Staff biographies

Attorney DeVaughn L. Ward was appointed by Governor Ned Lamont in September 2024 and confirmed by the legislature in April 2025. Mr. Ward:

• Amplifies the voices of incarcerated people and protects their rights
• Ensures meaningful, independent oversight of the Department of Correction (DOC)
• Listens to concerns and works to resolve issues inside state facilities
• Collaborates with legislators, advocates, and community stakeholders to strengthen fairness within Connecticut’s correctional system
• Fosters greater transparency and accountability across state systems

Before Mr. Ward was appointed as the Correction Ombuds, he practiced as a civil rights and criminal defense attorney. In that role, he focused on advancing the rights of individuals impacted by the criminal justice system.

Abraham Santiago serves as the Associate Correction Ombudsman for the State of Connecticut. He brings to the Office of Correction Ombudsman (OCO) a wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of correctional oversight, crisis response systems, and reentry policy.

In addition to his oversight work, Abraham is a policy researcher with the University of Connecticut’s (UConn’s) Institute for Municipal & Regional Policy. At UConn, he is a working member of the Humanistic AI Working Group, engaging critical questions of technology, ethics, and equity in systems of surveillance and control.

He is also Rockwood Leadership Fellow and a dedicated author. He co-authored “The Light of Human Sunrises” in The Bloomsbury Handbook of Prison Education. He also authored a forthcoming chapter, “The New Chains: Ascendium, Carceral Education, and the Machinery of Assimilation,” which critiques how higher education in prison and its funding structures can reinforce systems of control rather than liberation.

Teonna Milner joined the Office of the Correction Ombudsman (OCO) as our Administrative Assistant. Raised in Hartford, she brings over a decade of dedicated state administrative support and direct facility operations experience to our team.

Teonna began her career with the State of Connecticut in 2014 at University of Connecticut (UConn) Health. There, she built a strong foundation in administrative support and public service.

She later advanced to serve as the Secretary to the Deputy Warden of Programs and Treatment at Cheshire Correctional Institution. This role gave her valuable, direct experience with internal facility operations and administrative procedures.

Teonna brings a tremendous amount of positive energy and dedication to the OCO. In her role on our frontline, she connects her deep commitment to community accountability with her background in public systems. She loves bringing warmth and personality into her daily work, helping ensure that everyone who contacts our office feels welcomed and supported.

Amy Zipf joined the Office of the Correction Ombuds as the Assistant Correction Ombuds. She brings over 15 years of dedicated medical expertise, clinical education, and health research to the team. Working alongside Mr. Ward, Abraham, Teonna, and Teresa, Amy leads the office’s data-driven efforts to identify, investigate, and report on systemic gaps in healthcare services experienced by incarcerated individuals across Connecticut.

Before working in public advocacy, Amy built a robust career in complex patient care and clinical training. She spent seven years as a Registered Nurse (RN) at Yale New Haven Health, serving first on the Inpatient Infectious Disease/HIV/AIDS unit and later on the Inpatient Medicine/Psychiatry Unit.

After completing an MSN at The University of Hartford, she served as a Nurse Educator at University of Connecticut (UConn) Health for nearly eight years. There, she built a strong foundation in shaping healthcare delivery and training next-generation medical staff.


Teresa Ballestas serves as a Clerk Typist for the Connecticut Office of the Correction Ombuds. She provides administrative and operational support, assists with complaint intake and case management, and helps to ensure the efficient handling of communications and records that support the Office's mission.

Before joining the Office of the Correction Ombuds, she worked for over three years at Trinity Health of New England, where she gained extensive experience in healthcare administration, records management, and serving the public in a fast-paced environment.

As a bilingual professional fluent in English and Spanish, Teresa is dedicated to providing compassionate, professional service to Connecticut's diverse communities.

She is also passionate about promoting transparency, accountability, and fairness within Connecticut's correctional system. She’s proud to support the Office's mission by helping ensure that incarcerated individuals’ concerns are addressed with professionalism, compassion, and respect.