Meet the Team

As the Director of Development, Baczewski leads the full range of CCE's fundraising and development efforts. Prior to joining CCE, Baczewski spent three years with environmental nonprofit Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) where she served as the Office & Development Manager, handling operations, finances, strategic planning, event coordination and fund development. Baczewski’s transition to the nonprofit space in 2018 followed a 12+ year career in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, working for Japanese/U.S. production companies Akatsuki Entertainment and ANEW USA, producer Sandy Climan at Entertainment Media Ventures (EMV) and talent/literary manager Barry Krost Management (BKM). She holds a B.A. from Whitman College and a Certificate of Completion from The Seattle Film Institute.

As the Research & Data Fellow, Bastola is focused on ensuring that research, data collection, and data analysis are conducted in a rigorous manner across portfolios, while also supporting policy platform development, advocacy, and community education efforts. Bastola graduated from the University of Virginia in 2023 with a double major in Public Policy and Leadership and Global Development Studies. She was involved in many collegiate organizations, holding roles such as Chair of External Affairs in Student Council and President of Harmonious Hoos Acapella. For the past 6 years, she has worked as a Volunteer Coordinator for a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities in rural Nepal. Bastola loves singing, rock climbing, soaking up the sun, and reading books!

As a Policy & Education Associate, Downing leads the Second Chance Hiring Alliance and supports community engagement and education initiatives. Downing develops and executes strategies for distribution of CCE publications, and helps CCE to facilitate community events, engaging a more diverse group of residents and organizations. Before joining CCE, Downing served as Congressman John Lewis Fellow at Free Minds Book Club and Writing workshop where he co-facilitated community outreach programs, such as OTSP (On the Same Page). He continues to serve as a Poet Ambassador and is Co-Chair of “Thrive Under 25”, a transformative coalition in the District of Columbia that uses advocacy, legislation, and public education to end the racist, damaging, and punitive responses of D.C.’s adult criminal legal system toward people who encountered the system when they were under age 25. Downing is passionate about giving back to the youth and building up the D.C. community.

As Policy Counsel, McConville works collaboratively with CCE staff, committee members, directly impacted members of the community, and other external system stakeholders to identify, develop, and implement research projects, policy solutions, and educational initiative to improve the fairness of D.C.’s legal systems. Prior to joining CCE, McConville was a Junior Associate at the Law Offices of Meagan K. Allen where she worked on a wide array of private civil and criminal cases in D.C. and Maryland courts. During law school, McConville was Co-President of Juvenile Justice Society, and clerked for both the Senate Judiciary Committee and NASA, among other organizations. Prior to law school, she worked with several organizations in Washington state providing post-secondary education to incarcerated individuals and reentry services to returning citizens. McConville is barred in the District of Columbia and holds a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, an M.P.P. from American University, and a B.A. from University of Washington.

As the 2024-2025 Open Horizon Criminal Justice Fellow, Crystal will be working with various individuals in the DC justice system to create policy with the goal of improving the current DC criminal legal system for all Washingtonians. Crystal just received a JD from the Washington College of Law at American University in 2024. While there where she was part of multiple award-winning teams at the INADR International Mediation Tournament; she also served as the Events Coordinator and Vice President with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society. During law school, Crystal was a student attorney for the Criminal Justice Clinic, a Dean’s Fellow for the Immigrant Justice Clinic, and was also the 2024 winner of the Andrew E. Taslitz Award for outstanding student in criminal justice. Her internships include the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, Rosenberg & Fayne, and Ayuda. She also holds a B.A. in International Affairs and Political Science from the George Washington University.

As the Deputy Director, Ortiz manages CCE’s research, policy, advocacy, and education work, coaches staff members, leads the development of organizational systems and processes, and works with the Executive Director on overall management issues. Prior to joining CCE, Ortiz was the Chief of Staff of the Politics and Policy Department at RepresentUs, an organization fighting political corruption, working to reform American democracy, and pushing back against authoritarianism. In that role, she managed a large team of political operatives, developed systems and processes to facilitate their work, and led the development and operations of several programs including a vote by mail state advocacy program and a Campaign Accelerator, which provided monetary and in-kind support to nascent democracy campaigns around the country. In the past, she's worked on a very diverse set of social and racial justice issues including criminal justice reform, ending the school to prison pipeline, eliminating judicial elections, immigration issues, transportation equity, tobacco control, and reproductive rights. Ortiz received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Utica University (fka Utica College of Syracuse University).

As the Policy and Education Associate, Ramirez works with relevant stakeholders to inform the residents of the District on laws, policies on laws that may affect their lives as well as advocacy opportunities. Before joining CCE Ramirez worked in communications and outreach roles in nonprofits across the country including Neighbors West-Northwest, Riverlife Pittsburgh, and the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University.

As Operations Manager, Terrill works closely with staff, bookkeeper and auditor, vendors, and Board of Directors to effectively carry out daily operations and office management for CCE. She also handles database and records management, event logistics, and provides communications support. Terrill’s background is primarily in finance and administrative work. Prior to joining CCE, she worked as Chief of Staff for a fintech startup, and as a Program Specialist for the American Bar Association’s Center for Public Interest Law. Terrill has an AAS in Accounting from Baltimore City Community College, and is earning her Bachelors of Science in Accounting with a minor in Business Administration from UMGC.

Thomas Zaleski joined CCE in 2018 as Executive Director. She brings her years of experience representing indigent clients in both civil and criminal matters in the District and directing two legal reform non-profit organizations to further CCE’s vital mission to enhance D.C.’s justice system and ensure that all people who rely on our courts and government are served fairly and effectively. Prior to joining CCE, Thomas Zaleski served as the Director of the American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Due Process Review Project, which focuses on research, education, and policy advocacy related to capital punishment and other criminal justice issues. She previously was a senior Affordable Housing Initiative attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, where she represented homeless individuals and low-income tenants in cases to preserve their access to housing or shelter, and advocated to government agencies for more effective affordable housing laws and regulations in the District. She also worked at Howrey LLP as the firm’s Pro Bono Fellow, where she represented indigent clients in a wide range of criminal and civil cases and supported the pro bono practices of other lawyers at the firm. Prior to law school, she served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, which works to correct and prevent the wrongful conviction of innocent people in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Thomas Zaleski holds a B.A., cum laude, from Claremont McKenna College, and a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a Public Interest Law Scholar and where she has taught as an adjunct professor of law.

As Policy Manager for CCE, Tsiongas is responsible for managing the youth and criminal justice policy projects and campaigns, and conducting relevant legal and policy research to support them. Outside of CCE, she also continues to serve as the convenor of the Maryland Second Look Coalition, working to pass second look legislation. Tsiongas completed her Master of Public Health at the George Washington University, with a focus on criminalized public health issues. While there she worked on research around medical-legal partnerships to support gun violence survivors and supporting the healthcare needs of the incarcerated population. She also received her Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies from Rhode Island College. In her free time, Tsiongas continues to volunteer as a restorative justice practitioner and a mediator, providing community with conflict resolution outside of the prosecutorial system, and has led mediations and circle processes between community members, coworkers, and co-parents.

Velázquez assumed the role of Policy Director for CCE in December 2023, bringing with her over 15 years’ of experience in the justice field, including at the Vera Institute of Justice, the Justice Policy Institute, American University, and most recently, the Pew Charitable Trusts, where she served as Senior Manager of Research, Strategy and Development for the Trusts’ Safety and Justice portfolio. In her almost six years at Pew, Velázquez led projects involving a wide range of subjects in criminal and youth justice and at the intersection of mental health and the legal system, including crisis response, use of the legal system to address substance use disorders and people with behavioral health conditions on probation supervision. Velázquez also has worked on public health issues, including as executive director of the Montana Mental Health Association, where she led advocacy efforts that resulted in the creation of a statewide suicide prevention office and funding for behavioral health services for people leaving prison. She is also an alumna of CCE, having served as Senior Policy Associate from 2014– 2016. Velázquez has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies from Harvard University, a Master of Science in Justice, Law and Criminology from American University and a Master of Public Policy from Montana State University. She is an author on several peer-reviewed journal articles and has been interviewed by and had opinions published in national media, including CNN, the New York Times, NPR and the Washington Post.