Mara Sanchez comes to the Alliance with a strong background in criminal justice and youth justice policy research, program development, and evaluation. While working at the Cutler Research Institute at the University of Southern Maine (USM), Mara amassed a portfolio of work focused on system transformation, policy influence, and supporting decision-making based on research and data. While at USM, Mara also co-created the Opportunity Scholars initiative, which supports people with lived experience in the carceral system to grow personally, professionally, and academically through access to higher education and fulfilling careers.

Mara is passionate about making an impact on the lives of people who have experienced incarceration, especially through education. Mara’s latest publication is her dissertation, titled: CARCERAL DEGREES: Successful Postsecondary Educational Pathways for Students Impacted by the Criminal Justice System in Maine. Mara earned her BA at Brown University, her master’s degree in public policy at USM and her PhD in Public Policy with a concentration in Higher Education Leadership, also at USM.

In addition to her role at the Alliance, Mara serves as a lecturer in the Criminology Department at the University of Southern Maine.

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