Heather Warnken
Heather Warnken is executive director of the Center for Criminal Justice Reform at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she works on numerous initiatives and legislative reform efforts spanning decarceration, community-based public safety, policing, and equitable grantmaking. Prior to coming to the University of Baltimore, she served as visiting fellow at the US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, co-affiliated with the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Office for Victims of Crime in the first-ever position dedicated to bridging the gap between research, policy and practice to improve the response to individuals and communities impacted by crime victimization. Through this role she helped design and launch the first-ever Victim Services Statistical Research Program, supported violence reduction efforts in multiple cities through the DOJ Public Safety Partnership Program, and facilitated collaboration across federal, state and local government partners, practitioners, researchers, and directly impacted communities in the implementation of data-driven policies and programs nationwide. Prior to DOJ, Warnken served as legal policy associate at the Warren Institute on Law & Social Policy at University of California, Berkeley School of Law. While there she worked on numerous criminal and juvenile justice reform efforts, including leading two statewide needs assessments on how to improve access to services and compensation for underserved crime victims. In 2023, she was recognized by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Leaders in Law.