CSG JUSTICE CENTER HIRES TWO PROJECT DIRECTORS

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is pleased to announce it has hired two new project directors, Nancy Fishman and Blake Norton.

NANCY FISHMAN
Ms. Fishman will serve as project director for the Consensus Project, an initiative that works to improve the response to people with mental illnesses who become involved in the criminal justice system.

Ms. Fishman has worked on urban poverty and community development issues since 1988. She most recently served as Senior Law and Policy Analyst at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, where she developed and directed the institute's reentry initiatives and provided technical assistance to community organizations and the government. She also conducted research and analysis, developed pilot projects, and implemented advocacy strategies, focusing on such issues as prisoner reentry, fair housing, and barriers to economic opportunity for urban residents. She organized the New Jersey Reentry Roundtable, bringing together key stakeholders and experts to develop a comprehensive statewide approach to the safe and successful reintegration of people who are released from prisons and jails into their communities.

Ms. Fishman has also served on the faculty at New York University School of Law and as a staff attorney and Skadden Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of New York. Ms. Fishman is a graduate of Yale Law School and Yale University. She holds a master's degree in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.

Rep. Mike Festa, chair of the Justice Center's Board of Directors, said, "Nancy Fishman brings to the team practical, wide-ranging knowledge on issues that will enhance our ability to assist state and local governments to build and sustain programs that directly affect the quality of life in our communities."

Ms. Fishman can be reached at nfishman@csg.org or 646.383.5715.

BLAKE NORTON
In her new position, Ms. Norton will serve as an advisor and technical assistance provider on Justice Center projects that focus on the successful reentry of prisoners into the community and on other measures that increase public safety. She will be engaged in all law enforcement-related projects, including providing guidance to police agencies across the country working to improve the response of the criminal justice system to people with mental illnesses.

Previously, Ms. Norton served as the Director of Public Affairs and Community Programs for the Boston Police Department, where she worked for more than 18 years. She has been instrumental in supporting the agency's reentry efforts, bringing more than seven years of implementation experience to the Justice Center team. A frequent speaker and advisor to policing and citizen groups, she has successfully worked with community and faith-based organizations to advance consensus-based strategies.

Ms. Norton designed and managed the police department's community affairs activities, including programs for court-involved and at-risk youth and comprehensive crime prevention initiatives. She has been an instructor for a master's-level criminal justice program on such topics as neighborhood policing and juvenile crime problems. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and holds a master's degree in Policy, Planning, and Administration from Boston University.

Rep. Festa stated, "Blake Norton brings a wealth of experience working at the neighborhood level to devise and implement comprehensive programs in which law enforcement collaborates with community leaders and other disciplines to address crime and disorder issues."

Ms. Norton can be contacted at bnorton@csg.org or 240.482.8584.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies--informed by available evidence--to increase public safety and strengthen communities. For more information, visit us on the web at www.justicecenter.csg.org.