Alumni Highlights
We are so lucky to have so many exceptional alumni!
Don’t forget to send us your updates at criminaljustice@wsu.edu. We want to celebrate your accomplishments with you!
Some updates and accomplishments of our outstanding alumni:
Ming-Li Hsieh was awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Ming-Li joined the faculty at Wisconsin after receiving her PhD from the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at WSU in Spring 2016. We are proud of Ming-Li Hsieh and the wonderful contributions she is making to the Criminal Justice field of study.
Paden Carter (MA 2022), an employment specialist at the First Step House, started his career in July 2022 helping individuals prepare for and find work in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area. Paden’s position at the First Step House assists individuals with enrolling in the employment program, documenting the clients’ preferences related to work, and helping clients find services through vocational rehabilitation if a client’s disability is a significant barrier to securing and keeping a job. In addition to these duties, Paden also teaches a four-week class on various employment topics such as résumé building, interviewing, community resources, and balancing recovery with work. The First Step House is a non-profit organization that employs people who are formerly houseless and in varying stages of recovery from serious mental illness (SMI) or a substance use disorder (SUD).
Elizabeth Drake (PhD 2022), is the associate director for the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County and oversees the operations of programming, financial accountability, and staffing and systems. A large part of her job is to manage the multi-party facilitations/mediations and restorative justice activities and manage grants for the center. Recently, the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County was awarded a $115,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to provide housing support services for people reentering the community from the Department of Corrections.
Michael D. Reisig (MA 1992, PhD 1996) is a professor at Arizona State University and was recently named an American Society of Criminology (ASC) Fellow at the 2022 Annual ASC Conference in Atlanta, GA. This prestigious Fellowship recognizes recipients’ scholarly contributions to the criminology field and excellence in the discipline. The recipients of this Fellowship have exemplary contributions in public policy in addition to developing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of criminology and within society.