Staff

Victoria Gonzalez is the Executive Director of the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council. Previously, she was the Executive Director of the Nevada Sentencing Commission where she stood up the newly created Nevada Department of Sentencing Policy. Director Gonzalez prides herself on providing non-partisan policy analysis and data to support criminal justice stakeholders in developing truly data-driven criminal justice and corrections policies. She has a Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master’s Degree in Education from National University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Utah.

Mark Powers has been a part of the Research Division at SPAC since 2016 and has served as Research Director since 2021. His responsibilities include drafting impact analyses for legislation, projecting prison populations, and conducting data analysis using criminal justice data from Illinois and nationwide. Before joining SPAC, he worked in the Research & Analysis unit at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. His areas of interest include corrections, sentencing impacts, statistics, and research methodology. He holds a Master’s Degree in Criminology from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jayson Cayanan is a Senior Policy Advisor with the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council. Previously, he was a Performance Analyst for Public Safety at the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General, where he evaluated Chicago Police Department operations, police accountability policies, and public safety programs. Before his time at OIG, he researched government expenditures in public safety, education, and community development, advanced reentry and literacy programs for incarcerated individuals, and supported case intake and legal analysis for wrongful conviction claims. His areas of interest include sentencing policy, impact analysis, and justice system reform. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago and dual bachelor’s degrees in Political Science-Data Analytics and Communication from UC San Diego, graduating magna cum laude with high honors.

Skylar Waddington is a Senior Policy Advisor for the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council (SPAC), where she works on the Research Team to draft impact analyses for new legislation and analyze Illinois criminal justice data. Skylar is passionate about conducting non-partisan, nuanced, and data-driven policy analysis for stakeholders in the Illinois criminal justice system. Prior to joining SPAC, she obtained a Master of Public Policy from University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy in 2024, where she specialized in economic and fiscal policy. Skylar also earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE), as well as Psychology, from the University of Michigan.

Jose Sepulveda lived in Carson City, Nevada for the past 25 years, building a career rooted in public service and policy analysis. During his tenure as a Management Analyst with the Department of Sentencing Policy, he specialized in evaluating criminal justice data, supporting evidence-based policy decisions, and enhancing operational efficiency. His work focused on promoting fair, effective, and data-driven sentencing practices throughout the state. Jose brings a strong background in research, strategic planning, and cross-agency collaboration, along with a deep commitment to improving the justice system and serving the community.

John Specker is the Government Affairs and Communications Advisor for the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council (SPAC) and serves as the Director of the Policy Education team. With a background in research, John has been a member of SPAC since 2018, he initially served on the research team before joining the policy team in 2023. John's areas of interest include educating stakeholders about the Illinois criminal justice system, corrections, sentencing impacts, policy development and implementation, and the intersections between the criminal justice system and other state government systems. He holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Loyola University Chicago.

Michael Varrige is the SPAC legal counsel. Prior to joining SPAC, Michael served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the City of Chicago where he was responsible for enforcing the City’s municipal code through administrative proceedings. Before he began work at the City, Michael spent three years as an Appellate Court Attorney in Rochester, New York at the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department. There, he provided the Court’s justices assistance with legal research and analysis on their upcoming cases. Michael earned a juris doctorate magna cum laude from the Syracuse University College of Law. While at Syracuse, he also completed a master’s degree in forensic science. Michael obtained his bachelor’s degree in genetics and legal studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.