Pennsylvania

Contact:
John Norton, 202-999-4268
jnorton@famm.org

Maria Goellner appointed to Governor-elect Josh Shapiro’s Transition Advisory Committee on Public Safety

HARRISBURG – FAMM Pennsylvania State Policy Director Maria Goellner has been named to Governor-elect Josh Shapiro’s Transition Advisory Committee on Public Safety, which covers sentencing and prison policies. Shapiro, in preparation for taking office in January, has built a transition team to help him begin the process of planning and implementing his policy objectives.

“I am honored to serve on the Shapiro Transition Advisory Committee on Public Safety,” said Goellner. “FAMM is nonpartisan in its approach, and we stand ready to help when leaders of either party seek our input. Our sentencing and prison reform work is informed by families affected by incarceration, and I will do my best to make their perspective heard in the advisory committee and by the Governor-elect.”

Goellner brings a wealth of criminal justice experience to the Shapiro Transition Advisory Committee on Public Safety. Goellner previously was the sole attorney for the Erie Division in the Federal Defender’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She also served as a trial lawyer on Florida’s Gulf Coast and clerked with the Legal Aid Society in Queens. Goellner sat on the Third Circuit Lawyers Advisory Committee, and the Board of the Erie County Bar Association, where she co-founded the Diversity and Inclusion Section. She was recognized by the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for exceptional advocacy and commitment to education and equal justice. Goellner is currently FAMM’s Pennsylvania State Director. She lives in Erie.

For nearly three decades, FAMM has united the voices of affected families, the formerly incarcerated, and a range of stakeholders and advocates to fight for a more fair and effective justice system. FAMM’s focus on ending an inflexible and draconian punishment structure has led to reforms to sentencing and prison policies at the state and federal levels and is paving the way to programs that support rehabilitation for the 94% of all prisoners who will return to our neighborhoods one day.

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safely reduce incarceration, save taxpayer dollars, and keep families together. Founded in 1991, FAMM has secured bold sentencing and prison reform across the country while elevating the voices of directly impacted individuals and families.

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