Sema Taheri joined MFJ in 2016. As the Director of the Research and Strategic Initiatives (RSI) Team, Sema collaborates with the Engagement and Data Processing teams to develop MFJ’s data collection and data management methodology. She directs the operations of the RSI Team, and maintains and manages the established relationships with outside partners. She also works closely with MFJ’s leadership to advance the organization’s research agenda.

Prior to joining MFJ, Sema taught and conducted research on how criminal justice organizations interact with the populations they are meant to serve. She has worked directly with various criminal justice agencies, including front and back-end system actors, on projects including evaluations of treatment programming,and analyses of trends in population. At MFJ, she has also worked closely with practitioners across the system on projects related to data standards, performance measure development, and evaluation. Her research interests include institutional and community corrections, offender reentry, CJ organizations, program evaluation, and closing the gap between research and practice.

Sema holds a Ph.D. in Criminology & Justice Policy from Northeastern University and a M.A. in Criminology & Criminal Justice from Loyola University Chicago. She currently lives in Waukesha, Wisconsin.