STAFF
Legal Staff
STEVE WAX
Legal Director
swax@oregoninnocence.info
Steve Wax served as Oregon's Federal Public Defender from 1983 to 2014, and was one of the longest-serving public defenders in the country. He was a key part of the Brooklyn, NY, District Attorney's prosecution of David Berkowitz, AKA "The Son of Sam". Steve and his federal defender team successfully represented six men formerly held as "enemy combatants" in Guantanamo.
Steve has taught at Lewis & Clark Law School, serves as an ethics prosecutor for the Oregon State Bar, and lectures throughout the country. He has been honored for his work by, among other groups, the NACDL (2004 President's Commendation), the American Jewish Committee (Oregon Chapter 2007 Judge Learned Hand Award), the ACLU (Oregon 2007 Civil Rights Award and Oregon 2010 Hon. James M Burns Professionalism Award) and the American Constitution Society (Oregon Chapter 2014 Justice Hans Linde Civil Liberties Award).
Steve was invited to present the 2009 Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Memorial Peace Lecture at Oregon State University. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Kafka Comes to America, his book about his work representing Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield and the men in Guantanamo, has won four national awards, including the prestigious ABA Silver Gavel.
JD, Harvard Law School, cum laude
AB, Colgate University, cum laude
KENNETH A. KREUSCHER
Managing Attorney
kkreuscher@oregoninnocence.info
Kenneth A. Kreuscher has been a criminal-defense and civil-rights attorney since 2006. He has represented criminal defendants and civil-rights plaintiffs in both state and federal court at trial, on direct appeal, on state post-conviction, and on habeas review. His criminal case work has ranged from protest-related violations to death-penalty murders, and everything in between.
His professional passions have always been on combating governmental overreach and to focus on using his skills (and access) as a lawyer to work for a more just and equitable world.
Out of the office, he enjoys exploring the mountains and rivers of Cascadia, reading science fiction, and playing soccer. He joined the Oregon Innocence Project as managing attorney in 2022
JD, cum laude, Lewis & Clark Law School
KASSIDY HETLAND
Staff Attorney
khetland@oregoninnocence.info
Kassidy grew up in Wyoming and studied psychology and criminal justice at the University of Wyoming. Having discovered a passion for advocating for and alongside those harmed by the criminal legal system, Kassidy moved to Oregon to attend the University of Oregon School of Law. During law school, she interned at a criminal defense office and the Oregon Innocence Project. After graduation, Kassidy worked as a judicial law clerk and then as an attorney at Metropolitan Public Defender, where she had the honor of representing clients facing criminal charges. Kassidy now works as a staff attorney for the Oregon Innocence Project.
JD, University of Oregon School of Law
BA, University of Wyoming
ADMINISTRATION
The Oregon Innocence Project is administered by the Oregon Justice Resource Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
BOBBIN SINGH
Executive Director
Oregon Justice Resource Center
AMIE WEXLER
Associate Director
Oregon Justice Resource Center
ALICE LUNDELL
Director of Communication
Oregon Justice Resource Center
ZACH WINSTON
Policy Director
Oregon Justice Resource Center
PRO BONO STAFF
LISA CHRISTON
Attorney
PHIL LEWIS
Attorney
The Oregon Innocence Project was founded in 2014 and is a program of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon. OJRC (OIP) is a member of the Innocence Network. For a full staff directory, visit OJRC's website.