Alyssa Navarrete Thorn is a staff attorney at Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law), a community-based program of the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Alyssa earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and Spanish from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 2011, and a juris doctor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in 2014. After law school, Alyssa worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Pamela J. White on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Thereafter, she began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in the Post Conviction Defenders Division of the Office of the Public Defender. In January of 2017, Alyssa received the Spirit Award, an honor given annually to the post conviction attorney who best embodies the mission of the Post Conviction Defenders Division.  Immediately prior to joining Project HEAL, Alyssa worked as a staff attorney in the mental health unit at Disability Rights Maryland. Alyssa is on the board of The Arc Baltimore where she chairs the government affairs and public policy committee and participates in the development committee. She is on the conference committee for the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. Alyssa received The Daily Record's Leading Women Award in December 2019, and she was selected to participate in The Daily Record’s inaugural Women Who Lead Initiative in 2020.  In her free time, Alyssa volunteers with Athletes Serving Athletes (“ASA”), a non-profit organization that empowers athletes with disabilities to compete in mainstream running events throughout Maryland. Alyssa has served as an ASA Captain for 4 years, and currently serves as the Community Coordinator for the Baltimore City chapter of ASA.