Shelley Curran Biography

Shelley Curran is the Judicial Council’s Chief Policy and Research Officer, directing the Policy and Research Division.

Ms. Curran is responsible for coordinating the council’s research and policy agendas, centralizing efforts to identify judicial branch priorities in emerging policy areas and advancing these priorities within the Executive and Legislative branches and overseeing operations of the Judicial Council’s Governmental Affairs office. 

Ms. Curran joined the Judicial Council’s staff in 2009 to establish its Criminal Justice Services office. As director of that office, she has played an integral role in implementing key criminal justice reforms affecting the courts and the public.  

With more than 20 years of experience working on public policy matters in California, Ms. Curran previously  served as principal consultant to the President pro Tempore of the California State Senate on budget and legislative matters related to adult and juvenile criminal justice, civil law, civil rights, and the judiciary. She was also a policy analyst with the Consumers Union, where she advocated on behalf of low-income Californians on matters related to credit and finance. 

Ms. Curran earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and Master’s degree in Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.