Board of Trustees

Dr. Gary Bailey is the MSW Program Director at Simmons School of Social Work and currently serves as President of the NASW-Assurance Services, Inc. He is also a Professor of Practice in Simmons Schools of Social Work and Nursing and Health Sciences. Previously, he was the Assistant Dean for Community Engagement and Social Justice at the College of Social Sciences, Policy and Practice at Simmons University. Professor Bailey has devoted his career to sharing his deep knowledge, expertise, and leadership in the fields of Social Work, Public Health, Youth Education, and Affordable Housing.

Erika Barber is the Chief Privacy Officer for Boston Medical Center, a division of Boston Medical Center Health System. Her process-driven approach enabled the Compliance and Privacy team to implement a new incident tracking system and a new drug diversion prevention and privacy monitoring tool during her tenure. Erika also proudly serves as a mentor in the organization’s Pathways program which provides a pathway for promotion and career advancement for employees who identify as members of the BIPOC community. Erika’s previous roles include serving as the Privacy Manager for Massachusetts General Hospital, a division of Mass General Brigham, and the Compliance Officer for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, a Federally Qualified Health Center dedicated to improving health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. Erika is a licensed attorney in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with a J.D. from New England Law | Boston and a B.A. in Public Policy and Social Change from Bentley University.

Robert Foxworth is an exoneree who was framed by the Boston Police and wrongfully imprisoned by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office for a murder that he did not commit. For close to thirty years, Robert fought for his freedom and maintained his innocence. Since being released from prison on December 23, 2020, Robert has worked tirelessly to clear his name and hold those who engaged in the misconduct that led to his wrongful conviction accountable. Robert's innocence has been established by clear and convincing evidence in a court of law, and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office has acknowledged its role in his wrongful conviction. From 2021 - 2023, Robert was a youth worker with ROCA, where he made a positive impact on at-risk youth in the neighborhoods of Boston. Robert is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at UMass Lowell and works as a paralegal helping clients prepare for parole hearings and pursue innocence claims. Robert brings his lived experience, including the trauma of long-term incarceration as an innocent man, to NEIP's Board.

David Harris retired in 2023 as managing director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, a position he held since 2006. Under his leadership, the Houston Institute has created a national platform with its Houston/Marshall Plan for Community Justice, an initiative that seeks to change the way public policy is conceived and implemented. The project is designed to amplify the voices, knowledge, and expertise of people living in communities devastated by decades of underdevelopment wrought by the war on crime and war on drugs. David is currently working to create a non-profit organization to house the Justflix project, which uses a train-the-trainer model for young people to use their cell phones to create short videos documenting racial and social justice, social service, and activism in their communities. He currently serves as the Chair of the Massachusetts Advisory Committee to the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights. In 2019, he was awarded Massachusetts Governor’s Award in the Humanities.

Lisa M. Kavanaugh is the director of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) Innocence Program, a unit of the statewide public defender agency in Massachusetts that identifies innocence cases and provides litigation support and funding for the investigation and expert resources needed. In addition to litigating cases and administering Innocence Program resources, Ms. Kavanaugh is actively involved in developing statewide training programs on flawed forensic evidence and other leading causes of wrongful convictions. In 2013, she formed a Working Group of criminal justice leaders to improve access to post-conviction DNA analysis and reform evidence handling practices. A frequent lecturer at local and national CLE training programs, she has also served as a Visiting Lecturer of Law at Harvard Law School, an Adjunct Professor with the Boston College Law School Innocence Clinic, and training faculty member for trial skills programs at Harvard Law School. She presently serves on the Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Committee on Eyewitness Identification and heads the Running for Innocence Program.

Daniel Medwed is a Professor of Law at Northeastern University School of Law where he teaches Criminal Law, Evidence, and Advanced Criminal Procedure: Wrongful Convictions and Post-Conviction Remedies. His research and pro bono activities revolve around the topic of wrongful convictions. His book, Prosecution Complex: America’s Race to Convict and Its Impact on the Innocent (New York University Press, 2012), explores how even well-meaning prosecutors may contribute to wrongful convictions because of cognitive biases and an overly-deferential regime of legal and ethical rules. He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Innocence Network, a consortium of innocence projects across the world, and is a former President of the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center in Salt Lake City.

David E. Meier is a partner at the law firm of Todd & Weld, where his practice focuses on government investigations and criminal defense. In September 2012, Governor Deval Patrick appointed Mr. Meier to oversee the identification and review of thousands of drug cases called into question by the alleged misconduct of Annie Dookhan at the Hinton State Laboratory. Prior to joining Todd & Weld, Mr. Meier was chief of the homicide unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in Boston for twelve years. As Chief of Homicide, Mr. Meier supervised the investigation, prosecution, and trial of all homicides occurring within the City of Boston. He was also involved in the post-conviction review and investigation of numerous cases leading to the release of defendants wrongfully convicted of murder and other criminal charges.

Cheryl Schaffer has a lifelong commitment to issues of social justice and a passion for activism, evidenced by her 12-year stint as the Deputy Director of the AIDS Action Committee. She has also served as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Executive Director of the Service Employees International Union for district 925, and the Associate Director of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. Her experience with non-profit management helps ensure that NEIP is a strong, thriving, and effective organization for years to come.

David M. Siegel (Chair) is a Professor of Law at New England Law | Boston. He teaches Comparative Criminal Procedure, Criminal Advocacy, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Clinical Evidence and Evidence. He has written articles on the history of mental health defenses in criminal law, the ethical obligations of criminal defense lawyers, and involuntary medication of criminal defendants. He currently serves as Chair of the NEIP’s Board of Trustees.