Biographies
For 30 years, Erin has worked as a teacher, writer, editor, and content director. During her career, she has written practical guidance about legal issues and regulatory compliance, particularly in the health care space. She has also led content teams working in adult education, addiction recovery, and nutrition for families who are food-insecure.
Erin has long volunteered for social justice work, mostly through her church and through interfaith organizations in North Carolina.
Erin grew up in Jamaica and several southern states. She did her undergraduate work at The University of Texas at Austin and her post graduate work at The University of North Carolina. She is proud mom to four young men in their teens and early twenties.
Peter Tomasek
Peter Tomasek is an attorney and serves as the Legal Editor for Interrogating Justice. Peter leads the Interrogating Justice team in developing long-term strategy for the organization and an affiliated nonprofit, How to Justice. He also takes a hands-on role in the writing and editing process for both organizations.
Prior to helping start Interrogating Justice, Peter worked in a variety of writing-focused roles in the legal field. After law school, he worked with the Michigan Court of Appeals as a Research Attorney and Law Clerk. Peter then left the court to join a well-respected appellate group at a 60-lawyer firm in metro Detroit, Michigan.
Peter later moved to North Carolina, where he joined one of the most trusted personal-injury law firms in the state. In that role, he represented people from some of the most under-served communities in the state. He also worked as the Legal Editor for a start-up online news source in North Carolina.
Kristine Bunch
Kristine Bunch spent more than 17 years behind bars after she was arrested and charged with setting a fire that claimed the life of her three-year-old son, Anthony. Although a defense expert testified that the fire was accidental, two experts for the prosecution testified that an accelerant was used and therefore the fire was arson. Jurors believed the prosecution witnesses and found Kristine, then 22 and pregnant, guilty of murder and arson. She was sentenced to concurrent prison terms of 60 years for murder and 50 years for arson. Fifteen years later, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the conviction, holding that Kristine was entitled to a new trial because the evolving fire science met the legal criteria for new evidence and because undisclosed ATF evidence directly contradicted the prosecution expert testimony. The Indiana Supreme Court then unanimously affirmed the Court of Appeals decision. Kristine, who had earned undergraduate degrees in English and Anthropology from Ball State University in prison, was released on her own recognizance — 17 years, one month, and 16 days after her wrongful arrest. She walked out of the Decatur County Jail into the arms of her family, who had steadfastly supported her throughout her ordeal. Eight days before Christmas 2012, the prosecution dropped all charges.
Kristine is now the Executive Director of JustIS 4 JustUS, Inc a non-profit organization dedicated to building community connections for every exoneree.
Kristine Bunch has changed the narrative concerning women’s wrongful convictions, compensation for every exoneree and the inclusion of new evidence for innocence claims.
Danie Watson-Goetz
Danie Watson-Goetz is a writer, editor, and social media manager that serves as the Managing Director for Interrogating Justice. Danie manages the Interrogating Justice content team, creates marketing promotions, and handles day-to-day operations for the organization and an affiliated nonprofit, How to Justice. Danie works closely with justice-impacted leaders and writers to create content for both organizations.
Before helping launch both Interrogating Justice and How to Justice, Danie lived in Pennsylvania where she worked as an adjunct professor in Lackawanna College’s communications, English and sociology departments. Danie also served as the Employment Instructor for the flagship Volunteers of America Shelter to Work Program, which was created to assist women obtain employment, housing, and empowerment.
Danie later moved to North Carolina, where she worked as a freelancer, assisting with book promotion, website development, and brand launches. She later took a position as the Managing Editor for North Carolina News Daily, and later as the Content Director for Global Growth.
Danie’s work has always prioritized education and empowerment. Her previous work in higher education and nonprofits especially drew her to this project because she believes that education is at the cornerstone of reform.
Mike Mabini
Mike Mabini is a web developer and serves in that role for Interrogating Justice. He is responsible for the development side of everything you see on the website today. Mike has worked in software development for more than a decade and has worked on projects with some of the top IT and media companies in the world. But he felt especially drawn to this project because of his family and community ties.
Ronnie K. Stephens
Ronnie K. Stephens is an educator and father of six, with a strong interest in sociopolitical writing. He holds a BA in Classical Studies from the University of Arkansas, as well as an MA in Creative Writing and an MFA in Fiction from Wilkes University. Stephens is pursuing a PhD in English from the University of Texas – Arlington, where his research centers on decolonizing the curriculum and elevating underrepresented voices in American literature. The author of two poetry collections and one novel, Stephens prioritizes social justice and representation throughout his writing and teaching. He believes strongly in using his platforms to push for more equity in the classroom and in the country.
David Straughan
David Straughan is a writer and editor from Durham, North Carolina. He served as Editor of Ningbo Focus and Ningbo Guide, two English-language magazines based in Ningbo, China before moving back to Durham to turn his attention towards social and criminal justice. David then spent two years working with a prisoner at Gilmer Federal Prison Camp to co-author, edit, and design Big Love, 29655-057: Posts from Prison, a book about the author’s experiences in the criminal justice system and his life prior to incarceration. Since then, David has continued to report on economic, social and political issues for various media outlets.
Julia Vitale
Julia Vitale is a recent early graduate from University of Richmond working as a content writer for Interrogating Justice. She received two degrees with cum laude distinction: a B.A. in PPEL (Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Law) and B.A. in English Literature.
Born and raised just outside of Los Angeles, California, her passion for social justice began with personal experiences at home. To follow through with her passion to give everyone an equal voice, she held four non-profit organization internships while in school. At those internships, she jumpstarted campaigns raising around $10 million for homeless persons, presented data for legislative bills and co-wrote speeches for advocates at the Virginia General Assembly, and implemented a brand new click bait system to reach international audiences.
Now a graduate, she strives to cut through biases and find the truth behind systems in place to end injustices others face in her professional and daily life.
Stephen Raburn
Stephen Raburn is a social entrepreneur, activist, writer, visionary, daydreamer and father of two awesome teen daughters. Stephen is a champion of humanitarian causes who has spent most of his adulthood in the nonprofit sector – primarily in leadership roles.
He is the former Executive Director with the NC Commission on Racial & Ethnic Disparities (NC CRED). Previously, Stephen founded and directed The Center for Child Advocacy & Research in Napa, CA, and a special needs adoption agency in Charlotte, NC.
Additionally, Stephen is a published author and has written for a wide variety of outlets throughout his career. He lives in Durham, NC.
Apoorva Joshi
Apoorva Joshi is a legal professional and serves as a Paralegal for Interrogating Justice. Apoorva is a liaison for legal contracts and agreements along with performing legal research and drafting articles for How to Justice and Interrogating Justice.
She has a diverse background and is skilled in Criminal law, Trial practice, depositions, and comprehensive litigation support. Apoorva has worked as a litigation Paralegal for a few law firms in Massachusetts.
Before joining How to Justice, she worked for the renowned Harvard University’s Law Clinic as a Legal Analyst in the leading project on Student predatory loan practices based in United States.
She also stood first in the University during her JD in India and was awarded a merit scholarship for her LLM at Northeastern University School of Law, Boston.
Apoorva has a passion for the truth and the thirst for justice, committed to uphold and utilize the full strength of the law to help those in need and find trust and solace in our judicial system.
Jess Henry
Jess Henry is the Content Director for How to Justice and Interrogating Justice. She graduated with a BS from North Carolina State University and has a background in brand management and communications. During and after college, she spent five years working for a local business in Raleigh, NC where she became the Content Developer. There, she created engaging content across multiple platforms.
Jess joined the Global Growth team in late 2020 as a corporate writer. Shortly after, she applied her talents to the justice reform organizations Interrogating Justice and How To Justice, overseeing content flow.
Due to her background in retail and communications, Jess approaches her work from a service perspective. Her objective is to allow those affected by her work to have the best possible experience. She believes that empathy and intuition create a productive and creative environment. Her end goal is that her work will help reach the right people.