Our Team

Our team is built on individuals with various backgrounds in the criminal justice field.

Tanya Anderson

Associate Director

Tanya Anderson is an Associate Director at CEPP, where she oversees significant projects for its national Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) initiative. She leads APPR’s Pretrial Practitioner Network, a network of pretrial champions who share their experience and assist jurisdictions in implementing pretrial practices to minimize harm to those impacted by the criminal legal system.

Prior to joining CEPP, Ms. Anderson was the Pretrial Services Coordinator for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, providing technical assistance and training for pretrial agencies, the judiciary, and criminal justice stakeholders throughout Illinois. Ms. Anderson began her career in Kane County Court Services in 1989 as a youth counselor. During her tenure with Kane County, she served in various positions in pretrial release and supervision. She is a member of the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) and NAPSA Education Committee, and a former National Institute of Corrections’ Pretrial Executive Network member. Ms. Anderson holds a BA in criminal justice and an MA in human resources, with a certificate in organizational leadership from Aurora University (Illinois).

Our Team

Alison Shames

Director

Anke Mann

Associate Director

Cherrie Smith-Raines

Operations Manager

Cynthia Mausser

Senior Manager

Denise Symdon

Senior Manager

Dr. Kelvin L. Banks

Associate Director

Edith Han

Digital Manager

Elizabeth Hidalgo

Program Assistant

Erica King

Senior Manager

Holly Ziemer

Director of Communications

Jenna Mackey

Program Manager

Jessica Ireland

Senior Manager

Keilah Joyner

Program Associate

Kristen Persaud

Operations Assistant

Lakisha Fisher

Program Manager

Leilah Gilligan

Director

Marilyn Van Dieten

Senior Advisor

Matt Alsdorf

Associate Director

Melanie Breault Kursun

Communications Manager

Orleny Rojas

Senior Manager, Racial Equity

Richard Stroker

Director

Samuel Steed

Operations Assistant

Spike Bradford

Communications Manager

Tanya Anderson

Associate Director

Tara Boh Blair

Senior Manager

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