She has been a committed public defender for nearly 20 years. Alison served six years as the Director of Training and Education for the Connecticut Public Defender Service. Through her alliances with defenders and leaders from across the country, she launched several new programs like Dialogues for Change, an intensive multi-week anti-racism course, and Defender Lab, a week-long trial skills program where new and experienced defenders can test and try on innovative approaches to litigation. Before moving to Connecticut, Alison served for over ten years as a staff public defender in greater Boston, and two years as Attorney-in-Charge of the Norfolk Superior Court office at the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services. She has tried numerous felony cases to verdict across eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut and has appeared before the Massachusetts Appeals Court. She is a published author on trial skills and is faculty at the National Criminal Defense College. Alison is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and Boston University. She currently lives in West Hartford with her wife, three children, and their silver lab Cooper.