Lisa helps state governments examine their statutes and practices to develop evidence-based policies to improve their criminal and juvenile justice systems. Prior to joining CJI, Lisa served as an Assistant Public Defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where she represented low-income clients in criminal and juvenile cases and received multiple awards for her service. Lisa’s experience in direct service has helped her to understand the multifaceted and nuanced challenges associated with criminal justice policy and solidified her commitment to improving the criminal justice system on a national level. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University, a Master of Science in Education from City University of New York, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Toll Public Interest Scholar.