Piet van Lier is a research consultant focused on justice reform and education at Policy Matters Ohio. Van Lier originally joined the staff in 2007 as an education policy researcher and became Policy Matters’ first communications director in 2011. He left the staff in 2014 to work with the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, which he served as executive director from 2016 to 2019.

Piet began his career as a journalist, covering a broad array of social justice issues including education. He has worked abroad as a peace and human rights activist and speaks Spanish fluently. Piet grew up in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland, and now lives on the near west side with his wife and two children.