Staff and Board of Directors

Staff and Board of Directors

	Richard Dieter, Executive Director Richard Dieter has been the Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center since 1992. A graduate of Georgetown Law School, he is also an adjunct professor at the Catholic University Law School. Click here for an extended biography. Click here for hi-res picture.  Click here for a Spindle Law interview.
	Elaine de Leon, Communications Coordinator Elaine de Leon earned a Masters in Theological Studies degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Drew University in New Jersey.  She has worked with both faith-based and secular non-profit organizations on various issues related to the death penalty since 2005.  Elaine is also currently pursuing an MA in Strategic Communications at American University. Contact Elaine: - for media inquiries or to set up an interview with Richard Dieter - for questions regarding our Educational Curricula or our Resources for Communities of Faith
	Kenneth England, New Media and Information Specialist Kenneth England earned a B.A. in Journalism from Northern Kentucky University.  His experience includes work in radio broadcasting, traditional print journalism and online media writing and production.  His background also includes work in IT and web design fields. Contact Kenneth: - for questions about DPIC's website - for assistance with DPIC's multimedia and database resources.
	Anne Holsinger, Information and Resource Specialist Anne Holsinger earned a B.A. in Linguistics from the College of William & Mary. As an undergraduate, she conducted independent research on religion and the death penalty. She has worked and volunteered with various death penalty organizations since 2004. Contact Anne: - for general information and student inquiries - to place an order for DPIC's various resources - to obtain permission to reprint DPIC materials in your publication

Board of Directors

The Center's Board of Directors includes many renowned experts on the subject of capital punishment:

Anthony G. Amsterdam, Edward Weinfeld Professor of Law at New York University Law School.  Mr. Amsterdam argued Furman v. Georgia before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972, resulting in the overturning of the death penalty and the sparing of over 600 lives.

David J. Bradford, Partner at Jenner and Block in Chicago. Mr. Bradford serves as Counsel to the MacArthur Justice Center.  He has lectured on the death penalty at the University of Chicago Law School, been active in death penalty litigation, and spoken extensively on this subject.  Mr. Bradford was recently elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

David Bruck, Director of the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse at Washington & Lee School of Law and Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel.  One of the country's leading experts on the death penalty, Mr. Bruck represented Susan Smith in her capital trial in South Carolina.

James W. Ellis, the Henry Weihofen Professor of Law at the Univeristy of New Mexico School of Law.  Mr. Ellis argued for the petitioner in Atkins v. Virginia, the case that resulted in the exemption of the intellectually disabled from the death penalty.  He was chosen as the "Lawyer of the Year" by the National Law Journal in 2002.

Phoebe C. Ellsworth, Frank Murphy Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Professor of Law at the University of Michigan.  A former professor at Yale and Stanford, Ms. Ellsworth specializes in law and psychology.  She is a research expert on emotions and has written extensively on Americans' views on the death penalty.

George Kendall, Director, Public Service Initiative at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in New York.  He formerly served as Death Penalty Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Mr. Kendall has defended death penalty defendants nationwide, particularly where racism has been a factor in the prosecution.  He is a nationally recognized spokesman on the injustices of the death penalty.

John R. MacArthur, President and Publisher of Harper's Magazine.  Mr. MacArthur is the inspiration behind the Death Penalty Information Center.  He has written on a wide variety of social justice issues.

Michael Millman, Executive Director of the California Appellate Project.  Mr. Millman oversees the efforts to assist private lawyers representing the more than 700 people on California's death row.  He serves as President of the Board of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Diann Rust-Tierney, Executive Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.  Ms. Rust-Tierney is a nationally recognized spokeswoman on capital punishment and has led a number of legislative efforts to reform the nation's capital punishment laws.

Christina Swarns, Director of the Criminal Justice Practice at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.  Ms. Swarns is an experienced capital litigator who formerly served as the Supervising Assistant Federal Defender in Philadelphia.  Ms. Swarns most recently represented Nicholas Yarris who was exonerated from the Pennsylvania death row in February 2003.

Ronald J. Tabak, Special Counsel and pro bono coordinator at the Law Firm of Skadden, Arps in New York City.  Mr. Tabak is a veteran of capital litigation, and has been instrumental in drafting American Bar Association positions on capital punishment as chair of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities' Death Penalty Committee.

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