Shahrzad Shams

Deputy Director, Democratic Institutions

she/her/hers

Shahrzad Shams is the deputy director of democratic institutions at Roosevelt Forward, where she focuses on advancing racial equity, combating authoritarianism, and fighting for an inclusive multiracial democracy and economy.

Prior to joining Roosevelt Forward, Shahrzad served as a legal intern for both the Federal Public Defender’s capital habeas unit in the Southern District of Ohio and the Ohio Public Defender’s death penalty division, where she worked with supervising attorneys to provide legal defense to individuals on death row. She has also worked on criminal justice and drug policy issues with the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, and conducted research concerning civil rights enforcement at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity.

Shahrzad holds a BA in psychology, an MA in public policy and management, and a JD from The Ohio State University.