Funder, Justice Advocate, Capacity Builder & Educator

I am a passionate, adaptable, and energetic international development expert, grants manager, program implementer, justice system specialist, human rights educator, and lawyer. I value collaboration, contextualized resource development, and sustainable project design. Solid interpersonal skills allow me to maintain productive relationships with all stakeholders, particularly in cross-cultural settings.

Internationally I promote access to justice, legal aid, legal education and the strengthening of justice institutions. I manage large-scale multi-year legal aid projects as both a funder and implementer. I provide technical expertise to public defender projects and other justice institutions such as the police and prosecutors. I train law teachers in clinical interactive teaching methods. I’ve worked with the European Union and USAID funding programs, International Bridges to Justice (IBJ), International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), BABSEACLE, and Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) in Myanmar, and the International Legal Foundation (ILF) in Nepal. In the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda I engaged with public prosecutor offices and police on behalf of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

In the United States I represented indigent criminal defendants and worked for systemic change at the most innovative client-centered legal aid offices for over 15 years. This began at the Defenders Association of Philadelphia, and then continued with the Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem in New York City. I managed the legal programs for the NYC Anti-Violence Project serving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims of bias-related crimes and police abuse.

My 12 years practicing and institution-building at the Bronx Defenders shaped my commitment to client-centered lawyering. As a senior trial lawyer, I represented hundreds of clients facing charges ranging from the most minor to sexual assault and murder. In my role as supervising attorney I trained, coached and guided an interdisciplinary team of criminal, civil, family and immigration lawyers, along with social workers and investigators, to address the multiple needs of clients both in and beyond the criminal justice system. Finally, as part of the management team, I looked to leverage our clients’ and staff’s expertise to expand access to justice and to end systemic injustices.

As visiting professor of clinical law at Maurice Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, I directed the criminal defense legal clinic for three years, as well as developing and teaching courses in juvenile justice, and sexuality and the law.

I received my Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Harvard University, and my Juris Doctor (Doctor of Laws) cum laude from New York University.