Our Team

Maria Goellner
Senior Director of State Policy
Maria Goellner (“gell-ner”) is a public interest attorney and advocate for equal justice. As FAMM’s Senior Director of Policy, she works with policymakers, families, the public, and the media on criminal justice priorities in multiple jurisdictions across the United States.
Maria has protected the rights and dignity of thousands. She came to FAMM from the Federal Defender’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where she was the sole attorney for the Erie Division. She also served as a trial lawyer on Florida’s Gulf Coast and clerked with the Legal Aid Society in Queens. Maria sat on the Third Circuit Lawyers Advisory Committee and the Board of the Erie County Bar Association. She supports participatory defense hubs, and was recognized by the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for exceptional advocacy.
Maria graduated from Fordham University and New York Law School with bachelor’s degrees in political science and international relations and a Juris Doctor. She is a second-generation American and lives near the beach in Erie, Pennsylvania, with family. Her nickname is MJ.
Twitter: @MJGoellner