FOUNDER + PRESIDENT 

Shana@iDueProcess.org

 Shana founded Due Process Institute because, after years of first-hand defense work and criminal legal reform advocacy, she became convinced the Constitution needed and deserved its own lobbying firm--particularly in the area of procedural due process rights for the accused.  

Prior to founding DPI + Clause 40 Foundation, Shana O'Toole served as a Policy Director for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) where she led many of their criminal reform strategies + strategic partnerships with other organizations. Shana has also frequently served as a consultant + advisor to other justice partners on numerous research + legislative efforts.
 

Prior to moving to D.C., Shana practiced for many years as a criminal defense lawyer + served as pro bono counsel for political refugees seeking asylum. 
 

Shana received her J.D., magna cum laude. While in law school, she served as a Note Editor for the Law Review + worked in the anti-discrimination legal clinic. Following law school, Shana had the honor of clerking for Justice Joette Katz on the Connecticut Supreme Court--the first woman to have served as Chief of Connecticut's Public Defender Office. 
 

Before she found her legal calling,  Shana lived in New Orleans where she received an M.F.A in fiction writing. She also taught literature + writing at both Xavier University of Louisiana + the University of New Orleans. Shana holds a B.A. from Sweet Briar College--an all women’s college in the Blue Ridge Mountains founded in 1901. 
 

Shana lives with her husband (a former public defender who has prevented over a dozen state-sponsored capital deaths) + two mischievous french bulldogs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of D.C.  When she’s not fighting on behalf of fundamental fairness, Shana enjoys snowboarding, watching the Washington Nationals play baseball, and listening to live music (particularly in New Orleans).

Favorite Fun Fact:  Every 40 years or so, it snows in the Sahara desert--a reminder to Shana of what is possible even when it doesn't seem very likely. 

Follow Shana on Twitter @ShanaOtoole

VICE PRESIDENT

Jason@iDueProcess.org

 Jason Pye joined Due Process Institute in 2021, bringing many years of lobbying experience to the team. His views on criminal legal reform are partially formed by his own life experiences, the advocacy work he has done, and his libertarian/classical liberal convictions. He has worked on several pieces of legislation that have become law, including the First Step Act + the Fair Chance Act.
 

The son of a Vietnam veteran who passed away in 1993, Jason believes his life could have taken a very different direction considering that addiction issues are present in his family. Thankfully, his mother guided him down the right path. In addition, through his criminal legal reform advocacy, Jason has met several individuals who were incarcerated and heard their stories. These stories have guided his work through which he hopes to see a fairer legal system and preservation of civil liberties.
 

Prior to joining DPI, Jason served as the Vice President of Legislative Affairs for FreedomWorks. In this role, he was responsible for lobbying on federal legislation, forming relationships with congressional offices, and keeping tabs on congressional activity. Policy issues in his portfolio at FreedomWorks included criminal justice reform and civil liberties.
 

Jason has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business, and numerous radio programs. He has contributed commentary to Forbes, The Hill, and Washington Examiner and has been cited or quoted in pieces published by The New York Times, Politico, Roll Call, and The Wall Street Journal.
 

Jason lives in Northern Virginia. When he isn’t working, he enjoys listening to and playing music, watching the Atlanta Braves and the University of Georgia Bulldogs, getting tattooed, and running his two podcasts with good friends: Reclaiming My Time + Peach Pundit Podcast.

Favorite Fun Fact: In the movie Avengers Endgame, Thor can be seen drinking Creature Comforts' Tropicalia IPA from a small but growing brewery in Athens, GA. Tropicalia happens to be Jason's favorite beer.  

Follow Jason on Twitter @Pye

DIRECTOR, 

OPERATIONS + EVENTS

Tamara@iDueProcess.org

Tamara Kalacevic joined Due Process Institute to lead the organization's entire Operations + Events apparatus not only for its challenges but because it allows her to engage her passion for justice. By managing day-to-day operations, events, and meetings, she proudly supports the Institute’s policy staff while they focus on achievable results that help bring more fairness to the criminal legal system. 

Prior to joining DPI, Tamara served as Director of Events for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). In that capacity, she was responsible for the Association’s quarterly board meetings, CLE seminars, seminar site-selection, + the planning of social events. During her tenure, she was involved in the planning + execution of nearly 175 different events. She also managed the entire online website presence for all events, CLE registration, and speaker database.

Tamara is a native of Serbia where she lived for 23 years before graduating from law school and moving to D.C.  

Serbia’s specific political + economic conditions shaped Tamara's education + involvement in civil rights and social justice movements. Throughout her law school years, she attended trainings on human rights, democracy, and conflict resolution. She canvased the country + conducted public opinion polls on political issues. She joined the very first organization for free elections (CESID) + helped train over 800 election monitoring volunteers for the historic September 2000 election.

Tamara lived in D.C. for 12 years before reluctantly moving to Virginia with her husband + two children. When she isn't working, Tamara resists requests for various house pets (namely Corgis), enjoys watching real football (soccer), buys books on Amazon that she will never get around to reading, and dreams of retiring to one of the islands of Croatia.

Favorite Fun Fact: Andrew Jackson had a talking pet parrot named Poll. Poll had to be removed from Jackson’s funeral because it screeched obscenities and curse words at the mourners.

Follow Tamara on Twitter @tamarakalacevic

POLICY COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE 

Trahern@iDueProcess.org

Trahern Brown's passion for criminal legal reform stems from his father, a former public defender, and his own experience working directly with people who were incarcerated. He believes policy reform and bipartisan legislative action can achieve meaningful change, produce fairer outcomes in the criminal legal system, and advance us toward justice.

   
Prior to joining DPI, Tray worked at Knox County Public Defender Office where he did investigative work on serious felony cases and advocated on behalf of clients. While attending Tulane University, Tray tutored Lafayette Parish Prison inmates in creative writing and interned as a client advocate at Orleans Public Defenders and an investigator at PDS.   

Outside of work, Tray enjoys waking up early to root for Leeds United, reading history monographs, preventing his cat from getting in trouble, and fantasizing about traveling back to Albania where he worked at a beach town hostel.    

Favorite Fun Fact: In 148 AD, the world’s first seismograph was invented in China. 

Follow Tray on Twitter @tuffbucketz

LEGAL POLICY FELLOW

Meanna@iDueProcess.org

Meanna Gray joined Due Process Institute to engage her interest in advancing criminal legal reform and civil rights. Passionate about reshaping the justice system through legislative criminal reform, civil rights advocacy, and gender equality, Meanna is dedicated to leveraging public policy to drive systemic change.

Prior to joining DPI, Meanna received her J.D. from Columbia Law School as a Max Berger Fellow and her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. At Columbia Law School, she served as an article editor for the Human Rights Law Review and the Jailhouse Lawyers’ Manual—a renowned resource for incarcerated individuals to assist them in understanding their legal rights. Meanna also participated in two civil rights-focused clinics—the Just Transition Clinic and the Family Defense Clinic–which allowed her to grapple with a variety of pressing civil rights issues such as the effects of climate change and children’s rights. She also served as a law clerk for the Senate Judiciary Committee where she gained practical experience in legislative work where she conducted legal research and assisted with hearing preparation concerning asylum law and criminal legal reform.

Prior to law school, Meanna interned with a member of the California State Assembly where she witnessed the dynamic environment of legislative work and felt a sense of purpose by contributing to bills on officer-involved shootings and gender-based violence. With a deep-rooted commitment to serving the public, Meanna also was a member of JusticeCorps, where she provided direct assistance to pro se litigants in domestic violence law, family law, and housing law. 

Meanna is from Southern California and currently lives in DC. When she isn’t working, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends’ dogs.

Favorite Fun Fact: Competitive art used to be an Olympic Sport from 1912 to 1948. Meanna hopes it can be brought back to the Olympics during her lifetime!