Director of Policy, Legal Action Center

Gabrielle de la Guéronnière leads the Center’s federal policy advocacy to expand and improve the health responses to drug and alcohol addiction, and to end discrimination against people with drug and alcohol histories and criminal records. Ms. de la Guéronnière directed the Center’s federal advocacy toward passage into law of the Second Chance Act reentry legislation and successful inclusion of strong addiction and mental health provisions in the Affordable Care Act. Ms. de la Guéronnière currently works with Congress and the Administration to increase funding for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment, recovery, and research programming; to ensure that the federal health care reform law is implemented well for people with addiction and mental health service needs; and to eliminate legal and policy barriers faced by people with criminal records and drug addiction histories. Ms. de la Guéronnière coordinates and helps to direct strategy for the Coalition for Whole Health, a coalition of national addiction and mental health organizations, and is a frequent presenter on health and criminal justice policy at national and state-wide conferences.

Ms. de la Guéronnière joined the Legal Action Center’s Washington, DC, office in 2003, and, after serving in various policy positions at the Center, she became Director for National Policy in 2008 and Co-Director of Policy in 2014. Ms. de la Guéronnière is a graduate of Boston
University and American University’s Washington College of Law.

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