Dr. John Speir is the Co-Founder and Principal of Applied Research Services and an expert in quantitative methods, predictive analytics, and criminal justice population modeling. He received his PhD in Criminology from Florida State University. His work has guided criminal justice policy and legislative decision-making across multiple states and Canada, including projects focused on corrections forecasting, sentencing, parole policy, community supervision, and prison violence reduction. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Speir serves as a core research partner on the NIJ-funded Integrated Dynamic Risk Assessment for Community Supervision (IDRACS), which is developing a new risk assessment instrument for individuals on probation and parole.

Dr. Christopher Inkpen is a research sociologist and demographer at RTI International with expertise in demographic modeling, statistical forecasting, machine learning, and criminal justice analytics. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Boston College and master’s and doctoral degrees in Sociology and Demography from Pennsylvania State University. His work includes large-scale evaluations and the development of dynamic risk-prediction tools for individuals on community supervision. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Inkpen supports several PCS-related projects, including the Integrated Dynamic Risk Assessment for Community Supervision (IDRACS), Needs and Responsivity Assessment Component, Virtual Check-In Evaluation, and Senate Bill 105 Evaluation.

Dr. Frances Chen is an Associate Professor at Georgia State University whose research integrates criminology, developmental psychology, and biosocial science to examine antisocial behavior across the life course. She received her PhD in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her scholarship explores how life events, social contexts, stress physiology, and biological functioning influence criminal behavior and persistent offending. Through her partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Chen collaborates on PCS-related research focused on the time and relationship dimensions of supervision, including the Human-Machine Synergy: Machine Learning Engagement and Nurturing Peer Mentorship for Dignified Recovery in Community Reintegration (MEND-R) study and the NSF-funded study, The Role of Stress in Implementing Person-Centered Communication Skills.

Dr. Mathew Gayman is a sociologist whose research examines how social, environmental, and structural factors shape mental and physical health outcomes among vulnerable populations. He received his PhD in Sociology from Florida State University and joined Georgia State University following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His scholarship includes studies on the built environment, disability, depression, and social support. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Gayman collaborates on the Jail Sanctions study, which examines how jail stays shape supervision outcomes and community reintegration.

Dr. Eric R. Wright is a Distinguished University Professor at Georgia State University and an expert in medical sociology, mental health services, health disparities, and community-engaged research. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lewis & Clark College and master’s and doctoral degrees from Indiana University Bloomington. His scholarship examines public health and policy responses to mental illness, substance use, HIV/STI prevention, and LGBTQ health inequities. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Wright supports PCS-related research on relationship dynamics, including the Household Member Incarceration study, which examines how family incarceration shapes supervision outcomes.

William Sabol, Distinguished University Professor at Georgia State University, conducts research on corrections, sentencing policy, and criminal justice statistics. He received his PhD in Public Policy from the University of Pittsburgh, and his 30-year career spans academia, government, and private research institutions, including service as Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. His research has shaped national policy discussions on incarceration, supervision, data reporting, and institutional and community corrections reform. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Sabol collaborates on PCS research focused on the time element, including the Unsupervised Incentives: Receiving and Succeeding study and Joint Supervision Pilot Program study. He also collaborated with DCS in its pilot project known as the Swift, Certain, and Fair Sanctions Pilot Project, which aimed to develop mechanisms to refer eligible probationers to Georgia’s accountability courts.

Dr. Tonya Van Deinse is a Research Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose work focuses on implementation science and mental health within criminal legal systems. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College and a Master’s and PhD in Social Work from UNC–Chapel Hill. Her research examines how behavioral health providers, supervision teams, and cross-sector partners can collaborate to improve mental health services and supervision practices. Through her partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Van Deinse supports intersectional PCS research on mental health barriers, including Adopting a Case Consultation Model to Enhance Mental Health Supervision.

Dr. Michael Applegarth is a scholar whose research focuses on the intersection of mental illness and criminal legal involvement, with particular attention to diversion, community supervision, reentry, and juvenile justice. He holds social work degrees from Brigham Young University and a PhD in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles. His work informs policy and practice related to preventing justice-system involvement, improving behavioral health treatment, and supporting evidence-based reentry strategies. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Applegarth collaborates on PCS intersectional research examining Mental Health Special Conditions among individuals under parole supervision.

Dr. Orion Mowbray is a leading scholar whose work focuses on substance use, mental health, and justice-involved populations. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University in sociology, social work, and social psychology, and his research examines how mental illness and substance use affect vulnerable communities, as well as how policy and service systems can improve outcomes. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Mowbray helps evaluate all elements of PCS through the PCS Assessment Tool and measure implementation fidelity through the Day Reporting Center Program Assessment Tool (DRC-PAT).

Dr. Pam Lattimore is an emeritus scholar and independent researcher with RTI International whose work has long focused on justice, safety, reentry, substance use, mental health, and the causes of criminal behavior. A nationally recognized expert in prisoner reentry and complex multi-site evaluations, she has led major experimental and quasi-experimental research efforts and received distinguished honors from both the American Correctional Association and the American Society of Criminology. Through her partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Lattimore supports several key initiatives, including the Integrated Dynamic Risk Assessment for Community Supervision (IDRACS), Needs and Responsivity Assessment Component, the Virtual Check-In Evaluation, and the Senate Bill 105 Evaluation.

Dr. James T. McCafferty is a criminal justice scholar whose expertise centers on corrections, rehabilitation, risk assessment, and criminal justice systems. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Lycoming College and his master’s and PhD from the University of Cincinnati. His research emphasizes evidence-based practices, including the validation of actuarial risk assessment tools, policy evaluation, and decision-making in correctional settings. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. McCafferty supports the Strike a Balance project, which examines the relationship between officer risk-score overrides and recidivism outcomes.

Dr. Andrea Finlay is a Research Health Scientist at the Center for Innovation to Implementation at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and an Affiliated Researcher at the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. With more than 10 years of experience in the VA, her work focuses on identifying and addressing gaps in access, engagement, and quality of care for justice-involved Veterans. Through her partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Finlay helps use VRSS to identify individuals eligible for veteran services and analyze that cohort to better understand the community supervision experience of veterans.

Jamie Newsome is a Senior Justice Researcher at RTI International. Dr. Newsome’s primary areas of expertise include the use of evidence-based practices in corrections, program evaluation, and barriers to and facilitators of successful reentry. She has designed and led several large-scale multi-site studies using experimental and quasi-experimental research designs. In addition to her research, Dr. Newsome also develops tools and products for use in corrections and provides technical assistance to support agencies throughout the United States as they work to expand and enhance their use of evidence-based practices. Her work has been supported through funding provided by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National institute of Justice. Through her partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Newsome supports the Integrated Dynamic Risk Assessment for Community Supervision (IDRACS) project and the Virtual Check-in Evaluation Study, which examines how PCS functions in virtual check-ins compared with field visits and explores the perspectives of both officers and supervisees to better understand the virtual supervision experience.

Julius Campbell, a Savannah, GA native, is Program Director for the Offender Alumni Association’s Savannah Branch, a grassroots organization that encourages, educates, and empowers justice-involved adults and youth. With a master’s degree in Leadership and Organizational Management, he serves as a credible messenger, mentor, and motivational speaker, drawing on his lived experience and training in crisis intervention, conflict resolution, resilience, and restorative practice. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Mr. Campbell contributes to the Joint Supervision study, which pairs formerly incarcerated peer mentors with specially trained DCS officers to strengthen supervision and improve outcomes.

Dr. Karen Nielsen is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at Georgia State University, with degrees in mathematics, psychology, and statistics from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on developing statistical methods for complex public health data, especially time-intensive longitudinal data from wearables and sensors. Through her partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Nielsen supports the Joint Supervision study, which examines how jail stays influence supervision outcomes, relationship-centered PCS practices, and successful community reintegration for justice-involved individuals.

Dr. Thaddeus Johnson is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and a former ranking law enforcement official in Memphis, Tennessee. His research focuses on police policy, urban violence, crime control, and racially disparate justice outcomes. Through his partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dr. Johnson supports the Joint Supervision pilot program, which combines the lived experience of formerly incarcerated peer mentors with the expertise of specially trained DCS officers to strengthen supervision practices and improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals.