MDI is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation formed pursuant to the laws of Oregon and overseen by a Board of Directors. The Directors are independently appointed by the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, the Multnomah Bar Association, the Director of the Oregon Chapter of the ACLU, the President of the Oregon Criminal Defense Attorneys' Association, and the President of the Oregon State Bar Association.
Chair
Tiff Harris is the owner and managing member of a firm serving private and court appointed clients in federal court and counties throughout Oregon. Before starting her criminal defense career at Metropolitan Public Defender, Tiff worked as a civil litigator for five years at Oregon’s second largest law firm and served the Oregon Legislative Assembly as the lawyer for the Oregon Senate Committee on Rules and Elections. She was a judicial extern for The Honorable Ann Aiken, United States District Court for the District of Oregon and has a long history of service to advocacy organizations advancing criminal justice reform and LGBTQ rights.
Board Member
Driven by service and community impact, Izzy Alvarado is the Founder and Executive Director of Go The Distance, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals in recovery through movement, mentorship, and connection. Since 2019, Izzy has built partnerships with local businesses, treatment centers, healthcare organizations, and the running community to create opportunities for healing, purpose, and belonging.
Board Member
Janis C. Puracal is the Executive Director of the Forensic Justice Project. Ms. Puracal is a litigator with experience in trial, appellate, and post-conviction work in state and federal courts. She has encouraged decisions based on sound science in civil and criminal cases and has been instrumental in advocating for changes in the law based on developments in various fields of scientific study. Ms. Puracal was a young civil litigator when her brother, Jason, was wrongfully convicted in Nicaragua, and she became devoted to innocence work after she successfully represented Jason in an international campaign to win his exoneration and bring him home. Jason was freed in September 2012 after nearly two years in captivity. Ms. Puracal’s work included briefing in Nicaraguan and international courts, diplomatic relations in the U.S. and Nicaragua, lobbying on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., and media appearances on a national and international level, including CNN, Reuters, and The Today Show. Since Jason’s release, Ms. Puracal has continued to work with her brother to advocate for legal reform. She is a member of the Legal Task Group for the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science, established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She is also an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School where she teaches a course on wrongful convictions. Ms. Puracal continues to work to prevent and correct wrongful convictions through the Forensic Justice Project.
President
Stacey Reding has served as MDI’s Executive Director since May 15, 2023. She has dedicated her career to advocating for clients at MDI, including five years as MDI’s managing misdemeanor attorney and a decade as a trial attorney. She brings her knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to her role to ensure MDI meets its mission of providing high-quality representation to its clients every day. Ms. Reding has previously served as the President of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and is currently on the board of East County Rising.
Alexander Cambier
Board Member
Alex spent 16 years at Multnomah Defenders working in the trial and appellate divisions before joining the management team supervising attorneys. He previously served as a board member for the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Alex is currently representing plaintiffs at Kafoury & McDougal, a Portland firm that specializes in civil rights and personal injury.
Treasurer
Luwanna Faye Comstock is an at-large board member who brings more than 30 years of experience in accounting and finance across for-profit, nonprofit, and quasi-governmental organizations. A registered member of the Klamath Tribes with additional family ties to the Fort Peck Tribes, she is also a lifelong resident of the Portland area who grew up in St. Johns. Through personal experience with family members impacted by the criminal justice system — both as defendants and as victims of crime — Luwanna brings a unique perspective and a deep commitment to supporting the criminal defense community. She and her family are dedicated to strengthening the criminal defense profession through service, leadership, and advocacy. Luwanna has volunteered with and served on the Board since 2023 and currently serves as Treasurer.
Linnea Morrow
Board Member
Linnea graduated from Western Washington University in 2010 with a degree in Political Science. After moving to Portland in 2013, she was hired and spent three years at Multnomah Defenders Inc. as a trial assistant. From 2016-2022 she worked at Ludwig Runstein LLC as a criminal defense paralegal representing both state and federal indigent clients with attorney Lisa Ludwig. During her tenure at Ludwig Runstein, she was also the office manager and consulted with other firms on management and efficiency issues. Since 2022, she has been employed with Piucci Law LLC as a paralegal in personal injury law. She has been a member of the MDI board since 2025.
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