Our Staff

Sarah D Headshot

Sarah L. Desmarais, PhD, President

Sarah L. Desmarais, Ph.D. has been the President at Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA) since 2022. Before that, she served as the Senior Vice President from 2021 to 2021. She is responsible for the strategic priorities of PRA and oversight of PRA operations. Dr. Desmarais works on issues at the intersection of public health, community safety, and social justice. Her current research is focused on evidence-based practices for reducing detention rates, especially among people with behavioral health needs. She provides technical assistance, evaluation services, and consultation to behavioral health, criminal justice, and intelligence agencies throughout the United States and abroad on problems and solutions for implementation, policy, and practiceContinue Reading

PRA is staffed by approximately 65 employees, all dedicated to serving populations in need. Our staff is composed of individuals with a diverse range of personal and professional experiences who are organized into program areas (with Program Area Directors) that reflect topical and technical areas of expertise.

The PRA Council is composed of representatives from each program area, standing committees, and larger projects who are appointed annually to provide input and advise in the day-to-day implementation of PRA’s values and guiding principles.

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Kelly Abbruzzese

Administration

Dan Abreu

Senior Project Associate

Lynn Aragona

Administration

Kevin Marquez Arguera

Intern

Ben Barrowman

Senior Project Associate

Jasher Blocker

Project Associate

Chantel Boudreau

Project Associate

Lisa Callahan

Senior Project Associate

Li Chen

Intern

Krystle Cherry

Administration

Violette Cloud

Project Associate

Dan Coladonato

Project Associate

Holley Davis

Administration

Sarah Desmarais

President

Karrah Dillman

Project Assistant

Tish Di Leo

Project Associate

Tess Edwards

Project Assistant

Jen Elder

Senior Project Associate

Michelle Espinosa-Clark

Project Associate

Alisha Fletcher

Project Assistant

Michael Foley

Administration

Duane France

Senior Project Associate

Donald Harris

Senior Project Associate

Michael Hatch

Senior Project Associate

Pamela Heine

Senior Project Associate

Elan Hope

Program Area Director

Regi Huerter

Senior Project Associate

Erika Ihara

Project Associate

Abigail Kirkman

Senior Project Associate

Ashley Krider

Senior Project Associate

Marianne Latz

Administration

Bryan LaVigne

Administration

Kristin Lupfer

Program Area Director

Isolynn Massey

Research Assistant

Lisa Maye

Senior Project Associate