Task Force Staff Bios

Neil A. Lewis
Executive Director
Neil Lewis is chief investigator for The Constitution Project?s Task Force on Detainee Treatment. Before joining The Constitution Project, Neil was as a correspondent at The New York Times for 24 years, covering a wide range of issues, including Guantanamo, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Justice Department. Prior to working at the Times he was Reuters’ White House correspondent and served as senior correspondent in South Africa in the early 1980’s. In addition to the Times, Neil?s stories appeared in prestigious publications, such as The New Republic, the Washington Monthly, Rolling Stone and the New York Times Book Review. He also co-authored a book on Aldrich Ames, a high-ranking CIA official who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. Neil recently taught a seminar on First Amendment and press issues at the Duke Law School. He holds degrees from Union College and the Yale Law School where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow.

Alka Pradhan
Counsel
Alka Pradhan is Counsel for The Constitution Project Task Force on Detainee Treatment. Alka joined The Constitution Project after working in private practice with the law firms of White and Case and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy on international?litigation and arbitration. Alka received her undergraduate degree from The Johns Hopkins University in International Relations, a Master?s degree in International Law and South Asia Studies at The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a law degree from Columbia University Law School, and a Master?s degree in International Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics. During law school, Alka was a member of the team that won the world championship and the prize for top writing in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

In connection with her graduate and law studies, Alka worked for the United Nations in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General in New York and assisted the Secretariat of the Human Rights Committee in Geneva. She?has done?pro bono work in the field of asylum law and international human rights.

Katherine Hawkins
Investigator
Katherine Hawkins is Investigator for The Constitution Project Task Force on Detainee Treatment. Katherine joined The Constitution Project after working with the firm Burke PLLC researching detainee issues and serving as co-counsel for former Iraqi detainees in civil cases. Katherine received her undergraduate degree in political science from Yale University, and her law degree from Harvard Law School. After graduating, she?clerked for the judges on the Boston Immigration Court through the Department of Justice?s Honors Program. Her writing on rendition of prisoners to Egypt, Syria, Libya and other countries has been published in Foreign Policy, Middle East Report, the Georgetown Immigration Law Review, and The American Prospect. She also assisted with research on detention and counterterrorism policies for two award-winning books, The Dark Side by Jane Mayer and Guantanamo and The Abuse of Presidential Power by Joseph Margulies, as well as several human rights reports.
Kent A. Eiler
Counsel
Kent Eiler is Counsel for The Constitution Project?s Task Force on Detainee Treatment. Prior to joining The Constitution Project Kent spent four and a half years on active duty in the United States Air Force JAG Corps. During his time on active duty Kent was twice awarded the Air Force?s Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service. Kent remains a Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve. He received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is an honors graduate of Brooklyn Law School. During law school Kent worked for the United States Attorney?s Office for the Southern District of New York, the Office of the Attorney General for the State of New York, and was a moot court honor society member.
Jacob A. Gillig
Administrator
Jacob Gillig is Administrator for The Constitution Project Task Force on Detainee Treatment. Prior to joining The Constitution Project, Jacob worked for three years as a paralegal with the Hollingsworth law firm, where he managed documents and supported research and writing in complex litigation. Jacob also served as a litigation Clerk with the United States Department of Justice. Jacob received an undergraduate degree in political science from the American University School of Public Affairs.