Maritza Perez, Esq.

Maritza Perez, Esq. is the Director of the Office of Federal Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, DC where she leads the organization’s federal legislative agenda to end the drug war. In this role, she lobbies Congress on issues pertaining to drug policy, criminal justice reform, overdose prevention, and harm reduction.Previously, Maritza was a Senior Policy Analyst for Criminal Justice Reform at the Center for American Progress (CAP) where her federal portfolio included marijuana policy, policing, and prison and sentencing reform. Prior to joining CAP, Maritza was a Legislative Staff Attorney at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) where she worked to advance federal policies to end mass incarceration. A criminal justice policy expert, Maritza has been featured in various media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, NBC News, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg Government, The Takeaway, Latino USA and more. Maritza earned her J.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law where she received the highest distinction for her pro bono work. She received her B.A. from the University of Nevada, Reno with academic honors, graduating with double majors in Journalism and Spanish and double minors in Political Science and Economic Policy.