Global Justice XML Data Model Developer's Workshop

Deborah Daniels

Assistant Attorney General
Office of Justice Programs

Deborah J. Daniels was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 21, 2001 as the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Daniels has a long and distinguished career in criminal prosecution on both the local and federal levels, as well as a background in community economic development and neighborhood revitalization.

As Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Daniels is responsible for overall management and oversight of OJP; guides the development of OJP policy and priorities; promotes coordination among OJP Bureaus and program offices; and ensures that OJP policies and programs reflect the priorities of the President, the Attorney General, and the Congress.

OJP provides federal leadership to develop the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime; administer justice; assist crime victims; and improve the criminal and juvenile justice systems. OJP carries out this mission by forming partnerships with other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as national and community-based organizations.

Following the first-ever White House Conference on Missing and Exploited Children in October 2002, Ms. Daniels was appointed the National AMBER Alert Coordinator by Attorney General John Ashcroft. As the National Coordinator, Ms. Daniels is responsible for encouraging the creation and coordination of regional, state, and local efforts to establish AMBER Alert plans to aid in recove ring abducted children. She is responsible for dissemination and outreach related to the wo rk of the Global Justice Information Sharing Advisory Committee, which advises the Attorney General and, through him, law enforcement at all levels on matters relating to effective info rmation and intelligence sharing. She also coordinates OJP activities related to several other major Administration initiatives, including the President’s DNA initiative, Citizen Corps, and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Ms. Daniels served in the 1980s as Chief Counsel to the Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana prosecuting attorney, in which capacity she tried felony cases of all types and supervised grand jury operations and victim assistance efforts, as well as prosecutions of domestic violence, sex offenses, child abu s e, and adult dependent abuse and exploitation.

As United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana from 1988–1993, she successfully pursued several high-profile public corruption and drug importation/distribution cases, as well as initiating the Weed and Seed effort in Indianapolis. During her tenure as U.S. Attorney, Ms. Daniels accepted a detail to serve under the Deputy Attorney General as the first Director of the Executive Office for Weed and Seed. She later headed a not-for-profit organization in Indianapolis responsible for developing partnerships among the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors and neighborhood leaders.

During this time she took the lead in developing transitional housing for victims of domestic violence, and establishing a network to promote greater understanding among diverse ethnic groups in the community. She also engaged in private law practice in Indianapolis, while serving her community through membership on various notfor- profit boards, as well as providing pro bono legal services to individuals and community organizations.

She received a BA with honors from DePauw University and graduated cum laude from the Indiana University School of Law.