Kathryn
Campbell

Professor Campbell is the director of Innocence Ottawa, and has spent decades researching issues relating to miscarriages of justice, including research examining the limits of expert testimony in criminal trials, a comparative study regarding the impact of preventive detention strategies on wrongful conviction, an examination of schemes of exoneration and compensation for the wrongly convicted, as well as a study of questions around the admissibility of problematic evidence. Her other research interests include Indigenous justice, youth justice and animal law.

Mackenzy
Brochu

Mackenzy Brochu has successfully graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor’s of Social Science specializing in Criminology within the French Immersion Stream. Additionally, Mackenzy has assisted Dr. Campbell with ongoing research projects surrounding wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice. While volunteering with Innocence Ottawa Mackenzy promotes trust, respect, honesty, and effective communication.

Lisa
Coutu

Lisa Coutu graduated from the University of Ottawa’s Common Law program in 2022. Her passion is access to justice, and she is dedicated to being part of the solution to the problem of wrongful convictions. She is a senior member of Innocence Ottawa, and has been with the organization since 2019. Lisa is currently completing her terms of articles in criminal and family law with Renfrew County lawyers, and is working towards joining the Ontario bar in 2023.

Samantha
Savage

Samantha Savage is a junior member of Innocence Ottawa and has been with the organization since 2022. Samantha has always been interested in the pursuit of justice and justice system reform. In her undergraduate degree, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts double majoring in Law and Society and English with a certificate in Criminology. She recently obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Ottawa’s Common Law Program. In law school, her Major Paper focused on expert evidence in Canada and how it can contribute to wrongful convictions. Samantha is currently completing her articles in a general service firm in Pembroke, Ontario, and expects to be called to the Ontario Bar in Spring 2023. Although she will be practising primarily in family and real estate law, she hopes to dedicate her volunteer time to criminal justice system reform, particularly as it relates to wrongful convictions.

Vanessa
Petronilho

Vanessa Petronilho is a junior member of the Innocence Ottawa who has been with the organization since 2022. Vanessa graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work from McMaster University. Her social work background has sparked an interest in advocacy work, particularly for individuals on the margins of society. She is currently in her second year of law school at the University of Ottawa. She aspires to use her legal knowledge to reform the judicial system and address wrongful convictions.

Eilish
McNamara

Eilish McNamara is a senior member of Innocence Ottawa and has been volunteering with the organization since 2015.  She graduated with a Master’s (MA) degree in Criminology from the University of Ottawa in 2022. Before the completion of her MA, Eilish attended the University of Ottawa, where she obtained an undergraduate (BA) degree in Criminology and Anthropology. In 2017, following the completion of a Paralegal diploma at Algonquin College, she received her Paralegal (P1) license from the Law Society of Ontario. Eilish continues to follow her passion of addressing growing gaps in equitable access to justice and is currently employed with the Government of Canada.

Sahr
Malalla

Sahr Malalla is a senior member of Innocence Ottawa and has been volunteering with the organization since 2020. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Victoria and is exploring the security risk classification system in Canada’s federal prisons. She holds a BA from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in Criminology and Sociolegal studies, and an MA in Criminology from the University of Ottawa. Sahr is committed to addressing prisoner rights and the injustice of wrongful convictions. 

Sina
Menz

Sina graduated with a Master’s degree in Criminology from the University of Ottawa and has been a member of Innocence Ottawa (IO) since 2014. Her thesis “Post-conviction Claims of Innocence: Investigating a Possible Miscarriage of Justice in the Case of Michael Kassa” was published in 2017 and is based on one of IO’s long-standing clients whose memorandum for conviction review was submitted to the Criminal Conviction Review Group (CCRG) on July 29th, 2019. Sina continues to follow her passion for social justice issues and is currently employed with the Government of Canada.

Dana
Lin

Dana Lin is a junior member of Innocence Ottawa and has been volunteering with the organization since 2020. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Social Science in Criminology and French from the University of Ottawa in 2021 and currently works full-time with the Government of Canada. In addition to her interest in miscarriages of justice, Dana is especially passionate about accountability and transparency in the criminal justice system. 

Olivia
Bronetto

Olivia Bronetto is a junior member of Innocence Ottawa and has been volunteering with the organization since 2019. She holds a Master of Public Policy and Administration from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology and Justice Studies with a minor in Political Science from University of Ontario Institute of Technology (now Ontario Tech University). During her undergraduate degree, Olivia developed an interest in criminal justice policy which has led her to become a member of Innocence Ottawa where she strives to help those who claim to have been wrongfully convicted. Olivia is currently working full-time with the Government of Canada.

Thalya
Pateridis

Thalya Pateridis graduated from the University of Ottawa’s Master of Arts program in Criminology. She is a senior member of Innocence Ottawa and has been with the organization since 2019. During her studies at the university, starting during her undergrade, she took interest in miscarriages of justice. In addition, she is passionate about the intersection of police, technology and the criminal justice system.