Puneet serves as Manager, Justice in Public Safety Project.
Before joining LDF, Puneet was a Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal, where she led and participated in impact litigation, policy, and advocacy to prevent and address discrimination against LGBTQ people in schools, employment, health care, and the criminal legal system, and to secure access to accurate identity documents. Before Lambda Legal, Puneet served as a Trial Attorney in the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) where she conducted investigations into whether law enforcement agencies systematically deprived people of their rights under the Constitution or other laws. She played a leading role in the DOJ’s investigation of the Baltimore Police Department and negotiation of a Consent Decree with the City of Baltimore and Baltimore Police Department. She was also a member of the DOJ’s litigation team in its lawsuit against Sheriff Joseph Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, alleging a pattern or practice of discriminatory conduct by the Sheriff and his deputies.
Puneet holds a J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law and a B.A. in Philosophy from the Ohio State University.
Puneet received a number of commendations and awards at the Department of Justice, including the Distinguished Service Award in 2016, and Special Commendation Awards in 2016 and 2018.