The Board

Jordan Hoogsteden (he/him) is a 3L from Central Jersey. He received his B.A. in Public Policy Analysis from Pomona College and went straight through to law school. Jordan has been a member of Harvard Defenders since his first semester of law school and was previously a Case Assignment Director.

During his 1L summer, Jordan interned at Orleans Public Defenders. His following 2L summer, he interned at The Bronx Defenders in the Criminal Defense Practice. At Harvard, Jordan was part of both the Crimmigration and Housing clinics. This year, he will be a student attorney with the Criminal Justice Institute. After graduation, Jordan hopes to become a Public Defender. 

Defenders is (by far) Jordan’s favorite part of Harvard Law. It is an honor to lead this organization, and he looks forward to continuing to zealously serve clients alongside the rest of the Defenders community!

Tabitha Escalante (she/her) is a 3L from Ohio. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College with an A.B. in Sociology and Secondary in Government. There, her studies focused on police, prisons, and crime. During her 1L summer, Tabitha worked at Civil Rights Corps, challenging unconstitutional pretrial detention orders and rampant police brutality. At HLS, Tabitha is on the board of the Prison Legal Assistance Project and La Alianza. This year, she will also join the Child Advocacy Clinic’s juvenile justice track.

Zahra Saifi is a second year in the JD/MPP program. She graduated from Brown University, where she studied Behavioral Science and Middle East Studies with a focus on improving services and support for immigrants and refugees. She spent her 1L summer at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where she was lucky to work with incredible attorneys and clients. At Harvard, Zahra is a course assistant for the Race and Racism curriculum at the Harvard Kennedy School and is on the board of the HLS chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. She feels privileged to represent Defenders clients both in their hearings and as a member of the Executive Board.

Elise is a 2L from the Greater Houston area. Prior to law school, she worked in education policy in DC for two years. Elise has loved being part of the Defenders community and cannot wait to continue working with this amazing group of people as Community Director! 

Micah Herskind is a third-year law student and Case Assignment Director for Harvard Defenders. Micah is a co-editor of No Cop City, No Cop World: Lessons from the Movement (Haymarket Books, 2025), and has written for outlets including New York Magazine, Scalawag, MSNBC, Prism, Teen Vogue, and Race & Class. Prior to law school, Micah worked as a paralegal for the Federal Public Defender in Atlanta, GA and as a policy advocate at the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Abigail (she/her) is a 3L from Ames, Iowa. She received her B.A. in 2018 from the University of Virginia. Prior to law school, she worked in civil rights litigation as a paralegal at Relman Colfax PLLC and intake manager at the National Student Legal Defense Network. Abigail interned with the New Hampshire Public Defender during her 1L summer and the Colorado State Public Defender during her 2L summer. At HLS, Abigail has been part of the Crimmigration and Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinics, and on the board of the National Lawyers Guild. She is excited to continue advocating for clients this year, both in show-cause hearings and through her role as Case Assignment Director.  

Emily Berry is a 3L from Annapolis, Maryland. She received her B.A. in Government and Politics in 2021 and her Master of Public Policy in 2022, both from the University of Maryland. Her past internship and work roles have included time in state government, legal aid, and a law firm in Washington D.C. This summer, she is interning at the Federal Public Defenders Office in Providence, Rhode Island. At HLS, she is Online Writing Editor for Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review and has been a member of the Prison Legal Assistance Project, the 2024 Captured Courts Conference planning team, and Defenders since her first semester. She is honored and excited to join the Defenders Executive Board!

Hunter Callaway (he/him) is a 2L from Birmingham, Alabama. He studied Political Science at Davidson College in Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating, he worked in the intake team in Georgia Justice Project’s Criminal Records Program, where he helped launch two new Second Chance Desks to provide record-sealing to legal deserts. In law school, he is an incoming member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and excited to join the Executive Board of Defenders!

Rachel is a rising 3L at Harvard Law School. She was raised in Dedham, MA and lived in New York City for two years after college. There, she worked as a case coordinator for a bail reform program in Manhattan. Working alongside public defenders inspired her to go to law school. In her first semester, Rachel joined Harvard Defenders, and immediately was so grateful to have a public interest minded community on campus. As Community Director of Defenders this year, Rachel hopes to keep up the amazing energy in Defenders and help bolster the organization’s ability to provide holistic resources for clients by coordinating training on referrals and navigating mental health and Padilla conflicts. Rachel is a long-time member of Beyonce’s BeyHive and a new fan of camping and hiking, let her know if you need convincing regarding the importance of Cowboy Carter

Ava Pacchiana is a 2L from Durham, North Carolina. Prior to law school, she worked at an NGO in Warsaw, Poland and later at the Innocence Project in New York. Ava joined Harvard Defenders her first semester, and it’s been the highlight of her law school experience. She’s excited to welcome the next class of Defenders in her role as Training Co-Director!

Kayleigh Hasson (she/her) is a 2L from Ellicott City, Maryland. She graduated from University of Maryland with a BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice and a BS in Economics. After graduating, she taught middle school math in Washington, D.C. for two years before law school. During her 1L summer, Kayleigh worked at Prisoners’ Legal Services on litigation teams challenging visitation policies and practices, legislative advocacy, and immigration and legal organizing. At HLS, she is involved in National Lawyers Guild, Prison Legal Assistance Project, and the Child Advocacy clinic. Kayleigh is excited to serve as an Outreach Co-Director this year and looks forward to continuing to advocate on behalf of Defenders clients and community members.

Sumita (she/her) is a 2L from Ridgewood, NJ. She received her B.S. in French and mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2019. Prior to law school, she worked in death penalty defense and racial justice public education in Montgomery, Alabama. She spent her 1L summer with the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center in New Orleans. At HLS, she is also part of the Prison Legal Assistance Project and Capital Punishment Clinic. Sumita is honored and excited to help Defenders provide compassionate, client-centered representation to as many of our community members as possible.

Molly Hayes is a 2L from Alexandria, Virginia. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2023 with a B.A. in Public Policy and a minor in Government. During her 1L summer, Molly worked for the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Florida in the Capital Habeas Unit. At Harvard, Molly also serves as a student attorney with the Prison Legal Assistance Project and participates in the Child Advocacy Clinic. 

Cecily Burge is a 2L from New York City. During her 1L summer, Cecily interned with Brooklyn Defender Services in their Family Defense Practice. Prior to law school, Cecily spent three years at the Innocence Project, where she worked to help free innocent people behind bars. Before joining the Innocence Project, Cecily was a Fellow at the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, where she helped launch the organization’s cornerstone Prison Visitation Program. Cecily graduated from Georgetown University in 2021 with a B.A. in Government. In college, she helped individuals returning from incarceration find employment and produced an award-winning documentary about wrongful conviction. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Cecily hopes to pursue a career in public defense.

Autumn is a rising 2L from Cincinnati, Ohio. Before law school, she interned with the federal government on voting rights issues. She joined Harvard Defenders during her first semester, and it has been the highlight of her law school experience. As one of the Litman Directors, Autumn is excited to carry forward the legacy of Defenders and strengthen connections among past, present, and future Defenders.

Kendall Matsumoto (she/her) is a 2L from Bethesda, MD. She received a B.S. in climate and ocean sciences and a B.A. in ethnic studies from Stanford in 2022. Before law school, she worked at a non-profit based in the Bay Area, focusing on environmental and climate justice.

During her 1L summer, Kendall worked as the appellate intern for the ACLU of Northern California, working primarily on racial justice matters. At HLS, she serves on the board of the Asian Pacific American Law Students’ Association and is involved with the Environmental Law Clinic. Kendall has loved being a member of the Harvard Defenders community and feels honored to be working alongside such committed advocates. 

Allison is a 2L from Cincinnati, Ohio. After studying History and Africana Studies at Brown University, she moved to Germany to work as an English Teaching Assistant. Later, she returned to the US where she was a Project Assistant at a DC-based think tank. At law school, Allison is involved in Black Law Students Association and is excited to serve with the Board of Student Advisors for the upcoming year. She spent her first law school summer as a Law Clerk at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia in the Trial Division. Allison hopes to become a public defender. 

Since 1980, Attorney John Salsberg has been the clinical instructor at Harvard Defenders.  John is an experienced trial lawyer, focusing on state and federal criminal litigation and academic discipline cases. His legal career started at the Public Defender office in Boston, until he went into private practice. He was also a part time faculty member at Boston College Law School.

John was a founding member and chair of Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, a not-for-profit organization coordinating the provision of private assigned counsel to indigent criminal defendants charged with offenses in the Suffolk County Superior and District Courts. He was a Board Member, and then Chair, of the Criminal Justice Act Board, which is responsible for managing the selection and performance of private attorneys who take appointments in the First Circuit. John is experienced in handling high profile murder cases and has taught at continuing legal education seminars and authored articles in the area of criminal defense practice.

In 1998, John received the Edward J. Duggan Award for “zealous advocacy and outstanding legal services to the poor” from the Committee for Public Counsel Services, and has been recognized by the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Lawyers Guild for his work as a criminal defense attorney.

Sama joined Harvard Defenders in 2021. Prior to working at Harvard Defenders, Sama worked at Harvard Medical School as an Events and Logistics Administrator.  After two years, Sama joined the Alumni Center at Harvard Law School.

Sama earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Keele University in the United Kingdom. She earned her Master of Arts in Organizational Behavior from Murray State University and Master of Liberal Arts in Management from Harvard Extension School.

Sama is passionate about diversity and inclusion. She is the founder of the first HLS Staff Cultural Festival. She served as an advisory committee member on the HLS Dean’s Award for Excellence and Harvard Heroes. Sama is also the recipient of 2023 Suzanne L. Richardson Staff Appreciation Award which is given each year to a staff member who demonstrates commitment to the student experience and concern for students’ lives and work.

Sama is very committed to working with our General Board to help serve our clients effectively, while also supporting all members of Harvard Defenders.