02/03/2023
By Eika Hunt

The School of Criminology and Justice Studies and UMass Lowell Criminal Justice Alumni Board are pleased to present a panel title “Women in Criminal Justice: Career Opportunities and Challenges in a Changing Environment.” The panelists will address the challenges and opportunities facing women in leadership positions in the criminal justice system.

Moderated by Criminal Justice and Criminology Professor April Pattavina, the panel will feature:

  • Hon. Kerry Ahern, The First Justice of the Essex Juvenile Court
  • Nora Baston, Superintendent of the Boston Police Department
  • Carole Cafferty, adjunct professor at UMass Lowell and Co-director of the Education Justice Institute at MIT
  • Dianne Fasano, First Deputy Commissioner, Massachusetts Probation Service

Details:

  • Thursday, March 16
  • 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Coburn Hall Room 255
  • There will be a Question-and-Answer period following the panel

More on the panels and moderator:

Kerry Ahern
Kerry Ahern is the First Justice of the Essex Juvenile Court. She was appointed to the Juvenile Court in 2014. Judge Ahern graduated from the University of Lowell and New England School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. She was a prosecutor in the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office for 14 years, where she served various roles including Director of the District Courts and Deputy Chief of the Superior Court Team, Lowell Region. Upon leaving the District Attorney’s Office, she represented juveniles in delinquency and youthful offender matters and represented children and parents in CRA and care and protection cases.

Nora Baston
Nora Baston received both her Bachelor's and Master's Degree at UML. Nora joined the Boston Police Department in 1996 and has risen through the ranks to her current leadership position as Superintendent, in charge of the Bureau of Professional Development, a division of the department that oversees officer training and the police academy. Nora is a past recipient of the UML Criminal Justice Dept. Alumna of the Year Award.

Carole Cafferty
With over 30 years of experience working inside corrections facilities, Carole Cafferty has emerged as a leader in the field. She has designed and implemented innovative programs, many of which have been replicated both within the United States and internationally. Carole has served as a facility Superintendent and has earned the respect of both her colleagues and the incarcerated people she’s served. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at UML and Co-director of The Educational Justice Institute at MIT (TEJI). TEJI designs sustainable solutions to mass incarceration and social injustice through education and emerging technologies.

Dianne Fasano
Dianne Fasano earned both her Bachelor's and Master's Degree at UML. She began her career in the Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS)i n in 1993 and succeeded through the ranks to her current position as First Deputy Commissioner, appointed in 2018. The MPS employs 2,000 staff and has statewide jurisdiction over adult criminal, juvenile delinquency, and child welfare cases, as well as dispute intervention matters in the Probate & Family Court.

April Pattavina
April Pattavina is a professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies. Her research focuses on correctional reform, program evaluation, and the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women. Her work often involves collaborative researcher practitioner partnerships with criminal justice agencies, and she has extensive experience working with large law enforcement and corrections related data sources. She has received grant funding from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Violence Against Women. Her recent research involves exploring ways in which emerging technologies can support people on community supervision. She is currently working with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security on an evaluation of a peer mentoring re-entry program.

All are welcome. Contact Eika_Hunt@uml.edu