Public Safety Performance Project

Hillary Gore supports Pew’s public safety performance project, helping provide technical assistance and policy reform to address challenges in the criminal justice system as well as improve outcomes for people on probation or parole and those who are incarcerated. Before joining Pew, Gore worked with criminal justice services in state and county governments, and developed a court-facilitated treatment program for veterans in the justice system. Gore holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a master’s in forensic psychology from Marymount University.

Eshaan Kawlra is an associate with Pew’s public safety performance project, providing policy analysis, research, and technical assistance to criminal justice system practitioners on evidence-based policy solutions. Kawlra holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.

Breana Lamkin leads partnership development and management for Pew’s public safety performance project. In that capacity, Lamkin works to ensure that grants and agreements are strategic and effectively executed in furtherance of safety and justice policy initiatives. Before joining Pew, Lamkin worked at the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, where she collaborated with advocates and organizers throughout the nation to examine the connection between America’s history of racial injustice and mass incarceration. Lamkin holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Howard University and a master’s in public administration and policy from American University.

Travis McIntyre is a senior associate in research and strategy with Pew’s public safety performance project. His published research spans the criminal justice system, from root causes to parole, and he has worked for evidence-based policy change at the state and local levels throughout the United States. Before joining Pew, McIntyre worked as a research and policy analyst for the New Mexico Legislature. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Clemson University and a doctorate in physics from the University of New Mexico.

As a member of Pew’s public safety performance project, Erika Parks provides technical assistance and policy expertise to states and localities working to reduce the footprint of their juvenile and criminal legal systems. Parks previously worked in policy and research for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, where she managed projects related to juvenile re-entry, local justice reinvestment, and effective use of risk assessments. She holds a bachelor’s degree in math and sociology from Pomona College and a master’s in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ruth Rosenthal leads the juvenile justice policy work for Pew’s public safety performance project. In this role, she and her team collaborate with states to advance data-driven, research-based, and fiscally sound policies in the juvenile justice system. Before joining Pew, Rosenthal worked as a trial attorney for the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, where she represented individuals facing both criminal and juvenile charges who could not afford to retain counsel. Rosenthal earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

April Rodriguez provides research and writing support for Pew’s mental health and justice partnerships and public safety performance project. Before joining Pew, Rodriguez served in several research positions, including one at a nonprofit organization working alongside incarcerated individuals assisting with advocacy work and policy issues. Rodriguez holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a double major in criminal justice from Florida International University. She is pursuing a master’s in forensic and legal psychology from Marymount University.

Michelle Russell is an associate manager with Pew’s public safety performance project, leading projects related to jails and courts. She has provided technical assistance and data analysis for projects in Louisiana, South Carolina, Michigan, and North Carolina, including managing large sensitive data sets from throughout the criminal justice system. Before joining Pew, Russell worked as a research and policy analyst at the Crime and Justice Institute. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Isabel Shapiro is a senior associate with Pew’s public safety performance project. She supports the project’s research, data analysis, and technical assistance efforts to advance data-driven criminal justice reforms that protect public safety, ensure accountability, and control corrections costs. Shapiro holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from American University and a master’s in public policy from Duke University.

Rebecca Smith provides research, writing, and project management support for Pew’s mental health and justice partnerships and public safety performance project. Before joining Pew, Smith served as principal investigator on a research project funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. She previously worked as a research analyst at a juvenile justice agency and a clinician at inpatient forensic and acute psychiatric hospitals. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington, a master’s in clinical social work from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a master’s and doctorate in developmental psychology also from VCU.

Connie Utada is a manager with Pew’s public safety performance project, leading the technical assistance and research initiatives for jurisdictions throughout the country with the goal of improving outcomes for people on probation and parole. Utada has led Pew’s efforts to address challenges facing statewide criminal justice systems through policy reform. Before joining Pew, she developed state policy initiatives for marginalized communities, lobbied on immigration, and served as a defense attorney in Boston. Utada received a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Smith College and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.

Tracy Velázquez leads research activities for Pew’s mental health and justice partnerships and public safety performance projects. Her team produces and publishes analyses of criminal justice, courts, and crisis systems, and provides ongoing research assistance to help achieve all of the projects’ goals. Before joining Pew, Velázquez served in research and policy positions for several national and state criminal justice reform and health policy organizations and as a consultant to local, state, and federal governments. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Harvard University, a master’s in justice, law, and criminology from American University, and a master’s in public administration from Montana State University.