Annual Virtual Event

Michelle Beck serves as the Director of North Carolina’s Statistical Analysis Center, known as the Criminal Justice Analysis Center (CJAC), housed within the Governor’s Crime Commission. In this role, she leads statewide efforts to collect, analyze, and disseminate data that inform criminal justice policy and practice. Her work advances evidence-based decision-making by providing stakeholders with accurate, timely, and actionable research across a range of issues, including public safety, law enforcement, courts, and corrections. She was also instrumental in the development of the Justice Data Portal, a public-facing platform offering access to criminal justice data at both the state and county levels (justicedataportal.nc.gov).

She holds both Bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees in Sociology from North Carolina State University and brings over 30 years of experience in social research and program evaluation. Her expertise spans quantitative and qualitative methodologies, with a strong foundation in evidence-based practices. Throughout her career, Ms. Beck has served on multiple criminal justice advisory task forces and held research and evaluation positions in several key North Carolina state agencies, including:

•    Program Evaluation Division, NC General Assembly

•    State Center for Health Statistics

•    Department of Correction

•    Labor and Economic Analysis Division, NC Department of Commerce

•    Administrative Analysis, NC Department of Public Safety

Constance Kostelac, PhD is an assistant professor with the Institute for Health and Equity at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She has over 20 years of both academic and applied analysis and research experience related to the criminal justice system on a wide variety of topics and she is now working at the intersection of public safety and public health. Her current interests include violence and overdose prevention activities, various projects surrounding substance misuse, specifically opioids, and the intersection with the criminal justice system. She also focuses on the value of data sharing within and beyond the criminal justice system. Dr. Kostelac has been the lead, research partner or principal investigator on more than 15 federal, state pass-through, and local grants. Prior to joining MCW in 2019 she most recently served as the Director of the Bureau of Justice Information and Analysis with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) where she was on the NCJA Board and Advisory Council as the designee for the State Administering Agency (SAA) and was also the Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) Director for the State of Wisconsin. She is currently serving as a regional representative and board member for NCJA. Dr. Kostelac holds a B.A. in Criminology and Law Studies and Psychology, MS in Criminology, and an interdisciplinary PhD in Justice Studies.

Ron Brooks is a 38-year law enforcement veteran and a national leader on public safety policy issues.  As the executive officer of a successful criminal intelligence enterprise for more than ten years, Ron combined the intelligence, technology, and information sharing resources of the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NC HIDTA) and the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) into one of the nation’s most effective fusion centers. 

Ron applied the national policies and standards that he helped to create as Chairman of the Global Justice Initiative’s Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC) and as Chairman of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Law Enforcement and Homeland Security Partners Board to lead the development of a suite of integrated and interoperable resources that enabled new capabilities and relationships to enhance public safety.  Ron also served as the state and local law enforcement representative to the White House Interagency Policy Committee for Information Sharing Access (IPC-ISA).  Prior to his service at the NCRIC, Ron retired as Assistant Chief from the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.  He served from 1998-2013 as President of the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC) representing over 65,000 law enforcement officers in 44 state associations on national policy issues affecting drug law enforcement.  

Ron has received numerous honors for his contributions to public safety and homeland security, including the National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal (the highest Intelligence Community award for a non-IC individual) awarded by the Director of National Intelligence in 2012, the Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance in 2012, the Minuteman Award from the National Guard Bureau (awarded twice in 1999 and 2008), the Fusion Center Representative of the Year Award from the National Fusion Center Association in 2012, the President’s Award from the California Narcotic Officers’ Association, the Medal of Merit from the California National Guard in 2005, and the Legion of Merit Medal from the California National Guard in 2012.  He is the recipient of the Medal of Valor from the Redwood City (CA) Police Department.

Kristen Mahoney is the Director of Policy, Government and Partner Engagement at the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab and Education Lab. In this role, she spearheads the development and implementation of outreach and collaboration strategies to engage elected officials and government agencies at all levels. Her goal is to foster strong, positive, and productive relationships to enhance the Labs’ positive social impact.

Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Kristen held leadership positions at various government agencies. She served as the Principal Deputy Director at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, overseeing an agency responsible for over $4 billion in public safety resources. She also led the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, where she developed and implemented strategies to reduce crime, juvenile delinquency, and serve victims. Additionally, she held key positions at the Baltimore Police Department as the Chief of Technical Services and the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.

Kristen’s exceptional contributions to public safety were recognized with a 2016 Presidential Rank Award from President Obama for her work on the National Public Safety Partnership. She holds a B.A. from Sweet Briar College and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore.

Khalil Cumberbatch is Director, Engagement and Partnerships, for the Council on Criminal Justice. He is a nationally recognized formerly incarcerated advocate for criminal justice and deportation policy reform. Along with Chief Policy Counsel Marc Levin, he runs the Council’s Centering Justice initiative. Before joining CCJ, Cumberbatch served as Chief Strategist at New Yorkers United for Justice and as Associate Vice President of Policy at The Fortune Society. Pardoned by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2014, he earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from CUNY Lehman College, where he was honored with the Urban Justice Award for his work with underserved and marginalized communities.

Marc Levin is Chief Policy Counsel for the Council on Criminal Justice. He began the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s criminal justice program in 2005 and in 2010 developed the concept for the Right on Crime initiative, to which he serves as Senior Advisor. Levin was named to the “Politico 50” and has testified frequently on criminal justice policy before Congress and state legislatures. Levin received his undergraduate and law degrees with honors from the University of Texas and clerked on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Heather Rice-Minus is the president and CEO of Prison Fellowship. Heather first joined Prison Fellowship in 2013, and in her most recent role of executive vice president, she led teams that build partnerships with churches, help strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children, foster partnerships with donors at every level, and advocate for restorative criminal justice reform. In a previous role as the head of Prison Fellowship's advocacy team, she was a leading voice behind the passage of the FIRST STEP Act.

A sought-after public speaker on the intersection of faith, justice, and incarceration, Heather has addressed audiences at national conferences and events including Wilberforce Weekend, Q Ideas Conference, and more. She has also contributed to Christianity Today, Slate, CBN News, The Marshall Project, PBS' Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, and many other media outlets.

Previously, Heather managed prison reform advocacy efforts at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and taught English in East Africa.

She graduated cum laude from Colorado State University with a degree in liberal arts and social work. After earning her J.D. from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, she became a member of the Virginia State Bar, a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network and Faith & Public Life Ideas Council, and a Colson Fellow.

She resides in Southeast Washington, D.C., with her husband and two daughters.

Kelli Cary, MSSA, LISW-S, has been a leader in the anti-trafficking field for over a decade. As a licensed independent social worker (LISW-S), her experience working with survivors in clinical and advocacy settings fuels her passion for this work.

Kelli is currently the State Anti-Trafficking Director at the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice Services. In this role, she coordinates the Governor’s Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, leading Ohio’s statewide response to human trafficking. Previously, she held executive positions in anti-trafficking nonprofits where she developed programs providing direct services to adult and minor survivors of human trafficking. In these roles, she led multidisciplinary teams, coalitions, policy efforts, and statewide working groups with the belief that collaboration at the local, state, and national level is how we will effectively combat human trafficking.

Kelli also serves on the steering committee for the National Compendium of State-Run Anti-Trafficking Initiatives. She is passionate about developing trauma-informed programs and elevating individuals with lived experience to ensure that services are truly restorative.

Cassie Villegas is the Chief of Crisis Services at Solari, Inc., overseeing operations and clinical aspects of crisis services across Arizona, Oklahoma, and Colorado since December 2013. With extensive experience in crisis intervention and service delivery, Cassie has held several key positions within the organization, including Senior Director and Director of Contact Center Operations & Clinical Services, as well as roles focused on quality compliance and management. Previous positions include Juvenile Program Therapist at The Resolution Group and Adult Clinical Liaison Team Lead at Empact-SPC. Cassie holds a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from Walden University and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from the University of Arizona.