Nancy La Vigne

In March 2022, President Biden appointed Dr. Nancy La Vigne to be Director of the National Institute of Justice. She leads the Justice Department’s research, technology, and evaluation agency, overseeing a wide array of social science research projects, technology initiatives, and forensic activities focused on improving public safety and ensuring the fairness and effectiveness of the justice system. She is a nationally recognized criminal justice policy expert and former nonprofit executive whose expertise includes criminal justice technologies and evidence-based practices. She holds a criminal justice Ph.D. (Rutgers University-Newark), a public affairs master’s degree (Lyndon B. Johnson School, University of Texas-Austin), and a government and economics bachelor’s degree (Smith College).