BJA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- National Public Safety Partnership ( PSP )
- Operation Legend
Job Titles:
- Supervisory Senior Policy Advisor
Job Titles:
- Corrections Officer Safety and Wellness Center
- Grants Management Specialist ( State Policy Advisor )
- Innovative Responses to Behavior in the Community: Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Project Director
Job Titles:
- Management & Program Analyst
Job Titles:
- Acting Director
- Acting Director of the SMART Office for the U.S. Department of Justice
The Director is appointed by the President to lead the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.
Dawn Doran serves as the Acting Director of the SMART Office for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Ms. Doran's responsibilities include working with the staff and federal partners to administer the standards for the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) for the 50 states, five principal U.S. territories, the District of Columbia and approximately 170 federally recognized tribes. Ms. Doran also provides training and technical assistance on matters related to sex offender registration, notification and other sex offender management issues to the SORNA jurisdictions as well as to national, state and local government entities and advocacy organizations.
Prior to joining the SMART Office in 2008, Ms. Doran served as the Deputy Director of the National District Attorneys Association's (NDAA) Child Abuse Programs, including the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse in Alexandria, Virginia, and the National Child Protection Training Center in Winona, Minnesota. In this capacity, she managed and supervised activities and operations of the two Centers and their staffs; provided training and technical assistance to prosecutors, law enforcement, child protection workers, social workers, medical personnel and other allied criminal justice professionals engaged in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse, neglect and exploitation cases; and authored or contributed to numerous child abuse publications, among them the "Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse," Third Edition. Ms. Doran also worked extensively with the media on child abuse issues.
Ms. Doran formerly served NDAA as Interim Program Manager of the National Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center, where she oversaw the development of the first Jumpstart resource training manual for newly assigned juvenile prosecutors. She also served as the Senior Attorney and Acting Director of the National Traffic Law Center, where she was responsible for creating a new program entitled Protecting Lives, Saving Futures.
Prior to her service at NDAA, Ms. Doran was an Assistant District Attorney General in Memphis, Tennessee, where she tried a wide variety of cases, up to and including capital litigation. She served as co-chairman of the Sex Offenders Registry Violation Unit and was a member of the Domestic Violence Unit, the Child Physical and Sexual Abuse Warrant Review Unit, and the Child Fatality Review Team. Additionally, she served as the district attorney liaison to the Citizens Crime Commission.
Ms. Doran received her B.S., with high honors, in Public/Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin and her JD, with honors in Dispute Resolution, from the University of Tennessee. She is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, the Tennessee State Bar and the Virginia State Bar.
The Administrator is appointed by the President to lead the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Job Titles:
- Firearm Locks and Safe Storage
- Regional Information Sharing Systems ( RISS )
- Sentinel Events
- State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Information Sharing Technical Assistance Program ( SLTT )
Job Titles:
- Supervisory Grants Management Specialist
Job Titles:
- National Decertification Index Database
- Officer Safety and Wellness / VALOR
Job Titles:
- Grants Management Specialist ( State Policy Advisor )
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
- Communications Coordinator for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
Helena Byun is the communications coordinator for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
Ms. Byun joined the SMART Office after supporting the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate as a contractor from Noblis ESI. There, she provided her expertise as an External Communications and Engagement Specialist to help drive DHS missions and increase programmatic engagement with industry, academia, the research and development community and other government organizations. In her role she developed communication material (e.g., press releases/media advisories, articles and social media posts), produced programmatic webinars and represented DHS's Office of Industry Partnerships and S&T at conferences and other events.
Prior to joining Noblis ESI, Ms. Byun supported Freddie Mac as an Engagement and Outreach Specialist where she provided her strategic communication expertise and developed, updated and managed communications and platforms such as emails, newsletters, intranet pages and SharePoint pages.
Ms. Byun began her communication career at DXC Technology. There, she acted as a corporate communications specialist, supporting various functions for the company's corporate and regional offices around the world.
Ms. Byun has a B.S. in Marketing from George Mason University.
Job Titles:
- Supervisory Senior Policy Advisor
Job Titles:
- Student Computer Digital Forensics
Job Titles:
- Paralegal
- Paralegal Specialist
- Specialist
Jeanette Korab is a paralegal specialist in the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Ms. Korab joined SMART as a program specialist contractor working on tribal issues in 2013, before joining the federal workforce in 2019. At SMART, Ms. Korab handles communications and correspondence with jurisdictions working to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) and tracks the annual legal requirements of all states, tribes and territories working on SORNA.
Prior to joining the SMART Office, Ms. Korab worked as a paralegal for a sole practitioner law firm in Maryland, whose practice included family law and criminal and personal injury cases. There, she prepared legal motions, orders, answers, subpoenas and correspondence. Ms. Korab performed case law and legal research, prepared discovery binders, filed court documents and interviewed witnesses.
Before her legal work, Ms. Korab had over a decade of experience at Verizon and taught early childhood education prior to that.
Ms. Korab earned her paralegal certification from Prince George's Community College in Largo, Maryland, where she also studied early childhood education.
Job Titles:
- Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry
The Director is appointed by the President to lead the National Institute of Justice and establish the agency's objectives and research investments, guided by the needs of the field and the priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Job Titles:
- Drug Data Research Center
Joel Dowling serves as a senior policy advisor in the SMART Office in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Mr. Dowling evaluates and assesses sex offender registration and notification systems in states and tribal jurisdictions to determine substantial implementation of Title I of the Adam Walsh Act, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In addition, Mr. Dowling is the team lead for international matters and serves as the SMART Office's military liaison.
Prior to joining the SMART Office, Mr. Dowling served as an information systems analyst for the U.S. Department of State working in the U.S. Embassy to Morocco. While working for the Department of State, Mr. Dowling developed, tested and deployed mobile communication applications facilitating emergency communication between the embassy, the consulate and visiting American citizens.
Prior to the Department of State, Mr. Dowling served as an assistant district attorney for the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, New York. While assigned to a general trial bureau, Mr. Dowling prosecuted offenses ranging from robbery and burglary to child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. Mr. Dowling was later assigned to the Money Laundering and Revenue Crimes Department, where he conducted long-term investigations into tax fraud, counterfeiting and illicit substances.
During law school, Mr. Dowling was a student law clerk to the late Justice John T. Buckley, Presiding Justice of New York State's Appellate Division, First Department. Here, Mr. Dowling reviewed appellate briefs and drafted opinions on topics including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and various commercial disputes. Mr. Dowling also served as a student law clerk in the New York County Supreme Court Matrimonial Term, Onondaga County Family Court and the Onondaga County Supreme Court.
Mr. Dowling received his B.S., magna cum laude, in information management and technology from Syracuse University and his J.D. from St. John's University School of Law. Mr. Dowling is a member of the New York Bar.
Job Titles:
- Bulletproof Vest Partnership ( BVP ) Program
- State Criminal Alien Assistance Program ( SCAAP )
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
Juli Ana Grant serves as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) at the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. She advises and provides training and technical assistance to states and tribes on the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to help develop innovative ways to enhance community safety. Ms. Grant also works on the Justice Department's Tribal Access Program, which provides tribes with the ability to exchange critical data, including biographic and biometric information on sex offenders. Before assuming her position at SMART, Ms. Grant worked at the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women, providing support to state coalitions combating sexual and domestic violence.
Prior to joining the Justice Department, Ms. Grant was a Program Manager for the Sex Offense Management and Domestic Violence Programs and the Tribal Justice Exchange Project at the Center for Justice Innovation in New York. She managed the development and implementation of sex offense management programs, specialized sex offense courts and domestic violence courts. She also developed collaborative projects, coordinated grant writing for innovative approaches, trained advocates and other professionals, and participated in county- and state-wide management committees. As part of the Tribal Justice Exchange Project team, Ms. Grant ensured tribal communities had access to training and ongoing technical assistance for problem-solving community-based practices and encouraged formal collaborations between traditional tribal justice systems and state and local court systems. In addition, she provided technical assistance to states on domestic violence issues and helped design and develop protocols, research projects, service plans, resources and techniques for documenting results.
Ms. Grant also served as the Director of Safe Horizon's Brooklyn Criminal and Supreme Courts Programs and the Brooklyn Family Justice Center where she supervised victim services in the Brooklyn criminal courts, the King's County District Attorney's Office, the Red Hook Community Justice Center and the Family Justice Center. During her tenure, Ms. Grant expanded outreach to underserved communities and developed early intervention projects for domestic and sexual violence victims. Additionally, Ms. Grant oversaw the restitution program for victims of crime, as well as two child-care facilities that provided care for children with families involved in the criminal courts system.
Ms. Grant began her career working for programs focused on providing resources and information to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, which inspired her continued work on victims' rights and services, offender accountability and how to make systems and courts be part of community safety solutions.
Job Titles:
- Grants Management Specialist
Job Titles:
- Grants Management Specialist
Job Titles:
- Acting Director
- Member of the OCOM Leadership Team
- OCOM Acting Director
Katherine managed communications for NASA's Office of STEM Engagement. She has 15 years of federal government experience leading strategic communications, innovative communication solutions, social media, and public engagement. Katherine served as a leader and spokesperson for NASA who was responsible for the integration of communication efforts for NASA's Office of STEM Engagement, including enhancing and supporting education in science, technology, engineering and math in underrepresented communities. Katherine created NASA's first education report to showcase the vital investments the agency made to build a diverse STEM workforce. She developed NASA policy aimed to energize the workforce to reach out to communities and students underserved in STEM. Brown created NASA's "Surprisingly STEM" YouTube series, which was the highest-viewed videos on the NASA STEM YouTube and received pick up from PBS. Katherine has led many White House STEM events for NASA including an event at Vice President Harris's residence to connect NASA and Disney Pixar, including astronaut participation and outreach to local students. Katherine also led engagement efforts with other notable partnerships, such as: LEGO, Minecraft, Girl Scouts of America, Crayola, NOGGIN and Google. She has a passion for fostering innovation and inclusiveness in teams to achieve the shared goal of inspiring the next generation. She was awarded NASA's Agency Honor Award in 2020.
In her previous roles, Brown built from the ground up the awarding-winning, first-of-its-kind social care branch, @AskTSA, based on issues of importance to TSA. Brown was a social media manager for the customer service team, which was recognized by the White House for ingenuity and innovation. Brown provided strategic communications plan and social media guidance for the TSA. Brown instituted and established the Pentagon Inspector General's first creative service team, which provided graphic and multimedia support to the entire agency. The brand she created in 2012 is still used today.
Prior to her federal service career, Brown received her Bachelors in Arts from the University of Georgia and her Masters in Medical Illustration from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
The Director is appointed by the President to lead the Office for Victims of Crime.
Job Titles:
- Illinois - State and Local
Job Titles:
- Acting Director
- Deputy Director
- Member of the BJS Leadership Team
- Principal
Principal Deputy Director Kevin M. Scott, PhD, currently serves as the head of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the primary statistical agency of the Department of Justice responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating statistics on crime, individuals who commit crimes, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. Dr. Scott has been with BJS since 2017 and brings a wealth of subject matter expertise, statistical knowledge, and management skills.
Job Titles:
- Grants Management Specialist
Job Titles:
- Improving Corrections Data Analysis - Virtual Academies
Job Titles:
- Supervisory Senior Policy Advisor
Job Titles:
- Capital Case Litigation Initiative ( CCLI )
- Michigan - State and Local ( Other Than SW )
- Police - Prosecution Partnership Initiative
- STOP - School Violence Prevention & Mental Health Training / School Violence Threat ( West Region )
Job Titles:
- Grants Management Specialist
Job Titles:
- Center for Task Force Training ( CenTF )
Job Titles:
- Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence - Inventory, Tracking, and Reporting ( SAFE - ITR )
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy Advisor
- Senior Policy Advisor in Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
Marnie Dollinger is a senior policy advisor in Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. She assists states, the principal U.S. territories, and eligible Indian tribes in adopting the standards set out in the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Additionally, Ms. Dollinger is the team lead in matters related to sex offender risk assessment, organizational sexual abuse in religion and sport and re-entry for sex offenders in tribal communities.
Prior to joining the SMART Office in 2015, Ms. Dollinger was a behavioral analyst with the U.S. Marshals Service Behavioral Analysis Unit at the National Sex Offender Targeting Center. As a behavioral analyst, she provided behavioral investigative advice in the assessment of unknown subject sexual crimes and the location and apprehension of fugitive sexual offenders under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. She specialized in cold case crime scene reconstruction and its application to the behavioral motivations of violent offenders.
Before her work with the Department of Justice, Ms. Dollinger was a state program administrative director for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, which serves civilly committed sexual offenders on two campuses. In her role, she served as both the director of behavioral analysis and a clinical supervisor, providing assessment, treatment planning, behavioral intervention planning and administrative security and policy.
In addition to working in the field of sex offender management, Ms. Dollinger received a master's degree in forensic science from National University in San Diego and dedicated much of her early career to death and crime scene reconstruction and forensic toxicology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Operations and Management
Maureen A. Henneberg is the Deputy Assistant Attorney General and is currently leading the Office of Justice Programs in an acting capacity. She has served in the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Operations role since February 2015, following a one-year term as Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General. In this position, she advises the Assistant Attorney General on management and operational issues, overseeing OJP's business offices, including the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; the Office of Administration; the Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management; the Office of the Chief Information Officer; the Office of Communications; and the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
Before joining the Office of the Assistant Attorney General, Maureen served for five years as Director of OJP's Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management. In this capacity, she led the review of OJP's critical financial processes, grants management activities and grant programs to ensure compliance and proper internal control and to promote integrity, accountability and sound stewardship and management of OJP's grant programs and operations.
Maureen was also a senior manager in OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics, where she served as Deputy Director overseeing the office's planning, management and budget activities; publication and dissemination operations; and programs designed to improve crime information and statistics at state and local levels. She began her career with BJS in 1990 as a Presidential Management Intern and served in several capacities over her 18-year tenure, including as Acting Director; Associate Director of Planning, Management, and Budget; and Acting Chief of Criminal History Improvement Programs.
Maureen earned a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in judicial administration from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1990. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and minors in criminal justice and public administration from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 1988.
Job Titles:
- Special Assistant to Deputy Director
Megan Costilow is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. She assists jurisdictions with implementing the federal standards of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and helps coordinate efforts to enhance tribal access to national crime information systems, including biographic and biometric information on sex offenders.
Ms. Costilow came to the SMART Office after serving as the Director of Public Safety at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Police and Public Safety Department, where she oversaw the Dispatch Communications Center, CALEA Accreditation, NIBRS & Clery Act reporting, Title IX investigative reports and policy development.
Prior to joining UMMC, Ms. Costilow was the Director of the Mississippi Sex Offender Registry (MSOR) with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, where she planned and hosted three statewide symposiums to educate the criminal justice community on sex offender-related matters. In addition to her responsibilities as MSOR's director, Ms. Costilow taught at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy, focusing on sex offender registration and investigation of related crimes. She was also an Authorized Facilitator for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, delivering prevention education in communities.
Before accepting a position with MSOR, Ms. Costilow served the Texas Workforce Commission as a Hearing Officer- and conducted hearings for unemployment claims.
Ms. Costilow holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Mississippi State University and a Juris Doctorate with a certificate in Family and Juvenile Law from Mississippi College School of Law. She is a graduate of the State Executive Development Institute.
While earning her law degree, Ms. Costilow was a fellow in the Benton Public Interest program, acted as a juvenile public defender in Mississippi's Rankin County Youth Court Clinic and externed with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. In 2024, Ms. Costilow was honored as one of Mississippi State University's Reveille 25 for her impact in the community, and she remains an active member of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and Zeta Tau Alpha.
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy Advisor
- Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
Meghan McCarthy is a senior policy advisor for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Ms. McCarthy reviews and assesses jurisdictions' sex offender registration and notification systems to determine substantial implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. She also assists with reviewing and analyzing federal and state sex offender registration and notification case law.
Before coming to the SMART Office, Ms. McCarthy served as the manager for policy and governmental affairs at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Prior to joining NCMEC, Ms. McCarthy handled civil litigation at an international law firm in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Washington, D.C., for several years.
Ms. McCarthy received her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, where she was a member of the Florida Law Review and served as the executive research editor. She obtained her Bachelor of Science with a major in psychology from the University of Florida. Ms. McCarthy is a member of the Maryland bar.
Job Titles:
- Delaware - State
- Field - Initiated
- Grants Management Specialist
- Pennsylvania - State and Local West
- STOP - School Violence Prevention & Mental Health Training / School Violence Threat ( South Region )
Job Titles:
- Supervisory Grants Management Specialist
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist
- Program Specialist for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
Michelle Arbeit is a program specialist for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Ms. Arbeit advises office leadership and staff on budget and financial administration, administrative management, program planning and contract matters.
Ms. Arbeit's work at the SMART Office includes support activities associated with the office's grant programs, as well as activities related to providing technical assistance to states, territories and federally recognized Indian tribes. In carrying out this work, she collaborates with both internal SMART staff and other OJP components to help ensure organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Prior to joining the SMART Office, Ms. Arbeit served first as a program operations specialist and then as a grants management specialist for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. At NIJ, she managed the grant solicitation process, coordinated the Violence Against Women standing review panels, served as alternate contracting officer's representative and task manager for NIJ peer review and provided program and operations support. Ms. Arbeit also served as NIJ's federal designated representative for the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Working Group, which developed best practices and protocols for the collection and processing of DNA evidence in sexual assault cases.
Ms. Arbeit earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Rochester and a master's degree from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Strengthening the Medical Examiner - Coroner System
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the OA Leadership Team
- Director of the Office of Administration
Mr. Merkle is the Director of the Office of Administration. He has worked at OJP for over 15 years in various capacities, including Program Manager, Attorney Advisor, Senior Policy Advisor, and Grant Manager. During his tenure, he has had the opportunity to contribute to several OJP components including the Corrections Program Office; Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Community Capacity Development Office; and the Office of the General Counsel. Over the years, he has provided leadership and guidance in such areas as prisoner reentry, sex offender management, crime prevention initiatives such as Neighborhood Watch and Volunteers in Police Service, and nationwide service initiatives such as the White House's USA Freedom Corp. Prior to joining the Department of Justice in 1996, he was a practicing attorney in the State of Maryland specializing in criminal defense and family law. He was also a judicial clerk in the Circuit Court of Maryland for Prince George's County for 18 months. Mr. Merkle graduated from the University of Richmond with a double major in political science and criminal justice and the Catholic University School of Law in Washington, D.C., where he received his Juris Doctorate.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Grants and Administration for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
- Associate Director, Grants and Administration
Portia F. Graham is the Associate Director for Grants and Administration for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) in the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). In this role, she assists the Director and staff in providing management and oversight of SMART Office grant programs, including the Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, the Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management Grant Program and the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website.
Prior to joining SMART in 2018, Portia was the director of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) Office of Operations. As director of the Office of Operations from 2012-18, Portia oversaw the following: audit resolution and response, budget formulation and execution, compliance monitoring/risk management, conference cost reporting, data call management, grant forecasting/solicitation management, non-grants administration (contracts and reimbursable agreements), peer review management, reception center management/general support services, records management, simplified acquisitions (purchase card) management and training development and delivery.
Portia joined NIJ as a Scientific, Engineering and Technical Assistance contractor in 2002, joining the federal workforce in July 2004 as a program operations specialist in NIJ's Office of Science and Technology. In 2008, Portia was selected as the Associate Director, Grants and Administration for NIJ's Planning, Budget, Management and Administration division, under the Office of the Director, which eventually became the Office of Operations.
Before joining OJP, Portia managed the convention and conference programs for the National Mining Association, a trade association. As part of a project team, she helped to produce a quadrennial trade show and conference with more than 35,000 attendees.
The daughter of a Foreign Service officer, Portia has lived throughout the world, including posts in Okinawa (where she was born), Liberia and Morocco (where she graduated from high school). She received an A.B. in government from Colby College, Waterville, Maine.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant to Policy Office
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Associate Director of the Programs and Planning Division With the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
- Associate Director, Grants
Samantha Opong is the Associate Director of the Programs and Planning Division with the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Ms. Opong leads the SMART Office grant programs, including awards under the Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program, the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website and Keep Young Athletes Safe grant programs.
Prior to joining the SMART Office, Ms. Opong served as a professional staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In this capacity, Ms. Opong assisted with hearing preparations through analytical research, written reports, and logistics coordination. She also worked as a staffer in a congressional office, where she developed and advanced legislation regarding social issues, making policy recommendations based on her experience as a social worker. She also organized panel discussions centered on the correlation between youth mental health and violence.
Prior to her time as a congressional staffer, Ms. Opong was a social worker, working with homeless families and victims of child and sexual abuse for more than nine years. Her work encompassed both direct services and policy formation. Ms. Opong began her career as a case manager for a homeless shelter in New York City, where she specifically worked with child victims of sexual abuse. Here, she developed educational programs for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Additionally, while working at the homeless shelter, Ms. Opong developed an aftercare program that helped former homeless families adjust and reintegrate into their communities, reducing their chances of becoming unhoused again.
Ms. Opong earned a B.A. in sociology from the State University at Stony Brook and a Master of Social Work from Howard University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Policy for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing
- Associate Director, Policy
Scott G. Matson is the Associate Director for Policy for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Mr. Matson oversees the office's work in assisting all states, principal U.S. territories, eligible Indian tribes and the District of Columbia on adopting the standards of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In addition, he leads the Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative and other research related projects for the office. Mr. Matson also provides training and technical assistance on sex offender registration, notification and other sex offender management issues to the SORNA jurisdictions and to national, state and local government entities and advocacy organizations.
Prior to joining the SMART Office in 2009, Mr. Matson served in a variety of roles focused on improving criminal justice policies and practices. As a program manager at the JEHT Foundation, he developed and managed a criminal justice portfolio of more than 60 grantees on issues such as sentencing and corrections policy, reentry, wrongful convictions and the death penalty. Mr. Matson was the Associate Director, Policy of the Vera Institute of Justice's Center on Sentencing and Corrections, providing state policymakers assistance to improve criminal justice practices while reducing costs. Mr. Matson served as a research associate at the Center for Effective Public Policy's Center for Sex Offender Management where he provided training and technical assistance to a wide range of international, national, state and local audiences on sex offender management issues. Mr. Matson began his career at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, where he evaluated a series of criminal and juvenile justice policies and programs and presented the findings to the Washington State Legislature. Mr. Matson earned an M.A. in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland, College Park and a B.A. in sociology from Western Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
Job Titles:
- Grants Management Specialist ( State Policy Advisor )
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to Policy Office
- Executive Assistant, Policy Office
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy Advisor in the SMART Office for the U.S. Department of Justice
Stephanie Carrigg serves as a Senior Policy Advisor in the SMART Office for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Ms. Carrigg assesses sex offender registration and notification management systems in states and tribal jurisdictions to determine substantial implementation of Title I of the Adam Walsh Act, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Ms. Carrigg is the team lead on reviewing matters specific to juvenile sex offender registration. She also provides training on sex offender registration and notification to federal, state, tribal and local government agencies.
Ms. Carrigg previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the SMART Office from April 2009-December 2012. Prior to rejoining the SMART staff, Ms. Carrigg was an Assistant General Counsel for Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA). As an Assistant General Counsel, Ms. Carrigg handled a variety of employment, ethics, privacy and tort matters. In addition, Ms. Carrigg served as a legal advisor to CSOSA's Sex Offense Registry Unit, which handles the registration of all District sex offenders.
Ms. Carrigg previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. As an Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Carrigg prosecuted juvenile cases and represented the District in post-adjudication juvenile matters. In addition, Ms. Carrigg was a staff attorney at the National District Attorneys' Association's (NDAA) National Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center as well as at NDAA's Drug Prosecution and Prevention Program.
Ms. Carrigg served as a law clerk to the late Honorable William I. Cowin of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. She received her B.A., summa cum laude, in History and American Studies from Boston College, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Carrigg received her J.D., with honors in Litigation and Dispute Resolution, from Boston University School of Law, where she was a member of the Public Interest Law Journal. A Massachusetts native, Ms. Carrigg is a member of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia bars.
Job Titles:
- Grants Management Specialist ( State Policy Advisor )
The Director is appointed by the President to lead the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Job Titles:
- Supervisory Senior Policy Advisor
Job Titles:
- Community Supervision Resource Center
- National Initiatives - Corrections