The Research and Evaluation Center has employed dozens of part-time and temporary staff members to conduct research projects. Many were Graduate Research Fellows from John Jay College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Others were participants in the Center’s Michael Maxfield Graduate Research Fellowship or the Jack Rudin and Lewis Rudin Research Fellowship program that operated for more than ten years until 2020. Rudin Fellows specialized in providing research and analysis assistance to support the efforts of justice-related agencies in New York City and New York State government. JohnJayREC’s graduate alumni are now found on the staff of universities and research organizations throughout the United States and internationally.

Graduate Fellows

Paul Odér was a Graduate Research Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center, doctoral student and lecturer at John Jay College. He earned a BSAS in forensic science from Youngstown State University with a minor in chemistry and a concentration in forensic anthropology.

Diba Rouzbahani was a Rudin Research Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center. Her research interests are sentencing practices and the relationship between punishment and inequality. She holds a M.A. from Rutgers University and is pursuing the Ph.D. in criminal justice at the Graduate Center of CUNY.

Lidia Vásquez was a Rudin Research Fellow with the John Jay Research and Evaluation Center. She is working toward the Ph.D. at John Jay College/Graduate Center of CUNY and her research focuses on undocumented immigration, forced displacement, violence, and social development.

Yuchen Hou was a Michael Maxfield Graduate Research Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center. He earned a Master’s Degree in Procedural Law at People’s Public Security University of China in 2015 after graduating from Criminal Investigation Police University of China in 2012.

Leevia Dillon was a Michael Maxfield Graduate Research Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center. Leevia’s research focused on violent extremism, online radicalization, risk/threat assessment, and deviance. She graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2013.

Dr. Kwan-Lamar Blount-Hill was a Maxfield Fellow and previously a Senior Research Associate at the Research and Evaluation Center. He served as Director of Research and Data Analytics at the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office before joining the faculty at Arizona State University in 2022. He earned the Ph.D. from the City University of New York, J.D. from Emory University, and B.S. from Tuskegee University.

Shun Feng was a Rudin Research Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center, and a Ph.D student at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York/John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park. His research interests include environmental criminology, spatial analysis of crime, and problem-oriented policing.

Sebastian Hoyos-Torres was a Rudin Research Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center, and a Ph.D student at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York/John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He earned a B.A. in criminology and criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Le Moyne College.

Dr. Angela Silletti is a faculty member at St. Francis College. She was a Rudin Research Fellow while a Ph.D. student in the CUNY Graduate Center and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She had previous research experience with the New Jersey State Parole Board and the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Her research interests include corrections, specifically policies related to elderly offenders and end-of-life care.

Dr. Victor St. John is a faculty member at Ohio State University and a senior researcher at Child Trends in Washington, DC. Previously, he was on the faculty of St. Louis University. Before the Research and Evaluation Center, he worked at New York City’s Board of Correction. He earned the Ph.D. in criminal justice at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Emily Pelletier is a member of the faculty at Queensborough Community College. Previously, she worked at the National Juvenile Defender Center, the Maine Juvenile Justice Task Force, and the Children’s Defense Fund. A graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, she holds a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and an M.P.P.M. from the University of Southern Maine. She earned the Ph.D. in criminal justice from the City University of New York.

Dr. Jennifer Peirce was a graduate research fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center after working at the Inter-American Development Bank and with NGOs in Canada, Latin America, and West Africa. She earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College/Graduate Center of CUNY, an M.A. in International Affairs from Carleton University, and a B.A. in International Development and Spanish from Dalhousie University.

Dr. Megan O’Toole is a research director with Everytown for Gun Safety. Previously, she was a research associate at the Vera Institute of Justice and a Graduate Research Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center. Megan is a graduate of Wheaton College and she earned the Ph.D. in psychology and law at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Dr. Chunrye Kim joined the faculty of the sociology and criminal justice department at Saint Joseph’s University in 2017. From 2014 to 2016, she served as the managing editor of the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, then housed in the Research & Evaluation Center. Chunrye graduated from Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea and she earned the Ph.D. at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Dr. Pamela Ruiz earned the Ph.D. at John Jay College CUNY and was a Fulbright Scholar studying gang violence in El Salvador. Previously, she was senior consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton working with the Department of Defense at the National Defense University. She earned a B.A. in Cognitive Psychology and Chicano/Latino/a Studies and holds an M.A. in Social Science with a concentration in Demography and Social Analysis from the University of California, Irvine.

Dr. Marissa Mandala is an agent with the U.S. Secret Service and previously was a research scientist with the New York City Police Department. She was a Graduate Research Fellow with the Research and Evaluation Center from 2013 to 2016 while working on the Ph.D. in criminal justice at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center. She graduated from the University of Southern California and holds an M.S. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Maggie Schmuhl is a member of the faculty at SUNY Oswego. She was a Graduate Fellow at the Research and Evaluation Center in 2014 and 2015 and also taught in John Jay College’s Law and Police Science and Mathematics and Computer Science departments. She holds a B.S. from the University of New Haven and a Ph.D. from John Jay College.

Sarah Ward is Strategic Data Analyst at New York County District Attorney’s Office. She was a Graduate Research Fellow in 2014-2015 as a Master’s student at John Jay studying criminal justice and previously a research assistant on several projects with John Jay’s Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI). Sarah holds a B.S. from Bridgewater State University and M.A. from John Jay College.

Dr. Michelle Cubellis is a faculty member at Central Connecticut State University and was a Graduate Research Fellow from 2012 to 2014. From 2015-2016, she was a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Massachusetts. Michelle graduated with honors in criminal justice and history at Bridgewater State College and she earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. LaTifa T. Fletcher is a developmental psychologist and researcher at Insight Policy Research. She was a Graduate Research Fellow from 2012 to 2014 and later manager of a McNulty Scholars program at Hunter College in New York. She graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, holds an MA in forensic psychology from John Jay College and Ph.D. from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Alana Henninger is a senior associate at ICF, a global consulting services company. She was a Graduate Research Fellow in 2012-2013. Before joining ICF, she was a  researcher with the Research Triangle Institute and Johns Hopkins University. She graduated with honors in psychology from York College of Pennsylvania and earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Bryce Peterson, was a Graduate Research Fellow with JohnJayREC in 2012-2013 and a principal research associate at the Urban Institute before becoming a research scientist with the Center for Justice Research at CNA Corporation. He graduated with honors in criminal justice from California State University, Long Beach, and he earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York.

Dr. Jennifer Pipitone is a faculty member at College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York. She was a Graduate Research Fellow in 2012-2014 when working on the Ph.D. in environmental psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center. Jennifer graduated with honors in psychology/environmental studies from Loyola University New Orleans.

Dr. Cassandra Ramdath is the Director Of Research and Evaluation at Georgetown University Law Center. Previously, she was senior research associate at the Urban Institute and before that with the research staff of the New York City Board of Correction and the Center for Court Innovation. She graduated from the University of Ottawa and earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Kendra Gentry is a faculty member at Texas A&M University-Commerce. She was a member of the Pinkerton Fellowship Initiative with the Research and Evaluation center from 2012-2013. She earned the Ph.D. in criminal justice from John Jay College and an M.S. in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she graduated in journalism from the University of Florida and worked as a newspaper reporter.

Dr. Seokhee Yoon is an analyst for Citibank after serving as a Graduate Research Fellow in 2010 when she worked with the Youth and Family Justice Division of the New York City Administration for Children Services. Ms. Yoon is a graduate of Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea and she holds a masters degree in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Tarra Jackson was a Graduate Research Fellow from 2008 to 2010. She worked on a range of projects, including an evaluation of case processing for domestic violence cases and technical assistance efforts for the Police Athletic League’s Youth Link program. Tarra graduated from Howard University and she earned a masters degree in criminal justice from John Jay College.

Dr. Andrea Cantora is a faculty member at the University of Baltimore and was a Graduate Research Fellow as a CUNY Ph.D. student before serving as a research associate in the Center on Sentencing and Corrections at the Vera Institute of Justice. She graduated from Seton Hall University and earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College and CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Gipsy Escobar is the director of research and analytics at Measures for Justice. She was a Graduate Fellow in the Research & Evaluation Center before joining the criminal justice faculty at Loyola University of Chicago. She is a graduate of Universidad de Los Andes (Bogota, Colombia) and she earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College and CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Christopher Fisher is Senior Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, and former chief strategic advisor at the Seattle Police Department. He was a Graduate Fellow at John Jay before becoming an assistant commissioner at the New York City Police Department and later the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. He graduated from the University of Virginia and earned the Ph.D. from John Jay College, CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Jessica Saunders oversees the Research Division at the CSG Justice Center. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, she was a policy researcher at RAND Corporation and an assistant professor at Arizona State University. She received the Ph.D. in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the CUNY Graduate Center.