Stephanie joined the Center staff in March 2014 where she provides staff support for the Case Management Assessment Process (CMAP). Previously, she had worked as a Correspondence Writer/Editor for Governor Chris Gregoire in the Governor's Office. She has also held a variety of positions in the private sector, ranging from the health insurance industry to the technology field. She has expertise in writing and editing technical and professional documentation, documentation layout and print, client casework, and customer service. Stephanie holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Washington, as well as an Associate of Technical Arts degree in Paralegal Studies from South Puget Sound Community College.

Contact: stephanie.ballou@courts.wa.gov

Sarah (she/they) joined the Center in January 2024 as a Senior Research Associate for the Data for Justice initiative.
They hold a Masters of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from Oregon State University. Previously, they worked as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Social Policy in Practice at the University of New Hampshire. Her applied work with local partners has spanned many intersecting topic areas including social safety net programs, child care, food insecurity, social determinants of health, and community safety. Sarah has also previously worked in disability research and community development. She is passionate about making data less intimidating and empowering courts to use data to better serve their communities.
Throughout their career, Sarah has focused on using context-oriented research to inform more equitable policy and programs. She has a background in qualitative and quantitative research, evaluation, technical assistance, data visualization, and communicating research findings in accessible ways.

Contact: sarah.boege@courts.wa.gov

Joli joined the Center in August of 2023. She holds a B.A. in English and Sociology and a M.A. in Sociology. Her experience in research and evaluation has primarily focused on the local and national evaluations of federally funded programs. Program focus has included homeless families, dependency-involved children, mental health, substance use, co-occurring disorders, health studies, and human trafficking. Funders have included Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the Administration for Children and Families. She has extensive experience in training data collection staff, as well as quantitative and data collection methods such as survey administration, stakeholder interviews, and focus groups.

At WSCCR, Joli will support the program evaluation efforts of the Children's Representation Program implemented by the Office of Civil Legal Aid. The evaluation will focus on outcomes and process evaluation. Joli will also guide and support the Evidence Based Program Reporting (EBPR) of juveniles participating in juvenile court probation EBPs. Her work for EBPR will focus on reporting, by program, on juvenile changes in protective factors, outcomes and risk assessments.

Contact: Joli.brown@courts.wa.gov

Patty joined the Center in February of 2024. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with minors in Sociology and Ethnic Studies, a Master's of Science in Experimental Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology.
Prior to joining the WSCCR, Patty worked at Central Washington University where she taught a wide array of psychology classes, including statistics and research methods. Using an anti-racist approach, her research focuses on attitudes and behaviors influenced by demographic racial shifts, ethnocentrism, skin tone biases, and threats brought on by organizational pro-diversity efforts. In particular, Patty studied perceived racial competition, threat perceptions, support for and involvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and interpersonal judgments toward politicians and leaders of color.
In collaboration with different stakeholders within AOC, WSCCR, and courts, Patty will carry out research related to juries in Washington state courts to support the constitutional right to trial by an impartial jury and to help courts improve participation and engagement with prospective jurors. She will oversee the data collected through the juror surveys and consult on jury management approaches and develop research projects, program evaluation methods, and performance/reporting management systems.

Contact: patrizia.chirco@courts.wa.gov

Arina joined the Center in July 2016. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology (with a focus on Criminology) from Washington State University and M.Sc. in Applied Sociology from Clemson University. Prior joining the WSCCR, Arina served as a Principal Investigator at the Social & Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC). She has worked on more than 50 research projects and evaluations in a variety of content areas. Besides doing research, Arina was actively engaged in teaching for Washington State University. Among the courses she taught were Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, Research Methods, Sociology of Punishment, and Social Problems.

Contact: arina.gertseva@courts.wa.gov

Amanda joined the Center staff in September, 2015. Her previous research experience includes working as a Senior Research Associate at the National Gang Center and a Pre-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Washington Social Development Research Group. Her community practice experience includes working as a Project Assistant at the San Bernardino Mayor's Office focusing on juvenile justice reform and community gang prevention. She holds a B.A. from California State University, Long Beach, an M.S.W. from Loma Linda University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Her research interests include the role of detention in the juvenile justice system (including detention alternatives), evidence-based practice, and youth gang prevention.

Contact: amanda.gilman@courts.wa.gov

Adrian joined the Center in August 2022, and serves as a Senior Research Associate working with the Behavioral Health Team, which supports all Washington Therapeutic Court Programs. He previously worked for NPC Research, a private research firm, where he gained extensive experience providing a wide range of technical assistance to new and existing therapeutic court programs (family, adult, juvenile, DUI, tribal, and Veteran's, among others), including over 60 in-person and virtual site visits across 20 states. Information gained from site visit activities (including interviews with all team members and program stakeholders, focus groups with participants, and observations of staffing and court sessions) was then used to provide direct feedback to programs related to process improvement and best practices.

Adrian has worked on multiple local, statewide, and national research projects related to the effectiveness of therapeutic courts. He also has two years of direct program experience as a therapeutic court coordinator, and also served as a research analyst for the Missouri Office of State Courts. He holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology, and an M.S.W. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Karl joined the Center in April 2023. Prior to AOC, he worked as Principal Research Statistician at Washington State Department of Corrections producing applied research to support the transformation of restrictive housing, prison discipline, and community reentry. His work with high-utilizers and multigenerational involvement in community supervision, evaluation of services to post-secondary students with disabilities, and developing public-nonprofit partnerships for affordable housing development and revitalization of historic Black business districts reflect a long-standing commitment to community-engaged applied research. He holds a M.S.W. from California State University, Long Beach and a Ph.D. in Community Research and Action from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.

April joined the Center in July 2023 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Research Associate. She will be working with Family Treatment Courts (FTC) and Early Childhood Courts (ECC). April completed a B.A. in Psychology, a M.A. in Forensics Psychology, and a M.A. in Teaching. She has worked with at-risk youth in Rhode Island as a mental health provider. She has also worked as a social worker in the CPS protection and permanency division of Kentucky's child welfare agency, as well as a K-12 teacher in Kentucky. She is currently enrolled in a Ph.D program at Washington State University in the Criminal Justice and Criminology department where her research focuses on school violence prevention.

Carl came to the Center in March, 2006, from the National Center for Juvenile Justice, where he worked on topics related to juvenile problem behaviors, including violent offending, violent sex offending, domestic violence, and substance use. His evaluation experience includes an evaluation of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services' aftercare (probation) program. He authored the 2006 report, Self-Reported Law-Violating Behavior from Adolescence to Early Adulthood in a Modern Cohort, for the National Institute of Justice. Carl has extensive experience with the analysis of survey data and data from official sources, such as courts and law enforcement agencies. He holds a B.A. in Government (University of Texas) and a Ph.D. in Political Science (Indiana University).

Contact: carl.mccurley@courts.wa.gov

Mikala joined the Center staff in April 2021 and serves as the Senior Research Associate working with the Behavioral Health Unit. She completed her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University where her research focused on the effects of cannabis legalization on the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Mikala also earned a B.S. in Psychology and a M.A. in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Washington State University.

Contact: mikala.meize-bowers@courts.wa.gov

Matt joined the Center staff in May of 2011. Before coming to AOC, he worked as the Data Resources Manager for Partners for Our Children at the University of Washington. Previously, Matt had worked for more than 16 years as a specialist with DSHS's Children's Administration, most recently as a program manager and database and technical administrator. He developed and managed program and performance indicators, and assisted managers in monitoring field activities and improving program operations and reporting. He also provided expert data and technical assistance, information analysis, training and system development. In his capacity as Senior Research Associate, Matt uses administrative data to evaluate outcomes and provide performance tracking for children in the dependency courts and child welfare systems. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and fine arts from Pacific Lutheran University and a Master of Fine Arts in theater arts from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Contact: matt.orme@courts.wa.gov

Andrew joined the Center for Court Research staff in October of 2014. Prior to coming to the AOC, he worked as a Research Associate for the United States Sentencing Commission where he was involved in a variety of research projects, including: crack cocaine offender recidivism, child pornography offending and sentencing, and supervision revocations and modifications. Andrew has also published his own research on case studies of white collar crime. He earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan, a M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University, and a Ph.D. In Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California, Irvine.

Rachael joined the Center in January, 2014. Rachael has worked for the State of Washington for over 18 years and previously worked for the Department of Social and Health Services and the Washington Military Department. Her work has evolved over the last nine years with AOC, and she now mostly works on translating complex research findings for general audiences through data visualization and report design. She holds a B.A. in Integrated Social Sciences from the University of Washington and is currently earning her Data Visualization certificate from the University of Washington.

Contact: rachael.sanford@courts.wa.gov

David came to the Center in December 2015 and serves as the WA State Case Management Assessment Process (CMAP) Coordinator. He has over 20 years of experience in juvenile corrections in Washington State before joining the Center. His previous experience was working 19 years at Spokane County Juvenile Court in detention, intensive supervision, diversion, Detention Alternative Program, Coordinator of Evidence-Based Programing, CMAP Quality Assurance Specialist, and Unit Supervisor. David has a special interest in evidence-based practices and community corrections. He earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Gonzaga University, a M.A. in Criminal Justice from Washington State University, and a Certified Public Manager (CPM) credential from Arizona State University.

Contact: david.sattler@courts.wa.gov

Wei joined the Center staff in November of 2006 and provides data support for the Center programs. Previously, Wei was a Research Associate focusing on data management and statistical analysis for clinical trials and other medical research activities at the Medical University of South Carolina. Wei holds a B.S. in Math from Beijing Normal University, China and a M.S.P.H. in Biostatistics from the University of South Florida.

Contact: wei.wang@courts.wa.gov