Board of Director Bios
Mary E. Sommer, Board Chair
Mary Sommer has served as a Connecticut Superior Court judge since 2008. The Notre Dame Law School graduate is a strong advocate for juvenile justice and mental health reform. She brings extensive board governance experience to her community leadership roles, which include serving on the National Association of Women Judges’ Women in Prison committee and the Stamford Stands Against Racism steering committee.
Benjamin Justice, Board Member
Benjamin Justice is a Professor of Education and History at Rutgers University and a Senior Research Scholar at Yale Law School. A Past President of the History of Education Society, he also served on the National Assessment of Educational Progress Standing Committee. Dr. Justice’s current research examines US criminal legal systems through the lens of civic education. He holds a BA from Yale College, as well as an MA and PhD from Stanford University.
Reverend Hiram L. Brett, Board Member
Reverend Hiram L. Brett serves as Spiritual Care Coordinator at the Connecticut Mental Health Center and a Pastoral Care lecturer at Yale Divinity School. Before entering the ministry, he spent over thirty years in senior executive corporate roles. The Yale, Stanford, and Williams College graduate pairs deep financial expertise with pastoral care in his community leadership. He currently chairs the Gateway Community College Foundation and serves on the New Haven Legal Assistance Association board.
David Reif, Treasurer
Dave Reif brings over forty years of trial experience to his work as a full-time arbitrator and mediator. The Harvard Law School graduate is deeply involved in the local legal community. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board of New Haven Legal Assistance Corporation and teaches as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law. He also brings strong governance experience from his previous time serving as a Trustee for Lafayette College.
Fredric S. Ury, Board Member
Frederic S. Ury is a trial lawyer with extensive experience arguing civil and criminal cases across Connecticut’s Superior, Appellate, and Supreme Courts. He frequently handles ethics proceedings for other attorneys and serves as a state hearing officer. A dedicated philanthropist, he spent thirteen years as a special public defender. Most notably, he provided hundreds of hours of free legal representation following September 11 to recover millions of dollars for victims' families.
Lori Gruen, Board Member
Lori Gruen is the William Griffin Professor of Philosophy at Wesleyan University, where she also holds professorships in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Science in Society. As coordinator of Wesleyan Animal Studies, her scholarship bridges ethical and political theory to focus on historically overlooked groups, including incarcerated people, women, people of color, and non-human animals. She is currently exploring carceral logics by examining themes like dignity, empathy, and hope.
Cindy Cox-Roman, Secretary
Cindy Cox-Roman is the CEO of HelpAge USA, a global nonprofit that advances the wellbeing and inclusion of older people in the world’s poorest communities. She has built her career in strategic research, communication, and advocacy. A former partner at Yankelovich Partners, where she worked with CLICC founder Arthur White, she later founded WIT Consulting in Washington, DC. The Georgetown University and USC gerontology graduate currently serves on the GE2P2 Global Foundation board of directors.
Caroline Nobo, Board Member
Caroline Nobo Sarnoff is a Research Scholar in Law and Executive Director of the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School. A career criminologist with 15 years of experience, she is a national expert on criminal justice data and infrastructure. Her expertise spans policing, gun violence, and the progressive prosecutor movement. Previously the Director of Data Outreach for Measures for Justice, Sarnoff is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Mount Holyoke College.
June Archer, Board Member
June Archer is a dedicated philanthropist and community leader. He drives change through The June Archer Foundation and the June Archer School of Arts. He created the 100 Men of Color and 100 Women of Color Galas to recognize local achievements, alongside a long-running Celebration of Life event supporting AIDS and Breast Cancer awareness. Archer also gives his time by serving on the boards of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Simsbury Meadows Performing Art Center.