Board Members
Staff Members
JOSEPH E. WELSH
Executive Director
Joe Welsh is a Founder and Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute. He has spent the last 15 years as a civil rights attorney litigating police misconduct and prison condition cases, most recently for Lauer Law Offices in Easton. One case involved ending the rampant sexual abuse of female inmates at Lackawanna County Jail. For the past six years, Mr. Welsh has served on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania ACLU. In 2012, he received the prestigious ACLU-PA Torchbearer Award for his work fighting voter suppression efforts.
Mr. Welsh has spent decades managing political and social justice campaigns in several states. He has also served as a consultant to state and local governments. In July, 2019, he served as an international election observer for the Ukraine Parliamentary elections. In addition to ACLU, Joe’s work has earned him awards from the U.S. Department of Justice and the local media. He looks forward to leading the Institute as we work to craft real solutions for our dysfunctional
criminal justice system.
Joe holds a B.A. in Government, Summa cum Laude, from Lehigh University and a
Juris Doctor from the Northwestern University School of Law.