CULJP Board of Directors
Jinee Lokaneeta
President
Drew University
jlokanee@drew.edu
Jinee Lokaneeta is an Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University. Her areas of interest include Law and Violence, Political Theory, and Interdisciplinary Legal Studies. She is the author of Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India (New York University Press, 2011). She is currently completing a book manuscript titled The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India (Under Contract with the University of Michigan Press) that theorizes the relationship between state power and legal violence by focusing on the intersection of law, science and policing though a study of forensic techniques. She teaches courses titled Law, Justice, and Society, Global Feminisms, Policing and the Rule of Law; and Torture: Pain, Body and Truth
President
Drew University
jlokanee@drew.edu
Jinee Lokaneeta is an Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University. Her areas of interest include Law and Violence, Political Theory, and Interdisciplinary Legal Studies. She is the author of Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India (New York University Press, 2011). She is currently completing a book manuscript titled The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India (Under Contract with the University of Michigan Press) that theorizes the relationship between state power and legal violence by focusing on the intersection of law, science and policing though a study of forensic techniques. She teaches courses titled Law, Justice, and Society, Global Feminisms, Policing and the Rule of Law; and Torture: Pain, Body and Truth
Paul Collins
Vice-President
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
pmcollins@legal.umass.edu
Paul Collins is Director and Professor of Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research and teaching interests focus on understanding the democratic nature of the judiciary, interdisciplinary approaches to legal decision making, and social movement litigation. He has published more than two dozen academic articles and he is the author of Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making (Oxford University Press) and coauthor of Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change (Cambridge University Press). His courses include Introduction to Legal Studies, Judges and Judging, and Law and Social Activism.
Vice-President
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
pmcollins@legal.umass.edu
Paul Collins is Director and Professor of Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research and teaching interests focus on understanding the democratic nature of the judiciary, interdisciplinary approaches to legal decision making, and social movement litigation. He has published more than two dozen academic articles and he is the author of Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making (Oxford University Press) and coauthor of Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change (Cambridge University Press). His courses include Introduction to Legal Studies, Judges and Judging, and Law and Social Activism.
Renee Cramer
Former President
Drake University
renee.cramer@drake.edu
Renee Ann Cramer is associate professor and chair of Law, Politics, and Society at Drake University. She earned her PhD in Politics from New York University in 2001, with a dissertation and book that focused on federal acknowledgement for American Indian tribes. Her second book, on our obsession with celebrity pregnancy, was published in 2015 by Stanford University Press; she is currently working on a third project mapping the regulation of homebirth midwifery. Professor Cramer teaches a wide range of courses, including Law and Social Change, Reproductive Law and Politics; Critical Race and Feminist Legal Theory; and Contemporary American Indian Law and Politics.
Former President
Drake University
renee.cramer@drake.edu
Renee Ann Cramer is associate professor and chair of Law, Politics, and Society at Drake University. She earned her PhD in Politics from New York University in 2001, with a dissertation and book that focused on federal acknowledgement for American Indian tribes. Her second book, on our obsession with celebrity pregnancy, was published in 2015 by Stanford University Press; she is currently working on a third project mapping the regulation of homebirth midwifery. Professor Cramer teaches a wide range of courses, including Law and Social Change, Reproductive Law and Politics; Critical Race and Feminist Legal Theory; and Contemporary American Indian Law and Politics.
Shannon Portillo
Communications Director
University of Kansas
sportillo@ku.edu
Shannon Portillo is Assistant Vice Chancellor of Undergraduate Programs at KU Edwards Campus and an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas. Dr. Portillo returned to KU, in 2013 after five years on faculty at George Mason University. In both of her current roles she works to make public institutions more accessible and equitable. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach pulling on organizational theories rooted in Public Administration and Law and Society to explore how rules and policies are carried out within public organizations. To date she has done work in a broad array of organizations including the military, courts, probation, administrative hearings, policing, higher education and city management. Using a variety of methods, she collects empirical data to assess how social, cultural and legal factors influence the day-to-day operations in these organizations. Her administrative work focuses on access to undergraduate programs through community college pathways and diversity and equity initiatives. Her work has appeared in a variety of academic journals including Law & Policy, Administration & Society, Law & Social Inquiry, Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory and Public Administration Review, as well as popular outlets including the Huffington Post, Insider Higher Ed, and NBC Latino. In addition to research she is passionate about mentorship and serves as a McNair Scholar Mentor and Undergraduate Research Mentor.
Communications Director
University of Kansas
sportillo@ku.edu
Shannon Portillo is Assistant Vice Chancellor of Undergraduate Programs at KU Edwards Campus and an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas. Dr. Portillo returned to KU, in 2013 after five years on faculty at George Mason University. In both of her current roles she works to make public institutions more accessible and equitable. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach pulling on organizational theories rooted in Public Administration and Law and Society to explore how rules and policies are carried out within public organizations. To date she has done work in a broad array of organizations including the military, courts, probation, administrative hearings, policing, higher education and city management. Using a variety of methods, she collects empirical data to assess how social, cultural and legal factors influence the day-to-day operations in these organizations. Her administrative work focuses on access to undergraduate programs through community college pathways and diversity and equity initiatives. Her work has appeared in a variety of academic journals including Law & Policy, Administration & Society, Law & Social Inquiry, Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory and Public Administration Review, as well as popular outlets including the Huffington Post, Insider Higher Ed, and NBC Latino. In addition to research she is passionate about mentorship and serves as a McNair Scholar Mentor and Undergraduate Research Mentor.
Aaron Lorenz
Treasurer
Ramapo College
alorenz@ramapo.edu
Aaron Lorenz is Dean of the School of Social Science and Human Services and Associate Professor of Law & Society at Ramapo College. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research addresses constitutive theory with particular attention on popular culture.
Treasurer
Ramapo College
alorenz@ramapo.edu
Aaron Lorenz is Dean of the School of Social Science and Human Services and Associate Professor of Law & Society at Ramapo College. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research addresses constitutive theory with particular attention on popular culture.
Jean M. Connolly Carmalt
Board Member
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
jcarmalt@jjay.cuny.edu
Dr. Carmalt's research and teaching focus on international law and society, with a particular interest in the right to health, UN human rights processes, and environmental disasters. Her work can be found in journals such as Human Rights Quarterly, Progress in Human Geography, and Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, as well as in edited volumes by Cambridge University Press, Routledge, and Oxford University Press.
Board Member
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
jcarmalt@jjay.cuny.edu
Dr. Carmalt's research and teaching focus on international law and society, with a particular interest in the right to health, UN human rights processes, and environmental disasters. Her work can be found in journals such as Human Rights Quarterly, Progress in Human Geography, and Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, as well as in edited volumes by Cambridge University Press, Routledge, and Oxford University Press.
Sida Liu
Board Member
the University of Toronto
sd.liu@utoronto.ca
Sida Liu is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto and Faculty Fellow at the American Bar Foundation. He is an active faculty member in the Criminology, Law and Society (CLS) program at the University of Toronto Mississauga, one of the largest undergraduate law & justice programs in Canada. Dr. Liu’s research interests focus on the legal profession and sociolegal theory. He has taught courses on several sociolegal topics, including the sociology of law, the legal profession, and research projects in criminology, law and society. Dr. Liu has provided many services to the law and society community over the years and served on the board of the Law & Society Association, the Asian Law & Society Association, and the Canadian Law & Society Association.
Board Member
the University of Toronto
sd.liu@utoronto.ca
Sida Liu is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto and Faculty Fellow at the American Bar Foundation. He is an active faculty member in the Criminology, Law and Society (CLS) program at the University of Toronto Mississauga, one of the largest undergraduate law & justice programs in Canada. Dr. Liu’s research interests focus on the legal profession and sociolegal theory. He has taught courses on several sociolegal topics, including the sociology of law, the legal profession, and research projects in criminology, law and society. Dr. Liu has provided many services to the law and society community over the years and served on the board of the Law & Society Association, the Asian Law & Society Association, and the Canadian Law & Society Association.
Danielle Rudes
Board Member
George Mason University
drudes@gmu.edu
Danielle S. Rudes is Associate Professor of Criminology, Law and Society and the Deputy Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University. She is a qualitative researcher with experience working with corrections agencies including prisons, jails, probation/parole and courts. She is recognized for her work examining how social control organizations, middle managers and street-level workers understand, negotiate, and at times, resist change. Dr. Rudes serves as Associate Editor of Victims & Offenders and publishes regularly in journals such as Law & Policy. Dr. Rudes is also the winner of GMU’s Teaching (2012) and
Mentoring (2015) Excellence Awards.
Board Member
George Mason University
drudes@gmu.edu
Danielle S. Rudes is Associate Professor of Criminology, Law and Society and the Deputy Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University. She is a qualitative researcher with experience working with corrections agencies including prisons, jails, probation/parole and courts. She is recognized for her work examining how social control organizations, middle managers and street-level workers understand, negotiate, and at times, resist change. Dr. Rudes serves as Associate Editor of Victims & Offenders and publishes regularly in journals such as Law & Policy. Dr. Rudes is also the winner of GMU’s Teaching (2012) and
Mentoring (2015) Excellence Awards.
Mary Nell Trautner
Board Member
University of Buffalo
trautner@buffalo.edu
Mary Nell Trautner is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Her research and teaching focus on intersections of social inequality and social justice. She studies how law, culture, and organizational practices shape the ways in which inequality is created, perpetuated, and/or experienced. Her work spans a range of topics, including analyses of young people’s ideologies of gender, tales about the “litigation lottery,” bodywork practices, physical appearance bias, prosecutors as cause lawyers, living wage campaigns, and sexual aggression in bars. She has just begun a study funded by the National Science Foundation of how families cope and make decisions about their child’s birth injuries. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in criminology, sociology of law, social problems, and sociology of gender.
Board Member
University of Buffalo
trautner@buffalo.edu
Mary Nell Trautner is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Her research and teaching focus on intersections of social inequality and social justice. She studies how law, culture, and organizational practices shape the ways in which inequality is created, perpetuated, and/or experienced. Her work spans a range of topics, including analyses of young people’s ideologies of gender, tales about the “litigation lottery,” bodywork practices, physical appearance bias, prosecutors as cause lawyers, living wage campaigns, and sexual aggression in bars. She has just begun a study funded by the National Science Foundation of how families cope and make decisions about their child’s birth injuries. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in criminology, sociology of law, social problems, and sociology of gender.
Monica Williams
Board Member
Weber State University
monicawilliams@weber.edu
Monica Williams is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Faculty Advisor to the Community Engaged Leaders Community Research Team at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Her teaching and research focus on societal responses to sex offenders, law and social control, and policing. She takes a sociological approach to these issues, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how community and societal contexts shape the implementation of law. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in sex crimes, law and society, policing, and statistics. She has articles published in Criminology, Law & Social Inquiry, and the Journal of Criminal Justice. Her book entitled, The Sex Offender Housing Dilemma: Community Activism, Safety, and Social Justice, will be published with NYU press in 2018.
Board Member
Weber State University
monicawilliams@weber.edu
Monica Williams is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Faculty Advisor to the Community Engaged Leaders Community Research Team at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Her teaching and research focus on societal responses to sex offenders, law and social control, and policing. She takes a sociological approach to these issues, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how community and societal contexts shape the implementation of law. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in sex crimes, law and society, policing, and statistics. She has articles published in Criminology, Law & Social Inquiry, and the Journal of Criminal Justice. Her book entitled, The Sex Offender Housing Dilemma: Community Activism, Safety, and Social Justice, will be published with NYU press in 2018.
Raul Sanchez Urribarri
Board Member
La Trobe University
R.SanchezU@LaTrobe.edu.au
Raul Sanchez Urribarri is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Crime, Justice and Legal Studies at the Department of Social Inquiry, La Trobe University (Melbourne). He received a PhD in Political Science from the University of South Carolina in 2010, with a dissertation focused on the political relevance of informal connections between judges and politicians in Venezuela. His research focuses on democracy, rule of law and comparative judicial studies, with an emphasis on Latin America and Venezuela in particular. Dr Sanchez Urribarri’s work has been published in academic journals – such as The Journal of Politics, Law and Social Inquiry and the Annual Review of Law and Social Sciences – edited volumes and other outlets, including The Conversation and a variety of academic blogs. As part of his teaching activities, he coordinates undergraduate and post-graduate research training units, including a research-oriented study tour course to New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta. He is passionate about international education and the opportunities it offers for teaching, learning and scholarship.
Board Member
La Trobe University
R.SanchezU@LaTrobe.edu.au
Raul Sanchez Urribarri is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Crime, Justice and Legal Studies at the Department of Social Inquiry, La Trobe University (Melbourne). He received a PhD in Political Science from the University of South Carolina in 2010, with a dissertation focused on the political relevance of informal connections between judges and politicians in Venezuela. His research focuses on democracy, rule of law and comparative judicial studies, with an emphasis on Latin America and Venezuela in particular. Dr Sanchez Urribarri’s work has been published in academic journals – such as The Journal of Politics, Law and Social Inquiry and the Annual Review of Law and Social Sciences – edited volumes and other outlets, including The Conversation and a variety of academic blogs. As part of his teaching activities, he coordinates undergraduate and post-graduate research training units, including a research-oriented study tour course to New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta. He is passionate about international education and the opportunities it offers for teaching, learning and scholarship.
Naomi Becerra
Communications Assistant
University of Kansas
naomi_becerra@ku.edu
Naomi Becerra is a sophomore in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Kansas. Naomi is double majoring in Political Science and Public Administration. Along with serving as the new Communications Assistant for the CULJP, Naomi is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, serving on Project Diane (with Profs. Alesha Doan & Shannon Portillo, exploring the integration of women into Special Forces in the U.S. Army), and now has plans to launch her own research project.
Communications Assistant
University of Kansas
naomi_becerra@ku.edu
Naomi Becerra is a sophomore in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Kansas. Naomi is double majoring in Political Science and Public Administration. Along with serving as the new Communications Assistant for the CULJP, Naomi is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, serving on Project Diane (with Profs. Alesha Doan & Shannon Portillo, exploring the integration of women into Special Forces in the U.S. Army), and now has plans to launch her own research project.
