Yen is a Fellow with the Criminal Justice Team at the GPL, supporting state and local governments that are launching or expanding Alternative 9-1-1 Emergency Response programs. Yen has spent many years working to advance equity and justice for people impacted by systems of mass incarceration.

Prior to joining the GPL, she served as a policy advocate and consultant for criminal justice reform campaigns where she worked with elected officials, professional athlete organizations, and grassroots groups to lower arrest and incarceration rates in jurisdictions across the county. She also served on the frontlines of the criminal justice system, working as a public defender in Miami-Dade. Yen holds a BA from the University of Oregon and a JD from Tulane University Law School. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she now proudly calls New Orleans home.