Tamisha Civil

After earning my master's degree from Northeastern University in criminal justice and leadership, I began my career working for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office as a victim witness advocate for about 4 years, where I helped victims impacted by crime navigate through the criminal justice system. I wanted to understand why people commit crime and whether there was an opportunity for them to be rehabilitated based on the access available to them, so I went on to become a probation officer working for Massachusetts Probation Services for about 6 years. I also worked in a domestic violence homeless shelter, building my career throughout the criminal justice system. When an open seat became available for the Governor's Council, an elected office that appoints judges throughout the state of Massachusetts, parole board members, clerk magistrates, and appellate court judges, and signs off on Treasury warrants, I ran for it in 2025 and won my first election. I became the first woman of color, Haitian American, to be elected in that seat since 1790 or 1880. Now I govern 37 towns and cities, going to different communities, attending events at senior centers, ceremonies for people graduating from certificate programs who have been incarcerated but changed their lives around, and hearing nominations from attorneys who want to become judges. I vet them properly to make sure they are qualified for these lifetime appointments and that they have empathy and will be fair and impartial within the justice system. Currently, I also work for a nonprofit organization called The Phoenix House, which helps women and children who have been battered by domestic violence.