Meet the Team

Catherine Alexander-Wright is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of professional experience. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Alabama and a Master’s Degree in Social Work (with a concentration in Management and Community Practice) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed the Forensic Practice Certificate Program at the University of Alabama’s School of Social Work in 2021. She has been a member of the National Association of Social Workers since 2006 and the National Organization of Forensic Social Work since 2020. She is a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator-Clinician, certified by Brené Brown’s Daring Way™  Institute.

Catherine has spent much of her career in legal settings. Catherine is a fluent speaker/writer of Spanish and has also worked in several bilingual work settings, including the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (¡HICA!) where she worked with Latinx/immigrant families attempting to navigate the child welfare system and/or who were survivors of domestic violence/sexual assault; and those seeking community connections to advocate for themselves and their families.

Prior to coming to Appleseed, she was the Associate Vice President of Safety & Supportive Services for the YWCA of Central Alabama, where she oversaw operations and personnel for domestic violence, shelter, and supportive services for Blount, Jefferson, and St. Clair counties. She also provided clinical supervision for social work interns and staff and consultation on social-work-related matters, including but not limited to trauma-informed care.

In addition to her work at Appleseed, Catherine serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Samford University. Catherine has served on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence since 2016. She is a graduate of the Alabama Organizing Project’s Grassroots Leadership Development Program and Leadership Vestavia Hills. She is a member of Alabama Arise, is active in the University of Alabama’s Blackburn Institute Fellows Involvement Network and serves on the Blackburn Institute’s Advisory Board. Catherine lives in the Birmingham area with her husband and six-year-old daughter. Catherine enjoys volunteering at her daughter’s school and with her Daisy Scout troop.

Email Catherine at catherine.wright@alabamaappleseed.org

Akiesha Anderson is a policy attorney that serves as the Policy Director for Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. In this role, she serves as a criminal justice reform lobbyist and her work focuses on policy development, legislative advocacy, coalition building, and engaging with public officials.

As a Montgomery-native, Akiesha received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Alabama State University. She also earned a Master’s in Public Administration from Auburn University-Montgomery and a law degree (along with a Certificate in Governmental Affairs) from The University of Alabama.

Over the years, she’s had the honor of working with several civil rights organizations, elected officials, a university, and a think tank: the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), U.S. Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (AL-07), the Montgomery County Commission, UCLA School of Law, and the Williams Institute. She is also involved in her community serving as Chair of the University of Alabama’s Blackburn Fellows Involvement Network, Co-Chair of the Alabama Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, and Chair of the NAACP Montgomery Metro Chapter’s Legal Redress Committee. Akiesha is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Phi Beta Lambda [Business] Fraternity.

Email Akiesha at akiesha.anderson@alabamaappleseed.org

Dr. Idrissa N. Snider is Alabama Appleseed’s Jefferson County Project Manager and Liaison and will be coordinating our Jefferson County Equitable Fines and Fees Project (Project JEFF). This groundbreaking and innovative project is the first of its kind in the state to focus on eradicating the criminalization of poverty through excessive fees and fines. Project JEFF also seeks to raise awareness about the long-term adverse effects created when low-income individuals become forced into a cycle of debt.

As an advocate and educator, Idrissa’s academic research interests lie in the subject matter of examining social justice and resistance at the intersections of race, gender, and class. Before shifting her career to public policy, Idrissa was a Visiting Professor at Samford University within the Department of Communication and Media. She also taught within the University of Alabama’s at Birmingham (UAB) School of African American Studies, among other colleges and universities. 

Idrissa’s academic career developed after over a decade of experience as a communications specialist. She performed many roles with companies including Animal Planet, NBC Affiliate Local 2 KPRC, and Artisan Picture Works. During her time in the media industry, she became attentive to studying how racial identities are stereotyped and thus used to create social hierarchies based upon bias and discrimination.  

Idrissa is a native of Birmingham and attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She completed her first two years of college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa before receiving her Bachelor’s in Film & Journalism from Georgia State University in Atlanta. She earned a Master of Arts and Sciences in Communication Management from UAB and her doctorate in Rhetorical Criticism & Black Feminist Studies from Wayne State University located in Detroit, MI. 

Idrissa is a seasoned public speaker and has published multiple works including, book chapters, editorials, and journal articles. Whether through writing, facilitating, or advocacy work, Idrissa’s mission is to champion those who are marginalized.

She, her husband, and two amazing sons live in Trussville.

Email Idrissa at idrissa.snider@alabamaappleseed.org