The KSSC is pleased to announce that Dr. Carmen Diaz has been hired as the KSSC Research Director. Dr. Diaz recently held the Senior Research Analyst position at the Commission. In her current role, she manages the Commission’s sentencing data. She leverages this data, along with other Kansas criminal justice data sources, to support data-driven and evidence-based decision making. Her responsibilities include producing the agency’s annual report, legislative impact assessments, and prison population projections. Dr. Diaz also leads the state of Kansas’ Statistical Analysis Center (SAC).

Dr. Diaz earned her PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Indiana University Bloomington. Dr. Diaz also holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and Public Safety from Indiana University Indianapolis and a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs from Indiana University Bloomington.Prior to joining the Commission, Dr. Diaz worked as a co-investigator and research assistant on six grants and contracts funded by the National Institute of Justice, Arnold Ventures, and local agencies. During this time, she conducted research in partnership with prosecutors, probation professionals, and other criminal justice stakeholders. Her recent research has examined prosecutorial decision-making, probation supervision practices, and the pretrial period and has been published in theJournal of Criminal Justice,Corrections, theFederal Sentencing Reporter, andCrime & Delinquency. She replaces Dr. John Grube, who accepted a faculty position with the University of Kansas.