Elise joined PLS in August 2021 after receiving her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. As a law student, Elise participated in the Civil Rights Clinic as a student attorney on a §1983 jail misconduct case and had the opportunity to work on various criminal justice issues while interning with the Texas Civil Rights Project and the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Lee Yeakel in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. Prior to law school, Elise received her B.A. from Cornell University. Her passion for prison reform work began during the several years she spent volunteering with the Phoenix Players Theatre Group (PPTG) at Auburn Correctional Facility. With PPTG, Elise helped to stage and even performed in the 2018 production The Strength of our Convictions: The Auburn Redemption. Elise continued her prison volunteer work at Lockhart Correctional Facility as an instructor with the Texas Prison Education Initiative. Elise has had a life-long love for The Lord of the Rings and spent a month in New Zealand visiting all of the LOTR movie filming locations. Elise also has an IMDb page.