Meet the Trainers

Staff Photo - Lori BakerLori Baker, Senior Education and Sentencing Practice Specialist in the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice, joined the staff of the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2020. She previously worked as a U.S. Probation Officer in the Middle District of Pennsylvania for over 20 years, including time spent as both a Sentencing Guideline Specialist and Supervisor. Although the majority of her career focused on the preparation of presentence investigation reports, her experience also includes pretrial services and post-conviction.

Lori enjoys working with those who are newer to federal sentencing including U.S. Probation Officers attending the Initial Probation and Pretrial Training Academy in Charleston, South Carolina. She uses her own experiences to identify concepts which are easily misunderstood and focuses her training efforts on these topics. Lori is particularly passionate about teaching the proper application of guidelines pertaining to sex offenses.

Lori holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science degree in Administration of Justice from Shippensburg University.

 

 

Staff Photo - Jessica CollinsJessica Collins, Senior Attorney in the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice, joined the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2023. Before coming to the Commission, Jessica was an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, where she served as the Deputy Chief of the Southern Division. Jessica was also a Trial Attorney with the Fraud Section, Criminal Division, of the U.S. Department of Justice and worked as an attorney in private practice. Since coming to the Commission, Jessica has trained thousands of practitioners on the Sentencing Guidelines and served as the chair of a policy team on Firearms.

Jessica received her undergraduate degree from Tulane University. She graduated magna cum laude from New York University School of Law. Following law school, Jessica served as a law clerk to the Honorable Henry F. Floyd of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, as well as to the Honorable J. Frederick Motz and Honorable Catherine B. Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

 

 

Staff Photo - Joseph DiPietroDr. Joseph DiPietro is the Training and Education Program Manager for the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, where he has served since 2018. With over 20 years of experience in education and training, he is a dedicated expert in designing, delivering, and evaluating learning experiences across federal, private sector, postsecondary, and public education settings.

Dr. DiPietro specializes in creating high-quality online, blended, and face-to-face learning environments. His expertise includes optimizing technology-mediated course structures, ensuring alignment with national and federal accreditation standards, and enhancing the comprehensibility of complex educational content. Since 2004, he has facilitated technology-integrated professional development and began teaching online courses in 2006.

A former public-school teacher, instructional designer, and university professor, Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Education, focusing on Learning Technologies Design Research, from George Mason University. His passion for educational technology continues to drive his work in advancing innovative learning solutions.

 

 

Staff Photo - Alan DorhofferAlan Dorhoffer is the Director of the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice and has worked at the Commission for close to 30 years. He has conducted hundreds of training programs for judges, attorneys, law clerks, probation officers, and federal bar associations on federal sentencing. Alan has also conducted numerous webcasts and broadcasts on the Federal Judicial Training Network (FJTN). During his time at the Commission, Alan has chaired policy teams on Sex Offenses, Criminal History, and Firearms, and been a member of several other teams. Alan specializes in analyzing Supreme Court and appellate court decisions interpreting the federal sentencing issues, and in presenting complex legal concepts in terms guideline users can readily understand.

Alan has been an Adjunct Professor at the George Mason School of Law, and was law clerk to the Honorable Edmund A. Sargus, U.S. District Judge, Southern District of Ohio, in Columbus. Alan is a graduate of Binghamton University and the George Washington University School of Law.

 

 

Staff Photo - Michael JacobsMichael Jacobs serves as eLearning Instructional Design Specialist in the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice and has been on the staff of the U.S. Sentencing Commission since November 2019.

Mike has over 15 years of experience in online education, course delivery, multimedia creation, web design, and graphic design. He is particularly interested in how media and technology can augment learning experiences, User Interface/User Experience, mobile course delivery, and microlearning. Before joining the Commission staff, Michael worked for the Department of Defense at the National Defense University. During that time, he developed faculty training programs, managed online course delivery and support, and developed multimedia course content.

Mike earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Savannah College of Art and Design and a Master of Education in Instructional Design and Technology from George Mason University.

 

 

Staff Photo - Peter MadsenPeter Madsen, Senior Education and Sentencing Practice Specialist in the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice, has been on the staff of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Washington, D.C. since April 2015.

Prior to coming to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Pete was a U.S. Probation Officer in the District of Minnesota for eight years. He also worked for two and a half years in in the Northern District of Texas and one year in the Southern District of Ohio.

Pete graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Sociology, and from Nova Southeastern University with a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

 

 

Staff Photo - Angela MillerAngela Miller, Senior Attorney in the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice, joined the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2025. Before coming to the Commission, Angela worked in the Department of Justice for over 20 years, both in the Civil Rights Division’s and the Criminal Division’s Appellate Sections, where she focused on criminal appeals, and most recently in the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section, where she advised on criminal civil rights prosecutions.

Angela received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary and a graduate degree from George Washington University. She graduated summa cum laude from George Mason University School of Law, where she is an Adjunct Professor and coteaches a Civil Rights Prosecutions course. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

 

 

Staff Photo – Mary Nerino Mary M. Nerino, Helpline Specialist in the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice, joined the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2024.

Before coming to the Commission, Mary was an Assistant Federal Defender for the District of Vermont and a private criminal defense attorney in Northern Virginia, focusing her practice on trial and sentencing advocacy. In her pre-law life, Mary taught second grade in the DC public school system. At the Commission, Mary spends her days answering questions from attorneys, probation officers, law clerks, and judges about correct Guidelines application. She particularly enjoys unpacking thorny application issues to help her callers with practical Guidelines application in their real-life cases.

Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from The Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctor from the Washington and Lee University School of Law.

 

 

Staff Photo - Ross ThomasRoss Thomas, Deputy Director of the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice, joined the Commission in 2020. During his time at the Commission, Ross has been a member of policy teams on Compassionate Release, Career Offender, Criminal History, and Drug Trafficking. He has co-authored two Commission Reports: Recidivism and Federal Bureau of Prisons Programs: Drug Program Participants Released in 2010 (May 2022) and Recidivism and Federal Bureau of Prisons Programs: Vocational Program Participants Released in 2010 (June 2022). 

Before coming to the Commission, Ross worked for the Federal Public Defender's Office, District of Connecticut, both as an Assistant Federal Public Defender and a Research and Writing Attorney. Ross also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Vanessa L. Bryant, United States District Judge, District of Connecticut, and as a staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Ross received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and graduated cum laude from Cornell Law School.

 

 

 

Staff Photo - Angela WalkerAngela Walker, Senior Attorney in the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice, joined the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2025. Before coming to the Commission, Angela was a Senior Attorney with the Firearms and Explosives Law Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Prior to that role, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona for over sixteen years, focusing on prosecution of violent offenses and weapons trafficking. Angela also prosecuted a wide variety of other federal offenses, served in the Office’s Civil Division, and handled a significant number of appellate matters.

Angela received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, and her juris doctorate from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Following law school, Angela served as a law clerk and practiced as a Deputy County Attorney in the Special Victims Unit of the Pima County Attorney’s Office for three years. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law for seven years, where she taught advanced criminal procedure. She has also organized and presented at numerous Continuing Legal Education courses, judicial conferences, law enforcement training programs, and other legal seminars.