GIFFORDS - Key Persons

Adam Skaggs - VP

Job Titles:

Vice President
Vice President, Giffords Law Center / Los Angeles
Vice President, Giffords Law Center @Jadamskaggs / Los Angeles

Adam Skaggs serves as the vice president of Giffords Law Center. Previously, he was senior counsel at Everytown for Gun Safety and at the Brennan Center for Justice, where he worked on election law issues. Adam was also a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and a law clerk at the Eleventh Circuit and the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Adam's commentary has been published in Slate, Politico, the Atlantic, and the New York Times, among other publications, and he has been widely quoted by media ranging from the Wall Street Journal and Fox News to the New York Times and MSNBC. Adam graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn Law School, received an MS in Urban Affairs from Hunter College of the City University of New York, and holds a BA, awarded with distinction, from Swarthmore College.

Adzi Vokhiwa

Job Titles:

Affairs Director

Adzi Vokhiwa is the federal affairs director at Giffords. In this role, she manages and executes the organization's federal legislative strategy and works with members of Congress and their staff to advance gun safety legislation. Previously, she was the events manager at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the senior program associate at Women's Action for New Directions (WAND). Adzi earned a BS in public policy from Georgia State University and an MPS in political management at The George Washington University.

Alex Nguyen

Job Titles:

Research Manager, Giffords Law Center San Francisco

Alex joined Giffords Law Center in 2020 and is the research manager for the organization. He uses data and evidence to look for new perspectives and approaches to gun violence prevention. Alex has authored research reports and memos focused on gun violence in the US territories and gun violence in Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Before joining Giffords, Alex worked on improving community-based interventions and helped conduct research regarding the experiences of undocumented individuals in California. Alex received an MPH from the Fielding School of Public Health and an MA in Asian American Studies from UCLA.

Allison Anderman - Chief Legal Officer

Job Titles:

Director
Senior Counsel
Senior Counsel & Director of Local Policy, Giffords Law Center / Philadelphia

Allison Anderman, senior counsel and director of local policy, joined Giffords Law Center in 2014 as a staff attorney. She works with states and local governments around the country to draft and enact a wide variety of gun safety legislation. Allison authors Gun Law Trendwatch-Giffords Law Center's roundup of state firearm legislation-and manages the legal content of the website. Allison is also the lead attorney responsible for production of Giffords Law Center's Annual Gun Law Scorecard. During her time at Giffords, Allison has authored reports, white papers, blog posts, and op-eds that have appeared in the Washington Post and other major media outlets. Allison speaks at events around the country and has analyzed and debated gun laws on TV and radio, including CNN, NBC, and national NPR programs. She has been quoted extensively in the press, including by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and the Guardian. Prior to joining Giffords Law Center, Allison represented low-income individuals sued by predatory debt collectors and plaintiffs in employment discrimination cases. Allison holds a BA from the University of Rochester and JD from the University of San Francisco where she was a member of the law review.

Ari Freilich

Job Titles:

State Policy Director, Giffords Law Center San Francisco

State Policy Director Ari Freilich joined Giffords Law Center in early 2015. He has worked to draft, champion, and pass a variety of gun safety reforms into law, including California's landmark Proposition 63 ballot initiative. Ari works closely with legislators and activists in states across the country and has written Giffords Law Center's comprehensive reports about suicide prevention and closing the firearm relinquishment gap. An expert on mental health policy and state legislation, Ari has discussed and debated issues related to gun violence on TV, radio, and in print and has been quoted in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, USA Today, the Atlantic, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, CNN, NPR, and many other outlets. Prior to joining Giffords Law Center, Ari was an AMVETS veterans' advocacy legal fellow, where he focused on litigation and policy work surrounding the military justice system's treatment of mental health and suicide. He also published multiple law review articles on these topics. Ari earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his law degree from Stanford Law School.

Billy Clark

Job Titles:

Litigation Attorney, Giffords Law Center / Vermont

Billy Clark joined Giffords Law Center in 2022. As part of the litigation team, he develops affirmative litigation strategies to effectuate gun safety reforms and defends against constitutional challenges to a variety of gun safety policies. In addition, he consults with local governments and other organizations, providing guidance on how to actualize gun safety policies, including by challenging legal impediments to those policies. Billy also heads Giffords's historical research efforts, working with legal scholars and historians to study the tradition of commonsense gun laws in the United States. Before joining Giffords, Billy was a litigation associate and member of the white-collar crime and government enforcement group at Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC in Burlington, Vermont. He previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Douglas P. Woodlock at the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts and for the Honorable Norman H. Stahl at the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Billy has a JD from Boston College Law School, an MA in English literature from the University of Vermont, and a BA in history and English literature from the University of Vermont.

Brittany Nieto

Job Titles:

Program Manager at Giffords Center for Violence Intervention
Program Manager, Giffords Center for Violence Intervention / San Francisco

Brittany is the program manager at Giffords Center for Violence Intervention. She works to inform the public and policymakers about the most effective community-led approaches to reducing gun violence. Her data analysis, secondary research, and work with community partners and national experts informs Giffords Center for Violence Intervention's publications, policy, and advocacy. Since joining the organization in 2016, Brittany has contributed to several reports on subjects ranging from leveraging federal grant programs to support community violence intervention to exploring diversion for nonviolent gun offenses. She is the co-author of A Case Study in Hope: Lessons from Oakland's Remarkable Reduction in Gun Violence, which has been cited by numerous media outlets, lawmakers at the local, state, and federal level, and a multitude of national organizations focused social and racial justice. She also provides coordination and organizing support to the Giffords-led California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Coalition. Brittany is an advocate for social, economic, and racial justice with a background in operations, marketing, research, organizing, and advocacy. Prior to joining Giffords, she worked across a range of progressive causes, from the affordability of higher education to LGBTQ+ rights. Brittany holds a BA in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

David Pucino

Job Titles:

Counsel
Deputy Chief
Deputy Chief Counsel, Giffords Law Center New York

David Pucino is the deputy chief counsel at Giffords Law Center. As part of Giffords Law Center's litigation team, David pursues affirmative litigation and defends laws that enhance firearm safety. He also drafts and analyzes gun legislation and works to promote federal, state, and local policies designed to prevent gun violence. David helps manage the Firearms Accountability Counsel Taskforce (FACT), a joint effort of leading gun violence prevention organizations working with the nation's preeminent law firms to reduce gun violence. David holds a BA from Providence College, an AM in English and American literature from Washington University in St. Louis, and a JD from Columbia Law School.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell

Job Titles:

Senior Advisor
Senior Advisor, Giffords / Florida
Senior Advisor, Giffords @DebbieforFL / Florida

Giffords Senior Advisor Debbie Mucarsel-Powell was the first South American-born immigrant ever elected to Congress. Debbie immigrated to the United States at the age of 14 with her mother and three sisters. When she was 24, Debbie's father was murdered, which led her to dedicate her life to advocating for commonsense gun reform. Debbie was elected to Florida's 26th Congressional District in 2018. In Congress, she focused on foreign affairs, education, healthcare policy, environmental sustainability, and gun violence prevention. She sat on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security and served as Vice-Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, where she led efforts to pass the first gun safety legislation in 25 years. Debbie came to Congress with more than 20 years of experience at the FIU College of Medicine, FIU College of Health & Urban Affairs, FIU College of Social Work, Justice and Public Affairs, and Miami-Dade College, as well as experience at nonprofits providing social services, education, and environmental sustainability. Fluent in Spanish, Debbie is also available for Spanish-language media.

Esther Sanchez-Gomez

Job Titles:

Litigation Director, Giffords Law Center New York

Esther Sanchez-Gomez joined Giffords Law Center in early 2021. As the litigation director, she develops affirmative litigation strategies to effectuate gun safety reforms and defends against constitutional challenges to a variety of gun safety policies. In addition, she consults with local governments and other organizations, providing guidance on how to actualize gun safety policies, including by challenging legal impediments to those policies. Esther also heads Giffords Law Center's amicus brief program. Before joining Giffords Law Center, Esther was a litigation associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in San Francisco. She previously clerked for the Honorable Rosemary Márquez at the US District Court for the District of Arizona. Esther holds a JD and BS from the University of Arizona. Fluent in Spanish, Esther is also available for Spanish-language media. Admitted in California and Arizona.

Gun Laws

Giffords Law Center works in all 50 states to change policies and challenge injustice. We won't rest until every state has strong gun safety laws and every community is free from the fear of gun violence. Take a deep dive into every major gun safety policy area, from universal background checks and extreme risk laws to community violence intervention.

Gun Safety - President

Job Titles:

President

James Willard

Job Titles:

Deputy Engagement Director
Deputy Engagement Director, Giffords / Washington DC

James Willard is the deputy engagement director at Giffords, joining the team in 2018 as a founding member of the Engagement team. James develops and implements campaigns to build the organization's coalition of gun violence prevention advocates across the country. He leads Giffords' relationships with survivors and prioritizes the voices of people most impacted by gun violence. Prior to joining Giffords, James was a project manager at Peak XV Global Events, a Visitors Office intern in President Obama's White House, and a special projects manager at Organizing for Action. James holds a BS in political science from Central Michigan University.

Jason Boren

Job Titles:

Director
Deputy Engagement Director, Gun Owners for Safety Washington DC

Jason is the deputy engagement director, charged with building the Gun Owners for Safety program at Giffords. Day to day, he manages the growth and development of the Gun Owners for Safety program by building state chapters of ambassadors. He has also provided technical expertise to briefs filed in court fighting the proliferation of ghost guns. Jason is a veteran firefighter/paramedic who has treated victims of gun violence. As a gun owner, he has shot competition pistol and three-gun, and has built firearms from kits at home. He has devoted his professional career to organizing democratic causes and movements dedicated to saving lives. Jason holds a BA in political science from Northern Kentucky University.

Jordan Costa

Job Titles:

Project Manager for Giffords Law Center 's Community Violence Initiative
Project Manager, Giffords Center for Violence Intervention
Project Manager, Giffords Center for Violence Intervention New Jersey

Jordan serves as project manager for Giffords Law Center's Community Violence Initiative. In this capacity, she supports the efforts of those on the ground doing community violence work that centers the needs and voices of the most impacted. She comes to this work as someone who has personally experienced losing a parent to gun violence and aspires to contribute to efforts that keep families safe and whole. Prior to joining Giffords, Jordan volunteered in hospital-based violence intervention programs in the DC metropolitan area connecting young men who had suffered violent injuries with the appropriate social services, and tutored both English and Spanish-speaking students for the GED inside local jails and prisons. She has also contributed to survivor-centered storytelling projects, such as "Life After the Gunshot." Additionally, Jordan has examined the issue of community violence from the non-profit and philanthropy lens through her work with Convergence Center for Policy Resolution and Arnold Ventures. Currently, Jordan is finishing her PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Newark, New Jersey, and serves as a doctoral research fellow for New Jersey's Gun Violence Research Center where she examines community trauma, structural violence, and the wellbeing of violence intervention workers. Jordan holds a dual BA in Psychology and Criminology/Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, College Park with a minor in Spanish Language and Cultures.