The Center for Court Innovation

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	Matthew Usher Crew Supervisor, Bronx Community Solutions musher@courts.state.ny.us
	Justine van Straaten Director, Child Welfare Programs vanstraj@courtinnovation.org Justine van Straaten is the Director of the Family Court Blueprint for Change initiative at the Center. The Blueprint for Change, in collaboration with the New York City Family Court, represents a coordinated vision for improving the processing of abuse and neglect matters in the Family Court by building upon reforms that are already underway. Prior to joining the Center, Ms. van Straaten was a policy analyst at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services in the Division of Child Protection. Ms. van Straaten received a Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University and received both a law degree and a Masters in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, where she was a CIVITAS ChildLaw fellow.
	Anthony Vargas Manhattan Borough Manager, NYC Community Cleanup avargas@courts.state.ny.us
	Luisana Victorica Project Coordinator, Attendance Court lvictori@courts.state.ny.us
	Alina Vogel Web Technology Associate vogela@courtinnovation.org Alina Vogel is a web technology associate, she is in charge of the administration and development of the Center's websites; her responsibilities include project management, programming, design, and ongoing development. Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Vogel worked for a number of not-for-profit organizations, including the Ms. Foundation and the White House Project. She has also worked for the Environmental Protection Agency. In her native Romania, Ms. Vogel worked for 4 years as a reporter for a major Romanian newspaper and various magazines. She received her Master's in Journalism from Bucharest University.
	Lavon Walker Outreach Worker, Crown Heights Mediation Center lawalker@courts.state.ny.us
	Christopher Watler Project Director, Harlem Community Justice Center watlerc@courtinnovation.org Christopher Watler is project director of the Harlem Community Justice Center, the community court in Harlem focusing on housing, youth crime, and offender reentry. As director, he oversees day-to-day operations and program development. Mr. Watler previously served as the Deputy Director of National Technical Assistance where he provided information & assistance on community justice initiatives to a broad audience, by leading site-visits to the Center’s demonstration projects, conducting training, providing hands-on assistance to jurisdictions developing community court and prosecution programs, assisting in the development of community justice curricula, and coordinating partnerships with model community justice programs. Mr. Walter has also served as part of the original planning teams for the Red Hook Community Justice Center and the Crown Height Community Mediation Center. Before coming to the Center, Mr. Walter worked as the Operations and Training Manager at the City Volunteer Corps and as a Community Center Director for the Union Settlement Association where he supervised programs involving youth and seniors. He holds a Masters of Public Administration from John Jay College of the City University of New York.
	Micah Weiss Special Projects Coordinator, Crown Heights Mediation Center miweiss@courts.state.ny.us
	Elise White Director of Youth and Family Services, Red Hook Community Justice Center ewhite@courtinnovation.org
	Steven Wint Case Manger, Queens Engagement Strategies for Teens swint@courts.state.ny.us
	Robert V. Wolf Director, Communications wolfr@courtinnovation.org Robert V. Wolf oversees the production of the Center's publications. His responsibilities include editing, layout and production. Mr. Wolf, who worked previously as a reporter, columnist and editor, has written numerous white papers, articles, grant proposals and speeches on the Center's behalf. Over the years, his work has appeared in the New York Times; The Justice System Journal; the Journal of the Center for Families, Children and the Courts; The Judges' Journal; and the Texas Journal of Corrections, among others. He is co-editor, with Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox, of A Problem-Solving Revolution: Making Change Happen in State Courts. A graduate of Columbia University, he is also the author of two books for young adults, Capital Punishment and The Jury System, published by Chelsea House. The Jury System was honored by the New York Public Library as one of its recommended "Books for the Teen Age" in 1999.
	Scott Wolf Senior Research Associate swolf@courts.state.ny.us Scott Wolf is a senior research associate at the Center for Court Innovation. He is currently investigating child abuse and neglect cases in the New York City Family Court as part of the Family Court's Blueprint for Change initiative. Prior to joining the Center, he conducted research on intergroup conflict, close relationships, personality, and alcohol use and abuse. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of North Carolina.
	Achisimach Yisrael Outreach Worker, Crown Heights Mediation Center ayisrael@courts.state.ny.us
	Phillip Zielinski Senior Program Associate zielinsp@courtinnovation.org Phil Zielinski serves as the Senior Drug Court Program Associate at CCI. In this capacity, he is responsible for daily operations and administrative support for the department, as well as planning and implementing the New York State Drug Treatment Court Training series. Previously, he acted as a technical assistance associate for the Center, planning and coordinating all site visits to the Center’s demonstration projects. He received his BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Western Washington University.