Ali Durran is a postdoctoral scholar at the UW Center for an Informed Public (CIP), joining from Georgetown University where she worked to develop evidence-based policy solutions across issue areas in health law. At the CIP, Durran’s focus is research-to-policy translation and goal of her work is to bolster the Center’s ability to translate its research to policy solutions that both strengthen our information systems and build public trust. Durran completed her M.P.H. at Yale University, her J.D. at the University of Toronto and her B.A. at the University of British Columbia.

Judge Robert S. Lasnik has been a leader in the state and federal judiciary in his 36 years on the bench. He was appointed to the U.S. District Court by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and served as Chief Judge of the Western District of Washington from 2004-2011. Judge Lasnik was the Program Chair of the 9th Circuit Judicial Conference in 2006 and Conference Chair in 2007. From 2010-2015 he served on the Judicial Conference of the United States as the district judge representative from the Ninth Circuit. The Judicial Conference is the governing body of the federal courts chaired by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. In 2011 Chief Justice Roberts appointed Judge Lasnik to the seven-person Executive Committee which sets policy for the federal judiciary.

Judge Lasnik graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in psychology and sociology and later obtained two master’s degrees from Northwestern University in journalism and counseling. He is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and was an instructor there in Interviewing and Counseling for Lawyers. He was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Law School in 2012 and the Washington Law Review awarded him its Inspiration Through Service Award in 2015. He has won several awards from Washington Women Lawyers, the King County Bar, the American Board of Trial Attorneys and the Washington Trial Lawyers. He also chaired the Washington State Rhodes Scholar Selection Committee from 2002-2007.

Debra Stephens joined the Washington State Supreme Court in January 2008 and began serving a second time as Chief Justice in January 2025. She was previously a judge for Division Three of the Court of Appeals, and practiced law and taught state constitutional law as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law. Her appellate career included more than 125 appearances in the Washington State Supreme Court, in addition to appearances in other state and federal courts and as counsel of record in the United States Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Stephens is deeply involved in efforts to advance justice and improve the legal system. She served on Washington’s Civic Learning Council and Minority & Justice Commission, is a founding board member of the National Courts and Sciences Institute (NCSI) and a board member of the National Judicial College’s Dividing the Waters program. She co-chairs the Washington Board for Judicial Administration and the National Association of Women Judges’ Judicial Independence Committee. Internationally, she has worked with USAID to train foreign judges on issues of judicial independence and the rule of law. She has received numerous recognitions for her work and was named a Rodel Judicial Fellow in 2023.

Chief Justice Stephens and her husband, Craig have two grown children and a granddaughter. She enjoys tennis, golf, pickleball and spending time outdoors in the beautiful Northwest.