Our Team

Response Unit (CRU) and Familiar Faces program. CRU is designed after the CAHOOTS model, which deploys unarmed, civilian-first responders to community members in crisis. Before working for the police department, she worked for the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s office championing alternatives to the criminal justice system and supporting treatment courts. Anne has a BA in public administration and an MPA from The Evergreen State College.

the Yale Law School Allard K. Lowenstein Human Rights clinic to support a lawsuit against a Connecticut supermax prison for inhumane conditions, she was a director’s fellow at the Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies and a summer fellow at All Our Kin through the Yale Law School Liman Center for Public Interest Law. She graduated with distinction from Yale University with a BA and MA in political science, concentrating on legislative policy and communities of color.

she was a lobbyist and provided advocacy and technical support on legislation addressing civil liberties concerns, including an expansive number of criminal justice reform issues. Hannah has a BFA in modern literary studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an MSL from Roger Williams University School of Law, where she was a community leader fellow. 

Public Health Advocates, where she led policy research, development, and advocacy in California at the state and local levels. Over the years, Kaniyaa has facilitated the adoption and implementation of policies spanning a wide range of topic areas, including public safety reform and alternatives to emergency response systems, housing and homelessness, and childhood trauma and prevention of adverse childhood experiences. Kaniyaa holds a BS from the University of California, Davis, and an MPH from Columbia University.

topics that included mental health, youth and families, alternatives to crisis response, and The Credible Messenger Movement. Before that, Mari was a research associate for the U.S. Sentencing Commission, where she worked to amend the federal sentencing guidelines and inform policy decisions. Mari previously worked for Multnomah County, Oregon, where she evaluated juvenile justice reform initiatives. Mari earned her bachelor’s in psychology and criminal justice from Saint Louis University and a master’s in clinical psychology from Pacific University.

in the Olympia, Washington, community through Olympia Police Department’s Familiar Faces program, which is built on the concept that changed people have the capacity to change lives. Melissa brings to this position a wealth of knowledge and perspective gained through a history of lived experience at that same intersection of behavioral health and criminal legal involvement. She earned her BA from The Evergreen State College, where she is currently working toward her MPA. 

toolkit that supports sites in development of non-police responses to people in crisis. Previously, Sarah was a research analyst at the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc., where she was the team lead for Youth and Women’s Services and was the primary author of research reports on youth substance use disorder treatment, driving under the influence, and Medicaid. Sarah has also worked as a juvenile court advocate and in community substance use disorder prevention. She received her BA from DePauw University in English (writing) and her MA in social services administration with a focus on policy analysis from the University of Chicago.

to joining the CSG Justice Center, Shontelle worked at the National Association on Drug Abuse Problems where she provided leadership and staff oversight of the Outreach Enrollment Department. She developed and managed formal partnerships with hospitals, government agencies, clinics, and more. Shontelle holds a BS in human services from NYC College of Technology and an MPA from Metropolitan College of New York. She is currently pursuing an MSW from Walden University.