Faculty and Staff

Heather Warnken was named executive director of the Center in January 2022. Prior to coming to the University of Baltimore, her work at both the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Berkeley Law's Warren Institute was focused on addressing the harm caused by the criminal legal system and promoting healing in marginalized communities. This work has included efforts to end the criminalization of trauma, and to increase resources for community-based strategies and services that more effectively enhance public safety and prevent harm.

Warnken leads the center’s legislative and policy advocacy efforts at the state and national levels, including working to advance bills spanning decarceration, reentry, expungement, drug policy, policing, victim services and violence reduction in the Maryland General Assembly’s 2024 and 2025 sessions. In October 2023 she was named to the Executive Committee of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), an historic initiative launched by the Maryland Attorney General and Public Defender to shape a comprehensive plan for addressing mass incarceration, particularly impacting Black men and other marginalized groups within Maryland's prisons and jails. She also serves on several MEJC work groups, including co-chairing the Law Enforcement Policy and Practices reform working group.  

As a visiting fellow at DOJ, Office of Justice Programs, co-affiliated with the Bureau of Justice Statistics and Office for Victims of Crime, Warnken served in the first-ever position dedicated to bridging the gap between research, policy and practice to improve the response to individuals and communities impacted by crime victimization. Through this role she facilitated collaboration across federal, state and local government partners, practitioners, researchers, and directly impacted communities in the implementation of equitable, data-driven policies and programs nationwide. 

Prior to DOJ, Warnken spent five years as a legal policy associate at the Warren Institute on Law & Social Policy at University of California, Berkeley School of Law. While there, she worked on multidisciplinary initiatives in criminal and youth justice reform, including leading two statewide assessments on how to improve access to services and compensation for underserved survivors of crime.  

Warnken serves on the Maryland Attorney General’s Civil Rights Advisory Council, and the Task Force to Study Transparency Standards for State’s Attorneys, appointed by Governor Wes Moore. She was recently recognized by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Leaders in Law, named a ‘Gamechanger’ by Baltimore magazine, and, in partnership with CCJR Faculty Director Prof. David Jaros, received the law school faculty scholarship award for Excellence in Public Discourse. 

Warnken clerked for the Hon. Joseph F. Murphy on the Maryland Supreme Court, and has provided pro bono legal assistance in a range of civil, criminal and administrative matters. She has authored numerous publications, testified before the House Gun Violence Task Force and in numerous state legislatures, and presented her work at dozens of conferences and other venues throughout the country.

She holds an LL.M. from UC Berkeley School of Law (where she received the Fahey Award for deep commitment to ending violence against women); a J.D., cum laude with pro bono distinction, from Suffolk University Law School, and a B.A., with honors, from Johns Hopkins University.