Kellen Russoniello

Kellen Russoniello is Senior Staff Attorney with the Drug Policy Alliance, focusing on increasing access to effective, accessible, and person-centered drug treatment. Russoniello previously provided direct representation to people seeking post-conviction relief across Southern California with Community Legal Aid SoCal and was Staff Attorney with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, where he focused on improving access to health coverage and services for people involved in or at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system. While with the ACLU, he served as a member of the California Board of State and Community Corrections’ Executive Steering Committee on Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD).

Russoniello earned his B.A. from Eastern Washington University and his J.D. and Master of Public Health from The George Washington University. While in law school, he drafted Good Samaritan legislation for the District of Columbia and worked with DPA to ensure it became law. He founded the GW Law Students for Sensible Drug Policy chapter and served as president for two years. Russoniello also served on the Students for Sensible Drug Policy National Board of Directors from 2012 to 2014. His writings on drug policy have been published in the Yale Journal of Health Policy and Ethics and American Journal of Law and Medicine.

Russoniello was born and raised in Spokane, WA. He currently lives in Orange County, CA with his wife and three children.