Our Team

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

Tara Boh Blair

Senior Manager

Tara Boh Blair is a Senior Manager at CEPP, where she oversees the Research-Action Sites for the Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) initiative. She also provides technical assistance to several jurisdictions working to develop or enhance their pretrial services.

Ms. Blair was the Executive Officer for the Kentucky Court of Justice, Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Pretrial Services. She retired in September 2021 after 26 years with the department.  She has extensive experience developing program missions, goals, and objectives; pretrial assessments; and data management initiatives. She created trainings for new and existing staff and interdisciplinary training with the Department of Public Advocacy, state prosecutors, and judicial colleges. As a pretrial subject matter expert, Ms. Blair has conducted program assessments, system mapping, training, and technical assistance nationally and internationally. She also has experience with harm reduction strategies for overdose prevention and innovative practices for courts related to substance use disorders. In 2022, Ms. Blair was presented with the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies’ Ennis J. Olgiati Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Blair holds a BA in sociology and a BS in police administration from Eastern Kentucky University.

 

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

Senior 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

Troy Hatfield

Senior Manager

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