Susan Gottesfeld

Susan Gottesfeld is the director of reentry initiatives at The Council of State Governments Justice Center. Susan has worked in the criminal justice and human services fields for more than 25 years. Before this role, Susan was chief program officer and executive vice president at the Osborne Association, developing and supervising programs across the spectrum of reentry and alternatives to incarceration. Susan’s experience includes pre-arraignment diversion and mitigation, jail– and prison–based services, workforce development and housing services, treatment services, family visiting programs and services to children of incarcerated parents, as well as anti-violence programs. Throughout her career, Susan has focused on developing and implementing innovative solutions to lessen the human and economic costs of incarceration. She holds master’s degrees in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and in developmental psychology from Columbia University. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and criminology from the University of Florida. She is based in New York City.