently works as a Policy Analyst supporting the Efficiencies and Reinvestment Initiative (ERI) at ISLG. Saffi has a background in data and policy analysis with a customer focused approach. Prior to joining ISLG they were a Policy Analyst at the Coalition of Asian American Children & Families where, in addition to other projects, they advocated for an equitable budget in NYC. Saffi is a born and raised New Yorker. Their goal is to help bolster and uplift marginalized voices, prioritizing comfortable and fair experiences for all. Saffi completed a B.A in Economics from Stony Brook University.

Patrick Hart

Program Director
Patrick.Hart@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3460

Patrick Hart oversees several projects within the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, including the Youth Opportunity Hubs, Family and Youth Development programs, Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood, Social Enterprises, and Training and Technical Assistance. His areas of expertise include improving outcomes for disconnected youth, community-based anti-poverty strategies, and workforce development. Previously, Patrick worked at the NYC Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity). At NYC Opportunity, Patrick coordinated three programs being implemented by nonprofit providers in New York and several partner cities as part of a federal Social Innovation Fund grant. Prior to NYC Opportunity, Patrick’s work included work on affordable housing policy and programming at the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. Patrick holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College and an M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School.​ He is a 2020-21 Coro Leadership New York Fellow.

Bryn Herrschaft-Eckman

Senior Research Associate
Bryn.Eckman@islg.cuny.edu
T: 973-945-8931

Bryn Herrschaft-Eckman has more than 10 years of research, evaluation, and project management experience in a variety of arenas including criminal justice, health services, and medical certification. Prior to joining ISLG, Bryn served in a senior research and innovations manager role with the American Board of Internal Medicine for five years, managing research, innovation, and implementation activities around examinations for medical certification for physicians and conducting quantitative and qualitative research, including usability testing, on the development and implementation of assessment innovations. She has also previously served as the evaluation manager for the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, managing the evaluation of innovative healthcare interventions for vulnerable populations, and as a senior research associate with the Center for Court Innovation, working on reentry and tribal justice research and evaluation projects. At the Center for Court Innovation, Bryn was the principal investigator of a randomized control trial of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court, a lead in providing technical assistance to the Northern California Tribal Court Coalition to develop data collection tools and protocols for measuring domestic violence in tribal communities, and the on-site researcher for projects at the Harlem Community Justice Center. Bryn has also provided expertise in consultant roles on a variety of criminal justice research projects throughout her career, including various evaluations of community programs for the New Jersey State Parole Board. She has considerable experience implementing research and evaluation studies from the design to dissemination stages, developing performance and outcome metrics, providing oversight of project management activities, and working with frontline staff to use data to make modifications and improvements to practice and policy. Bryn holds a B.A. in psychology and sociology from New York University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in criminal justice from Rutgers University. She also teaches classes in criminal justice, including research methods, statistics, corrections, and graduate policy at Temple University and Rutgers University – Camden and University of Delaware.

Brian Holliday

Data Scientist
Brian.Holliday@islg.cuny.edu

Brian Holliday is a member of ISLG's data team working on the MacArthur Foundation's Safety and Justice Challenge. Prior to joining ISLG, Brian worked as an Economic Development Analyst at BJH Advisors, where he worked with both public sector and private clients on real estate development opportunities, as well as various market and zoning analyses. Brian has held internships with the NYC Department of Transportation, where he focused on pedestrian safety and Brooklyn Borough President's Office where he helped non-profits receive capital funding for their programming. Brian holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from New York City College of Technology. 

Mary Huynh

Research Project Director
Mary.Huynh@islg.cuny.edu

Mary Huynh is the research project director for the NYPD reform initiative. Prior to joining ISLG, Mary was the director of the Office of Vital Statistics in the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). She led a team of analysts and administrative staff in improving the data quality of vital event data, preparing data for analysis, providing internal and external access to data, and analyzing data for publications. During this time, Mary taught courses on the life course perspective and the epidemiology of maternal and child health at the CUNY School of Public Health. Before her tenure at the DOHMH, Mary was an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Lehman College, CUNY and served as the Program Director for the MPH Program. Her research focuses on the impact of structural racism on mortality and adverse maternal and birth outcomes.  Mary has a BS in Biology from George Washington University and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh.​

Iyaka Jack-Sampson

Finance Associate
Iyaka.Jack-Sampson@islg.cuny.edu

Iyaka Jack-Sampson is the Finance Associate responsible for the fiscal oversight of ISLG projects. Prior to joining ISLG, Iyaka worked in both public and non-profit sectors as a financial agent, most notable, Iyaka managed the NYC CENSUS2020 $36 million dollars budget and a $74 million dollars for Community Services Block Grant. Iyaka holds a B.S. in Legal Studies and a Master of Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Kate Jassin

Research Associate
Kate.Jassin@islg.cuny.edu

Kate Jassin works with ISLG’s research team to support a process evaluation for the implementation of New York’s bail reform legislation, and projects working with local stakeholders to develop tools to track progress towards equity. Prior to joining ISLG, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Social and Political Psychology Lab at the New School for Social Research, where she taught courses on psychology and social policy, and conducted survey research on the ways in which intergroup perceptions and implicit prejudice shape public policy decision-making. She has also supported various non-profit organizations and government agencies as a research consultant, including conducting a national survey investigating public attitudes toward immigration policy, evaluating the workforce capacity in the New York State childcare provider network to implement a parent training curriculum, and surveying members of a law institute to inform organizational policy changes. She holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from the New School for Social Research with a graduate certificate in gender and sexuality studies. She is currently an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at New York City College of Technology where she teaches introductory psychology and personnel/organizational psychology.

Michael Keith

Lead Data Scientist
Michael.Keith@islg.cuny.edu

Michael Keith is the Lead Data Scientist, supporting the analytic functions and work of the Safety and Justice Challenge. Over the past decade, Michael has served in various analytical and research capacities in the public and non-profit sectors. Most recently, Michael was a data manager at the New York City Department of Education where he produced and managed private and public-facing data reports and dashboards for the Department. Prior to this, Michael served as a data analyst at the New Jersey State Department of Education where he led and conducted quantitative research on educational outcomes and school-to-workforce transitions. Additionally, Michael has collaborated and consulted on numerous research projects focused on measuring levels of disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes for students across the country. Michael currently serves as an associate adjunct faculty member at Columbia University; he holds an M.S. in applied statistics from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in computer science from West Chester University (PA).

Sana Khan

Senior Research Associate
Sana.Khan@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3475

Sana Khan works with ISLG’s research team to support the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge. Prior to ISLG, Sana worked at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducting epidemiological analyses on the mental health of children and adolescents in NYC. This included quantitative analysis of administrative hospital data and survey data to support program and policies to improve mental health services for children. She also collected and analyzed qualitative data from cognitive interviews to improve data collection methods for measuring mental health prevalence. Previously, she worked in healthcare data analytics and did research on various topics related to children’s health. Sana holds a Master of Public Health from the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hunter College.

NICK KILBY

Senior Policy Associate

nick.kilby@islg.cuny.edu 

Nick Kilby serves as a Senior Policy Associate at ISLG, focused primarily on the Efficiencies for Re-investment and Innovation, or ERI Project at CUNY. Nick brings a strong background in public policy research, strategic communication, and program management. Previously, he served as a policy associate at the Council for State Governments, focusing on environmental and air quality issues. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, he has also worked for the Louisville Coalition for the Homeless on the operations team monitoring compliance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants, and as the Program Manager at Leadership Kentucky. Nick holds a Master's in Public Administration and a Bachelors in Political Science from the University of Kentucky. 

Linda Kleinbaum

Senior Fellow
Linda.Kleinbaum@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-201-2147

Linda Kleinbaum brings 30 years of executive government expertise to bear on all projects related to City government. Linda worked for 22 years at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. She served as deputy director of administration, responsible for capital program management, capital program funding, and the Office of Construction Oversight. This position was charged with re-engineering all aspects of the $20+ billion capital program to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. Prior to this position, in addition to the capital program, Linda also oversaw real estate, procurement, facilities operation, IT, operations support and shared services. Linda started her career at the MTA as director of policy. Prior to the MTA, Linda held senior positions in New York City government, including chief of staff to the first deputy mayor of the City of New York, director of contracts for the Mayor’s Office of Operations, and director of management support for the New York City Fire Department’s Bureau of Fire Prevention. Linda holds a J.D. degree from Georgetown University.

Finda Kofuma

Senior Policy Associate
Finda.Kofuma@islg.cuny.edu

Finda is a Senior Policy Associate working on the NYPD Police Reform and the Community Solutions projects. Finda comes to ISLG with an extensive background in Community Engagement, Community Development and Youth Development. Prior to joining ISLG, Finda was the Program Manager for Seedco’s Bridges to Careers program where she implemented their $4.3 million re-entry grant from the Department of Labor. Finda has also worked at the New City Housing Authority where she oversaw service coordination for public housing developments comprised of over 11,000 households in Upper Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. In addition to this, she managed private and public partnerships and executed the agency's referral system which connected public housing residents to critical services. She served as a Community Coordinator with the New York City Department of Education ensuring that students with housing insecurities had equitable access to education. Additionally, she worked on several restorative justice initiatives which include the Center for Court Innovation’s Harlem Community Justice Center Youth Justice Project and Sheltering Arms youth dentition center led by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Finda holds a Master of Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a B.A with a concentration in Social Science from The College of New Rochelle. ​

Victoria Lawson

Research Project Director
Victoria.Lawson@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3491

Victoria Lawson manages the Institute’s portfolio of work with cities working to measure and track equity and the equitable delivery of services, including directing the Equity Indicators, a multi-city project working with local stakeholders to develop tools to track progress towards equity over time. She also leads or contributes to multiple projects within the Institute’s criminal justice portfolio, including its work related to the Rikers Island jails and NYC Department of Correction. Before joining ISLG, she conducted research at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she worked on a number of projects involving contributing causes to and potential remedies for wrongful conviction, worked in the Research Department at the Innocence Project, and taught undergraduate classes in psychology and research methods. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the Graduate Center of CUNY and an M.A. in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Vestina LoPiccolo

Administrative Associate
Vestina.Sinkeviciute@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3494

Vestina provides support across various projects within the Institute. She works closely with the Chief Administrative Officer, assisting with the overall administrative operations of the Institute including human resources, office management, finance, and technology. She also works with the Institute’s legal department, preparing and submitting contracting documents to the CUNY Research Foundation. Prior to joining the Institute, Vestina interned with the CUNY Research Foundation as an administrative assistant for payroll orientation and student case management, and interned with Judge Elizabeth Taylor at the Bronx Civil Court, where she reviewed documents submitted to the court and organized Thurgood Marshall Junior Mock Trial details. Vestina has been published in New York Law School’s City Land monthly newsletter, providing coverage on New York City fillings and decisions. Vestina is a JD Graduate from New York Law School, and she holds a BA in Philosophy from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an AS in Criminal Justice from LaGuardia Community College.

Nathalie LeBrón

Policy Associate
Nathalie.Lebron@islg.cuny.edu

Nathalie is a Policy Associate involved in several Criminal Justice Investment Initiative portfolios, including Training and Technical Assistance, Diversion and Reentry, and Survivor Access & The Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Program(TI-APIP), as well as the NYPD Reform & Reinvention Plan. Nathalie holds five years of experience working with Latinx youth in advocating for equitable changes in their communities through education and community organizing. Most recently, Nathalie was the Bushwick Program Coordinator at El Puente de Williamsburg. At El Puente, she managed the Department of Youth and Children Development (DYCD), Youth Mentoring Initiative, for multiple El Puente sites and organized the creation of the Wellness Hub to support community members during the pandemic. She also worked at Violence Intervention Program, I.N.C., where she assisted in creating online campaigns that brought awareness to gender-based violence. Nathalie is a Licensed Social Worker. She holds an M.S.W. from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and a BSSW from Medgar Evers College. 

Cecilia Low-Weiner

Senior Research Associate
Cecilia.Low-Weiner@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3557

Cecilia Low-Weiner is a Senior Research Associate working on the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Social Research from Hunter College and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before moving into the field of criminal justice research, she worked primarily in education and youth development non-profits, designing curriculum and facilitating workshops. Most recently, she served as a Research Analyst for the Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College and prior to that, as a policy intern at JustLeadershipUSA.

Brandon Martinez

Research Associate
Brandon.Martinez@islg.cuny.edu

Brandon Martinez is a Research Associate working under the Safety and Justice Challenge,Criminal Justice Initiative’s Prevention Portfolio and Center for Trauma Innovation. Brandon is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Miami, where his research examines racial-ethnic inequalities in the criminal justice system and the housing market. His published work appears in the peer-reviewed journals of Crime & Delinquency, Critical Sociology, and Sociological Forum. Previously, he worked on a collaborative research project with the ACLU of Florida and has contributed to research on court-assisted reentry and pretrial detention. Brandon earned an M.A. in Sociology at the University of Miami and a B.A. in Sociology at CUNY Brooklyn College.

LISA MCMONAGLE

Policy Associate
Lisa.McMonagle@islg.cuny.edu

Lisa McMonagle is a Policy Associate at ISLG, bringing strong analysis and research skills to the Operations team. Prior to ISLG, she worked on multiple New York City political campaigns and in the House of Representatives, where she researched and drafted legislation focused on public housing. Originally from California, she worked in homeless services in the Bay Area. Here, she advocated for housing and homelessness policy and launched an outreach program with San Francisco’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development. Lisa holds a Master of Public Administration from NYU Wagner and a B.S. in Political Science from Santa Clara University.

Aimee McPhail

Research Associate
Aimee.McPhail@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3496

Aimee McPhail (née Ouellet) is a member of ISLG’s research team and contributes to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Investment Initiative. Additionally, she assists with a process evaluation for the implementation of New York’s bail reform legislation. Before joining ISLG, Aimee was a statistical research for the Statistical Analysis Center of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. She was responsible for more than 150 accountability court reports and creating a funding matrix for judges to use in determining the appropriate amount of funds to award courts for the upcoming fiscal year. She also was the lead analyst on a project to determine whether the LSI-R or DUI-RANT was a better screening tool for DUI-Courts to acquire their target population. Aimee holds a B.S and M.S in criminal justice from Kennesaw State University, with a minor in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis. Throughout her graduate education and work experience, Aimee has collected data, designed surveys, and performed both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis on numerous criminal justice topics. Her research interests include drug policy, policing, reentry and diversion, crime mapping, and women in prison.

Daphne Moraga

Research Analyst
Daphne.Moraga@islg.cuny.edu

Daphne Moraga is a Research Analyst at ISLG working on the Safety and Justice Challenge and the Reducing Revocations Challenge. Prior to joining the Institute, she interned with the Neighborhood Design Center, where she helped develop research instruments for community design initiatives, devised afterschool programming, and conducted fieldwork in East Baltimore to support local homeownership. Daphne has experience in the nonprofit sector, community-based outreach, and qualitative research; her work in these sectors has focused primarily on racial justice as it intersects with housing, educational, and health equity. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and Africana Studies, with a minor in Social Policy, from Johns Hopkins University. Her research interests include housing policy, the school-to-prison pipeline, reentry, and prosecutorial overcharging.

otgonjargal okhidoi (otgo)

Research Associate

otgonjargal.okhidoi@islg.cuny.edu

Otgonjargal Okhidoi brings over ten years of research design, implementation, and evaluation expertise mainly in areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion in education, specifically in education policy development and analysis in international, emergency, and conflict-affected contexts. She worked in countries like Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan and has extensive experience managing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research projects with teams of faculty, government and non-governmental organizations, and civil society partners. Prior to joining ISLG, Otgo was Associate Research Scientist at New York University and managed an international randomized control trial focused on a community-based education model and its impact on education access, student learning, and public perceptions of government legitimacy and competence. She also served as a consultant for the American Institute for Research (AIR) on a multi-national educational research study. At ISLG, she supports the Safety and Justice Challenge. Otgo holds an M.A. and Ed.M. from Teachers College of Columbia University and a Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh. 

Alisa Orlowsky

Communications Associate
Alisa.Orlowsky@islg.cuny.edu

Alisa Orlowsky is a Communications Associate who works across project teams to support communications efforts, including editorial product development, social media, and external outreach. Before joining CUNY ISLG, she worked at the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation as a program manager for their data-driven accelerator program. In this role, she focused on communications and programmatic support, working on a range of blog posts highlighting their grantees, developing social media content, and maintaining their editorial calendar. She also oversaw the design and execution of the accelerator program webinar series. Prior to that, she contributed to the communications and social media strategy for an international non-profit and student wellness center. She holds a B.A in Philosophy and minor in Chemistry, with an emphasis in Technology and Values from Santa Clara University.

Neal A. Palmer

Research Project Director
Neal.Palmer@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3496

Neal Palmer is a Research Project Director whose work centers on equity, opportunity, and participatory approaches in research involving the criminal legal system. Since 2015, he has overseen performance monitoring and evaluation for the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, established by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and administered by ISLG. He has provided research- and data-related technical assistance to a variety of foundations, government agencies, and CBOs. Neal was the co-PI on the process evaluation of the College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative, and he led ISLG’s work with the NYPD Federal Monitor on an implementation of body-worn cameras, including a large team of CUNY student researchers who conducted neighborhood-based surveys of NYC residents. More recently, he is co-PI on an NIJ-funded study of hate crime prosecution nationally; and is PI on an NIJ-funded study of community-based hate crime prevention and response in NYC. Neal’s prior research focused on gender and sexuality in education and human development. As a senior research associate at GLSEN, he published on LGBTQ-related school discipline and justice system involvement, discrimination, and youth victimization. Additionally, Neal has taught graduate courses in social science research methods. He holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Community Research and Action from Vanderbilt University.

Samantha Parker

Research Analyst
Samantha.Parker@islg.cuny.edu

Samantha is a Research Associate supporting the Safety and Justice Challenge, Fulton County Diversion Project and Prosecution Collaborative. Sam completed her BA at the University of Toronto and her Masters of Public Health at Brown University where she focused on overdose prevention and the impact of incarceration on health outcomes. Before joining ISLG, Sam worked at the Community Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative, helping non profit organizations plan, execute and analyze their data systems. Sam is proud to be trained in a community based participatory research tradition and is grateful to her mentors for passing on their invaluable knowledge to her.

Alexis Peachey

Research Analyst
Alexis.Peachey@islg.cuny.edu

Alexis Peachey is a Research Analyst working on ISLG's Safety and Justice Challenge. Before joining the team, Alexis worked as a Research Assistant at APPRISE, Inc. which is an organization focused on energy research. She was responsible for testing and improving survey instruments and garnering responses from the sample population. Additionally, she was tasked with tracking and analyzing responses and preparing reports for federal, state, and private entities. Alexis also worked as an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College, instructing a course in American National Government. Previously, she worked as an assistant professor for a course in criminal justice research and participated in a study analyzing outcomes of the 2020 presidential election. Alexis earned a B.A in International Affairs and an M.A in Political Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Janet Penksa

Senior Fellow

Janet.Penksa@islg.cuny.edu

Janet Penksa is a Senior Fellow in the Operations Group. Janet is Professor-in-Residence for the New York State Assembly Intern and Graduate Scholar Programs since 2014, focusing on the legislative and political processes, legislative skills development, state governments and public budgeting. Janet served as Commissioner of Administration, Finance, Policy, and Urban Affairs for the City of Buffalo from 2007 to 2012. She directed the city’s fiscal management practices that resulted in the end of the NYS imposed financial control period and increases in the Buffalo credit ratings to “A” grade, the highest in over 40 years. Janet was Associate Vice President at the University at Buffalo from 1999-2005, overseeing the Office of Government Affairs and securing funds for the establishment of the Center of Excellence for Bioinformatics. Janet served as the Secretary to the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee from 1993 to 1998, the first women to oversee one of the three key state fiscal offices in Albany. Janet received her doctorate from the University at Buffalo and, Master of Public Policy and Administration, and undergraduate degree at SUNY Binghamton. She has been a Visiting Lecturer at Cornell University’s Institute for Public Affairs and a Visiting Associate Professor at Buffalo State College, teaching public budgeting, strategic planning, and, metropolitan governance.  

Kedie Pintro

Research Associate
Kedie.Pintro@islg.cuny.edu

Kedie is a Research Associate working on projects within the Safety and Justice Challenge and Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP). Kedie has training in psychiatric epidemiology and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from CUNY Medgar Evers College and a Master’s degree in neuropsychiatric epidemiology from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Before working with ISLG, she worked at Massachusetts General Hospital as a biostatistician for two years on psychiatric-focused randomized control trials. She is interested in using her background in psychiatric epidemiology to improve the resources for and outcomes of incarcerated people.

Osama Qureshi

Data Scientist
Osama.Qureshi@islg.cuny.edu

Osama Qureshi is a Data Scientist at ISLG, specializing in complex data and machine learning. As the lead data scientist, he guides decisions on solution architecture and models for diverse data holdings. He supports the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge, enabling researchers to analyze complex data from across the US criminal justice system. Collaborating closely with senior researchers and project staff, Osama translates practical data and analysis needs into programming work. With an M.S. in Data Science, his expertise extends to NLP and cloud computing, making valuable contributions to ISLG's data initiatives while maintaining a strong commitment to continuous learning.

Oren Root

Senior Fellow
Oren.Root@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3473

Oren Root is overseeing a research study to determine the effectiveness of enhanced documentation and video recording requirements for street encounters by the New York Police Department. Oren has more than 25 years of non-profit management experience, including having been Deputy Director of the Police Assessment Resource Center, where he led a variety of police accountability and monitoring projects. Immediately before joining ISLG, he directed the Center on Immigration and Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice, where he oversaw more than $100 million of contracts annually for legal information and representation services for immigrants facing deportation. The first 18 years of Oren’s professional career was as a criminal defense lawyer in New York City. He has a B.A. from Columbia and a J.D. from Fordham.

Stephanie Rosoff

Associate Research Director
Stephanie.Rosoff@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3431

Stephanie Rosoff is an Associate Research Director at ISLG, with over ten years of experience developing accessible data analytics, tools, and visualizations. Stephanie is also an adjunct assistant professor of urban planning at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where she teaches a course on spatial analysis. Prior to joining ISLG, Stephanie directed a healthcare mapping tool at the Connecticut Hospital Association. Previously, Stephanie was the director of data analytics at the NYU Furman Center, where she coordinated the Center’s data and research activities. Stephanie has also served as an associate director of community development at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and as a geographic specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau. Stephanie holds a B.A. in geography from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Urban Planning from NYU Wagner.

Monica P. San Juan

Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Aide to the Executive Director
Monica.SanJuan@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3483

Monica San Juan is responsible for the overall administrative operations of ISLG including human resources, facilities, office management, and technology. Working with the executive director and research and policy directors, she ensures that the Institute has the right systems in place to support its mission and various projects in an effective and efficient manner. Additionally, she provides support to the executive director by prioritizing opportunities and activities. Prior to joining the Institute she worked at the Vera Institute of Justice as special assistant to the president where she was the primary point of contact within the executive department for senior management, government partners, trustees and other outside stakeholders. Before beginning her career in the nonprofit sector, she worked at MetLife analyzing economic trends in Latin America. She received her B.A. in international relations and language and culture from the State University of New York at Purchase.

Marc Shaw

Senior Advisor and Chair of the Advisory Board

Marc.Shaw@islg.cuny.edu

Marc V. Shaw is Chair of the Advisory Board and Senior Advisor at the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance. Marc was Senior Advisor to the CUNY Chancellor from 2014 to 2017 and Senior Vice Chancellor for Budget, Finance and Financial Policy, from 2010 to 2014. Marc served as a Senior Advisor to the Governor on Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) finances during 2009. He was the Executive Vice President for Planning at Extell Development Company from 2006 to 2008. Marc served as the New York City First Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Operations to Mayor Bloomberg from 2002 to 2006. He was the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the MTA from 1996 to 2001. Marc has served as NYC Budget Director, NYC Finance Commissioner, and Finance Director for the NYC Council. Mr. Shaw also worked for the NYS Senate Finance Committee. Marc was Chair of the New York City Commission on Property Tax Reform from 2018-2021, and responsible for the final report, “The Road to Reform: A Blueprint for Modernizing and Simplifying New York City’s Property Tax System.”  

Erin Sheena

Research Analyst
Erin.Sheena@islg.cuny.edu

Erin Sheena is a Research Analyst working on ISLG's Safety and Justice Challenge. Before joining the team, Erin worked as a paralegal at the Center for Family Representation to reunite children with their parents in family court. Prior to that, she worked as a research analyst at the Center for Science and Law where she expanded their internal crime database through Freedom of Information Act requests as well as developed a program that reduces prosecutorial overcharging. She holds a B.S. in Quantitative Sciences with a concentration in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University. Her research interests include alternatives to incarceration, bail reform, and reentry.

Carla Sinclair

Senior Communications Associate
Carla.Sinclair@islg.cuny.edu

Carla Sinclair provides communications support and strategy for projects across the organization. This includes the creation and promotion of original project-based content as well as strategy and outreach for organization-wide communications efforts. Prior to joining ISLG, Carla worked in Development & Communications for the Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services (CASES), a NYC-based organization that provides direct supportive services for people involved in the criminal justice system. There, she worked on internal and external communications efforts to garner awareness and support for innovative education, employment, behavioral health, and alternative-to-incarceration programs. Before that, she worked as an editor at The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, leading the creation and development of editorial products in the employment, criminal records, and juvenile justice portfolios. Carla received a BA in Political Science and English from Binghamton University. ​​

Diana Spahia

Senior Research Associate
Diana.Spahia@islg.cuny.edu

Diana is a Senior Research Associate supporting the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) and managing grants related to the SJC at ISLG. Diana has over a decade of experience conducting and supporting criminal justice research projects and holds expertise in mixed methods and qualitative work. She is also a faculty member at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and teaches courses in the areas of research methods, sociology, and international criminal justice. During her time teaching, she has been nominated for multiple awards by the departments she teaches in, the City University of New York, and her students. Before Diana joined ISLG, she served as the Research Manager on The Pretrial Justice team at Arnold Ventures where she worked to develop and drive research agendas, review research proposals, and manage research grants. Diana received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice: Policy, Oversight & Administration at the City University of New York/John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a master's degree in Philosophy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a master's degree in International Crime & Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a bachelor's degree in International Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. 

Kailey Spencer

Senior Research Associate
Kailey.Spencer@islg.cuny.edu

Kailey Spencer is a member of ISLG’s research team and is primarily responsible for leading data management and quantitative analyses across multiple projects. Her portfolio at ISLG largely consists of projects within the criminal justice portfolio, while her background is in K-12 education policy research. Kailey was formerly the founding Research Director at EdFund, where she helped to establish a research agenda and oversaw a request for proposals that solicited new school finance research projects. Prior to joining ISLG, Kailey was a Research Associate with the New York City Department of Education. Previously, she served as the Senior Data Analyst at EdBuild. Kailey received an interdisciplinary B.A. from Hunter College and later earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Taylor Swabb

Program Director
Taylor.Swabb@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3406

Taylor helps manage the CUNY Efficiencies and Reinvestment Initiative (ERI), a strategic partnership that provides expertise in managing operational challenges and identifying opportunities for improving and strengthening the university’s mission. In addition to ERI, Taylor contributed to projects with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget to develop optimal staffing models and cost efficiency analyses for multiple agencies. Taylor has also led graduate student researchers in reviewing annual state budgets for adherence to best practice in partnership with the Volcker Alliance’s Truth and Integrity in State Budgeting. Prior to joining ISLG, Taylor worked as a Financial Analyst for the Oklahoma Tax Commission and taught English as a Second Language in South Korea. Taylor holds a B.A. in Economics from Oklahoma State University and an M.S. in Urban Policy and Leadership from Hunter College.

Rebecca Tublitz

Senior Research Associate
Rebecca.Tublitz@islg.cuny.edu
T: 646-664-3475

Rebecca Tublitz is a Senior Research Associate at CUNY ISLG. She specializes in the design, development, and implementation of performance measurement systems for local and state criminal justice systems, and has led or supported multiple projects including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge and the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Price of Justice initiative. Rebecca has 15 years of experience conducting applied research, program evaluation, and technical assistance in the criminal justice and corrections fields. She is also a doctoral candidate in Criminology, Law & Society at the University of California, Irvine, where her research examines the impacts of criminal justice system reform along a range of substantive areas, including bail reform, solitary confinement, mortality in prison and jail facilities, and racial and ethnic disparities. Prior to joining CUNY ISLG, Rebecca served as the inaugural Justice Fellow in the Division of Recidivism Reduction and Re-Entry at the California Department of Justice. There, she directed data collection and analysis of state and local recidivism outcomes after public safety realignment and provided expertise in statistical programming and quantitative data analysis to evaluations of alternative to incarceration and re-entry programs supported by the DOJ. Rebecca has also served in a variety of research positions at the Public Policy Institute of California, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Barnard College. Her work has appeared in the peer-reviewed journals PLOS One, Justice Quarterly, and the American Journal of Criminal Justice. 

Alice Wheet Antillón

Senior Policy Associate
Alice.Wheet@islg.cuny.edu

Alice Wheet is a Senior Policy Associate with the Operations Team.  Prior to joining ISLG, she was a financial administrator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Before that, she was senior director for budget and finance administration at the University of Colorado, overseeing budget, HR, IT, and facilities for two departments and advising on financial viability of academic programs. Alice served as assistant director for budget in the Colorado Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB), where she managed the budget formulation process for the state’s executive agencies and oversaw the submission of a balanced budget to the legislature.  She was the Colorado governor’s lead financial staff upon the state’s legalization of marijuana, advising on the newly established revenue sources and funding priorities. As a budget analyst at OSPB she focused on the health, human services, and criminal justice agencies.  She began her career as a policy associate at the National Conference of State Legislatures, researching transportation and energy issues and working with states and tribal governments from around the country.  Alice holds a B.A. in Sociology and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Public Policy and Master of Social Work from the University of Denver. She has also completed the Certified Public Manager program at the University of Colorado Denver.

Emily West

Senior Research Associate
Emily.West@islg.cuny.edu

Emily West has more than 15 years of research and evaluation experience across a broad array of disciplines including criminal justice, education, and youth development. Prior to joining ISLG, Emily was the research director at the Innocence Project where she was responsible for systematically organizing and utilizing internal client data as well as data on DNA exonerations nationwide to both support policy reform efforts aimed at improving the criminal justice system and promote more research on wrongful convictions. She has extensive experience designing and implementing research studies, managing large and complex data systems, and performing advanced data analyses. Emily holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in sociology and criminology.