Our Staff

Sara Jones is the chief executive and operating officer of the Great North Innocence Project, where she creates the conditions for the organization, its people, and its mission to thrive. Centered on securing freedom and justice for wrongfully convicted people and strengthening the integrity of the criminal legal system, Sara leads GNIP’s strategic direction, governance, staff, programs, finances and operations, external partnerships, and fund development.

Sara joined GNIP in 2018, with a deep background in advocacy as a litigator and nonprofit advancement professional. She received her BS from Northwestern University and her JD from the University of Minnesota. 

Deandra Bieneman leads the Great North Innocence Project’s fundraising and donor engagement efforts, building the support needed to free innocent people and prevent wrongful convictions. She oversees individual giving, corporate and foundation partnerships, and event management. Deandra also builds and coordinates pro bono law firm partnerships, creating opportunities for legal teams to contribute critical case support alongside GNIP’s legal staff. She is deeply passionate about building authentic relationships and connecting community members to GNIP’s important work and mission.

Deandra joined GNIP in 2022 and brings more than a decade of nonprofit fundraising experience. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and earned her bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As legal director, Jim Mayer oversees all aspects of GNIP’s screening, investigation, and litigation of claims on behalf of the wrongfully convicted. In this role, he works closely with law students, GNIP legal staff, and pro bono legal partners to pursue justice for the innocent. Jim’s advocacy has directly led to the release of seven prisoners, overturning convictions for felony child neglect, attempted murder for the benefit of a gang, second-degree murder, first-degree murder, and capital murder. Jim has successfully litigated innocence claims in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Louisiana, both at the trial and appellate levels, including wins at the Minnesota Supreme Court, Louisiana Supreme Court, and United States Supreme Court.

As a member of the faculty at law schools in Minnesota and North Dakota, Jim teaches and trains the next generation of defense lawyers and prosecutors on identifying and correcting failures in the criminal legal system.

A Minneapolis native, Jim is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. Before joining GNIP, he spent more than a decade as a private practice litigator, where he maintained a robust pro bono practice.

Hayley Poxleitner advances the Great North Innocence Project’s mission through strategic communications and storytelling that center the experiences of wrongfully convicted people and their paths to freedom. She leads community outreach efforts that elevate GNIP’s work and manages media relations, community presentations, correctional facility outreach, and freed client engagement.

Hayley also coordinates resources and support for clients returning home, addressing the challenges faced by freed and exonerated people and their loved ones post-release.

Hayley joined GNIP’s team in 2022. She holds an MA in Human Rights from the University of Minnesota and a BA in Comparative Cultures & Politics and French from Michigan State University.

Nate Bander supports the Great North Innocence Project’s mission by advocating for legislative and policy changes in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. This includes researching and drafting legislation, building relationships with legislators, coalitions, and community partners, and coordinating the Great North Innocence Project’s advocacy efforts at the state capitol. In addition to legislative work, Nate works on active investigations and special projects, assists with supporting freed and exonerated individuals, and communicates with Spanish-speaking clients and applicants.

Nate is a 2025 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and rejoined the Great North Innocence Project as a Robina Fellow in September 2025 after spending a year as a legal clerk.

Katy Briggs supports the Great North Innocence Project’s fundraising and donor engagement efforts by managing development operations and processes, including database management, gift processing, volunteer engagement, and donor communications. She contributes to event management and provides support across GNIP’s development activities to ensure donors and community members have meaningful opportunities to connect with the organization’s work. She is deeply interested in connecting people to opportunities to mobilize in support of the causes that matter most to them, particularly those related to correcting and preventing systemic injustices.

Katy joined GNIP in 2025 with experience in fundraising, community engagement, and communications in the basic needs and performing arts sectors. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and Theatre Arts with concentrations in social justice and applied drama from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.

As an Attorney, Baylea Kannmacher litigates, investigates, and focuses on strategic case development. Baylea screens claims involving flawed medical evidence, coercive interrogation practices, and official misconduct. She works closely with experts, students, and pro bono partners to uncover and present evidence of actual innocence. Baylea also leads the Innocence Clinics at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the University of South Dakota Knutson School of Law. In April of 2025, she successfully tried and won the re-trial of Robert Kaiser. 

Before joining GNIP in 2024, Baylea served for ten years as an Assistant Public Defender in Minnesota. Baylea received her BA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her JD from William Mitchell College of Law. She is committed to fostering sustainability and wellness in the legal profession and brings a deep understanding of how incarceration impacts individuals, families, and entire communities.

Anna McGinn is a passionate advocate for individuals who have been wrongfully convicted.  As an Attorney, she screens, investigates, and litigates claims of actual innocence, focusing on how flawed forensic sciences, eyewitness misidentification, and prosecutorial misconduct contribute to miscarriages of justice. To date, Anna’s advocacy has helped secure the release of five GNIP clients. Anna leads the Innocence Clinic at the University of Minnesota Law School and coordinates the GNIP summer clerkship program, where she mentors law students in the reinvestigation of innocence claims and the pursuit of justice for the wrongfully convicted.  

Anna joined GNIP in 2022. She earned her BA from Carleton College and her JD from the University of Notre Dame.

Hillary Richard joined the Great North Innocence Project as the inaugural Esther Lardent Legal Fellow in April 2025. Hillary’s work aims to reduce barriers for Minnesotans returning home from prison, primarily through the Minnesota Collaborative Justice Project (MNCJP). With MNCJP, Hillary and other attorneys offer pro bono legal services to reentering Minnesotans through representation, brief advice, referrals, and “Know Your Rights” style legal education on issues surrounding reentry and the profound and long-lasting collateral consequences of incarceration. Hillary also supports GNIP’s current endeavors to provide comprehensive post-release services for innocent clients, including access to civil legal assistance and other needed resources.

She is a former Equal Justice Works Fellow, Saeks Public Interest Resident, Robina Public Interest Scholar, and the recipient of the 2021 University of Minnesota Law School Excellence in Public Service Award.