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Tracy
Velázquez, Executive Director Tracy Velázquez is a passionate advocate and committed progressive who was most recently senior program associate at the Vera Institute of Justice's Center on Sentencing and Corrections, where she worked with policymakers on expanding the diversion of people with substance abuse problems involved in the criminal justice system and implementing evidence-based supervision practices that improve the success rates of people re-entering the community from prison. Velázquez has been a long-time agent for change in a number of policy arenas. She is the former executive director of the Montana Mental Health Association, where she worked with policymakers to secure additional funding for mental health and suicide prevention, and to reduce the criminalization of people with mental illness. Through the media, she and her agency raised awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of the top disabilities facing returning Iraq veterans. Prior to that, she co-founded and managed Commonweal Consulting, a consulting firm providing strategic capacity-building services to nonprofits and public agencies. Velázquez also ran for U.S. Congress and served as Vice Chair of the Montana Democratic Party. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a master of public administration degree from Montana State University. Amanda
Petteruti,
Associate
Director Amanda Petteruti is a researcher and policy analyst with approximately seven years of combined experience in education and criminal justice policy. Early in her career, she organized a writing program for youth at the National Campaign to Stop Violence and provided general support to the National Juvenile Defender Center. Prior to joining the staff of the Justice Policy Institute, she conducted research on issues pertaining to urban education at the Council of the Great City Schools. Petteruti has earned a Master of Arts in education policy and leadership from the University of Maryland College Park and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Bates College. Petteruti has contributed to several reports related to education policy and co-authored The Vortex: The Concentrated Racial Impact of Drug Imprisonment and the Characteristics of Punitive Counties and JPI’s Public Safety Policy Brief series. Keith Wallington, Project Manager Keith Wallington is the Project Manager for the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). Prior to joining JPI, Keith worked as an organizer for the Alliance for Retired Americans, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and economic security of older Americans. As a field organizer, he helped to build and charter states to the national Alliance and educate the public about the health and economic concerns of older Americans. After working as an organizer, he served as the Director of Community Outreach for the Alliance for Retired Americans where he helped build the organization through group affiliation. Keith also worked as a field organizer for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids (FCIK), where he recruited and educated top law enforcement officials about the importance of early education and evidence based programs as proactive investments to fighting crime including meetings with Congressman John Spratt (SC), U.S. Budget Committee Chairman, to discuss investments in education as a way of reducing future crime. Keith graduated from American University with degrees in Biology and Psychology. Nastassia
Walsh,
Research
Associate Nastassia Walsh is Research Associate for the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). She joined JPI shortly after earning her Master's Degree in forensic psychology from Marymount University, where she studied psychological principles in the law and injustices in the criminal justice system. She started her education by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and justice studies from Arizona State University. Walsh has co-authored several reports while at JPI, including Maryland’s Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentencing Laws, The Consequences Aren’t Minor, and JPI’s Public Safety Policy Brief series. Walsh is an active volunteer at Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources (OAR) of Fairfax County, Virginia, an organization that aids both incarcerated adults and people recently released from jail in their re-entry process to help break the cycle of incarceration. Ellen
Tuzzolo,
Associate
Director
of
Southern Initiatives Ellen Tuzzolo is currently working to reduce the number of women incarcerated in the state of Alabama as the Director of Southern Initiatives for the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). Ellen started her career as a Special Education teacher in the New Orleans Public Schools. After teaching, she worked to provide alternatives to incarceration for people in the San Francisco County Jail through her work at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, and then served as an educator in an alternative to incarceration program for youth in the Massachusetts juvenile justice system. After Hurricane Katrina, Ellen returned to Louisiana to devote her time to criminal justice, juvenile justice and education reform through her efforts at the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL). At JJPL Ellen worked on numerous local and statewide juvenile and criminal justice campaigns, and lobbied successfully for the closure of the infamous Jetson Center for Youth. Ellen also founded “Schools First”— a project that continues to reduce the number of suspensions, expulsions, school arrests and push-outs in schools throughout New Orleans. Ellen is an adult supporter of the FYRE Youth Squad and a founding board member of the New Orleans Parent Organizing Network. Jasmine
Greene,
Correctional
Case
Reviewer Jasmine Greene is currently working with the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) as a Correctional Case Reviewer with the Alabama Department of Corrections at Julia Tutwiler Prison in Wetumpka, Alabama. In this project she is committed to reducing the number of women incarcerated in Alabama by utilizing a variety of programs and strategic methods. Prior to joining JPI Jasmine was enrolled as a graduate student of Troy University of Troy, Alabama where she earned a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice in December 2009. During this time she also worked as an Administrative Graduate Assistant of the Criminal Justice Department for Troy University. Jasmine was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in May 2004. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Magna Cum Laude, from Troy University in May 2008 and Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, Summa Cum Laude, December 2009. While at Troy University Jasmine was president of the Criminal Justice Honors society and mentored at Troy’s juvenile delinquent girl’s group home and child advocacy center. Kellie
Shaw,
Operations
Coordinator Kellie Shaw joins the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) as our Operations Coordinator, ensuring that the JPI office runs smoothly by overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office. She comes to us with many years of experience including work as Service Administrator for Canon Business Solutions, Inc and Webster Fredrickson & Brackshaw, LLP, both in Washington, D.C. Her operations experience also includes her position as Legal Secretary at Bryan Cave, LLP in New York City, and work in administration at Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP in Washington. She is also currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Communication Studies, with a minor in Marketing, at the University of Maryland University College, in College Park, Maryland. Jason
Fenster,
Communications
Associate Jason Fenster is the Communications Associate for the Justice
Policy
Institute (JPI). Before joining the JPI team, he served in a year-long
fellowship as an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious
Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC). There, he worked with civil
rights and interfaith coalitions to develop campaigns and advocacy
strategies surrounding issues of criminal justice, civil rights, gun
control, and voting rights. He graduated from Brandeis University with
a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and a minor in Legal Studies.
Paul
Ashton,
Research
Assistant
Paul Ashton is Research Assistant for the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). Prior to joining JPI, Paul spent time as a sexual assault victim advocate and conducting research examining intimate partner violence in the LGBT community. He has also served on the policy committee of the Delaware HIV Consortium – working to educate the Delaware State Legislature on the need for increased funding to address homelessness and HIV. Paul received his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology from The Ohio State University and a Master’s Degree in Criminology from the University of Delaware. |
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