Dr. Lentz currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice overseeing a program with over five hundred bachelor and masters degree students. Prior to assuming the position of Chair, she was the coordinator and advisor for the department's prelaw program which she co-created. In addition to having served on numerous university, college, and departmental committees, she currently is the faculty advisor for several student clubs including being co-advisor for Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice Honor Society.

Susan came to the department in 1993 with a background in legal, constitutional, and urban history, having received her doctoral degree in history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and her law degree from the University of Denver. Prior to joining the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice, Dr. Lentz was a deputy attorney general for the State of Nevada and in private practice. Her legal interests focused on employment relations, public law, and families. She maintains her license to practice law in the state of Nevada.

Her teaching interests include law, history, and gender issues. At UNR, she has created courses on the role of women in the criminal justice system and feminist jurisprudence addressing gendered violence. She also co-developed the department's criminal law and procedure and legal research/method and legal writing courses.

Dr. Lentz's research emphasizes integrating historical knowledge of law and gender issues and feminist legal theory with contemporary justice policy. Her research interests also focus on criminal justice history and contemporary constitutional and ethical issues in law and justice. Her research and publications address topics such as sexual assault law, Fourth Amendment law, and gender issues in justice. A sample of her publications include: Making a Difference: An Overview of Gender and the Courts, in G. Larry Mays and Peter R. Gregware, eds. Courts and Justice, 4th ed. Waveland Press (2009); Full Speed Ahead: Illinois v Lidster and Suspicionless Vehicle Stops, with R. Chaires, The Criminal Law Bulletin, Vol. 43, No. 2 (2007); The Invention of Peel's Principles: A study of policing 'textbook' history, with R.Chaires, Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 35, No. 1. (2007); The Law of Jury Service in the Twentieth Century, Part Two of Without Peers: A History of Women and Trial by Jury. S. Lentz, Women and Criminal Justice, Vol. 11, No. 4 (2000).

Curriculum Vitae