– Selection of Testimony, Lectures, and Presentations:

2019: Court Qualified as an Expert in the field of Mitigation in the Superior Court of Telfair County (State of Georgia). Provided testimony for a pre-trial capital case matter, citing past and current research and standards of mitigation practice, and the opinion that mitigation specialists, as integral members of the defense team, require in person, one-on-one, face-to-face client meetings. Barriers to disclosure discussed, as well as essential capital case mitigation functions.

2018: Presenter to William and Mary Students in Washington, D.C.: “Mitigation, Mental Illness, and Intellectual Disability Investigation”: Presentation to students of the College of William and Mary. Co-Presenters with Ellen Shultz and Dr. Joette James. Presentation focus on mitigation specific investigation, such as: Mitigation Themes, Developing Narratives, Records Review, Mitigation Interviewing, Severe Mental Illness, and other topics.

2017: Presenter at the NASAMS Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD: “Fundamentals of Mitigation Practice”. Presentation to mitigation specialists, sentencing advocates and attorneys, and defense teams examining the role and function of mitigation investigation that can be used universally on felony, capital, or juvenile LWOP cases. Topics include: Developing and integrating forensic social histories; Interviewing; Records research, collection, and analyzation; Sentencing theme development; and other case related topic areas.

2016: Presenter at Humboldt University School of Law, Berlin, Germany: “Open Panel Discussion on Criminal Defense in America”. Presentation to University Law School students on the topics of: The Death Penalty in the U.S.; Defense Investigation and Mitigation in Criminal Cases; Interactive Mock Jury Selection, Trial Demonstration, and Deliberation (where attendees act as potential jurors in an American criminal case); Discussion of Criminal Justice Implications of the U.S. Presidential Election. (Article From Alexandria Gazette)

2016: Presenter of four presentations at Life in the Balance, a Capital Mitigation and Investigation conference. Presentations were “The Fundamentals of Effective Mitigation”, “Telling the Client’s Story at All Phases”, “Foreign Nationals and Terrorism Cases”, “Cultural Considerations in Capital Mitigation”.

2016: Publication: Masson, Tiffany R. (editor) (2016). Inside Forensic Psychology. Santa Barbara, CA. Praeger.
– Lead author of Chapter 4, Capital Case Sentencing Evaluations. A learning tool textbook intended to provide understanding about the various disciplines within the field of forensic psychology. Specifically, Chapter 4, Capital Case Sentencing Evaluations, focuses on the role of the forensic evaluator in cases of capital sentencing, highlighting the work as part of an interdisciplinary team with mitigation specialists and defense counsel.

2014 – 2016: Adjunct Professor at Marymount University. Teaching FLP-515 The Death Penalty and Mitigation, a graduate level course in the Forensic and Legal Psychology Dept.

2013: Adjunct Professor at Marymount University. Teaching PS-575 The Death Penalty and Mitigation, a graduate level course in the Forensic Psychology Dept.

2013: Guest Speaker at the VA Bar Association 21st Annual Capital Defense Workshop. ” Creative Resources: How to Get the Stuff You Need”- A presentation outlining accepted, as well as new and novel, approaches to conducting mitigation and merits phase investigations. VBA CDW Agenda 2013

2012: Guest Speaker at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth Annual Convening – Member of a panel of speakers presenting to attorneys, defendants’ families, and sentencing advocates regarding conducting thorough social history and client centered investigations.

2010: Guest Speaker at the VA Bar Association 18th Annual Capital Defense Workshop.   “Representing Foreign Nationals”- A presentation geared towards conducting Mitigation Investigation of foreign national clients both domestically and abroad.
VBA CDW Agenda 2010

2007, 2009: Guest Speaker at Marymount University. Presentations to Forensic Psychology Graduate students of Marymount University and of the London Metropolitan University about Capital Defense and Mitigation Investigation.

2006: Guest Speaker at George Mason University. A presentation to Undergraduate students about Capital Defense and Mitigation Investigation.

–Distinctions:

2013: Recipient of the Marie Deans Award; Northern VA Capital Defender Office: “For Exemplary Mitigation and Investigative Services, Excellence in Capital Representation, and Preservation of the Dignity of Our Community’s Clients”

2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016: Planning Committee for the VA Bar Association 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th Annual Capital Defense Workshop.

2010: Marymount University Forensic Psychology Appreciation Award. Recognition for Internship coordination and speaking engagements to students.