A woman with long wavy brown hair sitting on a beige chair indoors near a window, with a plant nearby, wearing a dark sleeveless dress, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

About

Over the past two decades, I’ve held leadership, research, and policy roles across the civil justice ecosystem. My experience includes serving as Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, Researcher at Harvard Law School's Access to Justice Lab, Director of the American Bar Association's Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives, Manager of Research and Evaluation at Legal Aid of Nebraska, and inaugural Executive Director of Detroit's Office of Eviction Defense.

Throughout those roles, I've partnered with courts, legal aid organizations, bar associations, foundations, universities, and government agencies to develop strategic plans, evaluate programs, launch new initiatives, facilitate stakeholder engagement, and support better decision-making. My work has ranged from statewide strategic planning and organizational development to randomized controlled trials, national surveys, program evaluation, conference design, and policy research.

Although much of my career has focused on access to justice, the thread connecting all of my work is helping organizations solve difficult problems thoughtfully, collaboratively, and with practical implementation in mind. I believe the strongest solutions emerge when rigorous research, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and operational realities are considered together. I bring that perspective to organizations seeking a collaborative partner to strengthen programs, navigate change, and move ideas into action.

Research

Designed and led research on access to justice, legal aid, courts, housing, pro bono, and behavioral science, including randomized controlled trials, program evaluations, national surveys, and mixed-methods studies.

Selected experience

  • Harvard Law School’s Access to Justice Lab

  • American Bar Association’s Division for Legal Services

  • University of Nebraska’s Center for Children, Families and the Law

  • Northwestern University’s Human Development and Social Policy Program

  • Legal Aid of Nebraska

Speaking

More than 40 presentations and workshops for conferences, courts, universities, bar associations, legal aid organizations, and justice system leaders.

Selected conferences

  • Equal Justice Conference

  • National Meeting of State Access to Justice Commission Chairs

  • National Association for Court Management

  • National Legal Aid & Defender Association Annual Conference

  • Medical-Legal Partnership Summit

  • Conference on Empirical Legal Studies

  • Law & Society Annual Meeting

Writing

Author of peer-reviewed journal articles, national reports, practitioner publications, and book chapters on access to justice, legal innovation, program evaluation, and justice system reform.

Published in

  • South Carolina Law Review

  • Court Review

  • Family Court Review

  • The Prosecutor

  • American Bar Association publications

Leadership

Leadership roles spanning nonprofit organizations, universities, local government, and national professional associations.

Selected roles

  • Texas Access to Justice Commission

  • Harvard Law School’s Access to Justice Lab

  • American Bar Association’s Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives

  • City of Detroit’s Office of Eviction Defense

  • Texas State Bar’s Legal Access Department