Career and Education:

She began her career as a public defender in New York City at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, an experience that emboldened her commitment to a just and equitable society. After leaving the public defense sector, she worked for a range of institutions and organizations promoting justice and equity, which included serving as a senior program specialist at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency in California, as a policy director and lobbyist for Michigan’s LGBT equal rights organization, and as the director of the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity at Duke University.

Bernadette developed the first LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) and GNC (gender nonconforming) training curriculum for those seeking to become certified PREA auditors by the U.S. Department of Justice. Bernadette assists correctional and youth detention facilities with the implementation and enforcement of the PREA Standards.

Bernadette received her A.B. in anthropology from Columbia University, where she was a Robert A. Quittmeyer Scholar and a member of the Dean’s List. She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where she was an Edward F. Hennessey Scholar. She is a member of the New York State Uniformed Court System.