Daniel J. Piedra is a lawyer and the Executive Director of the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund. Piedra has nearly ten years of experience in nonprofit legal advocacy.
Piedra previously served as Chief Operations Officer and Deputy Director of Communications and Development at two national nonprofit public interest law firms. Before that, he was a legal correspondent for Courthouse News Service.
EDUCATION
Piedra earned his law degree from the University of San Diego, where he was a Spain Family Fellowship recipient. During law school, he served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Roger T. Benitez in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, where he was named to the Dean’s List and awarded a merit scholarship.
LEADERSHIP, MEMBERSHIP & HONORS
- Spain Family Fellowship recipient, USD School of Law
- Member, St. Thomas More Society of San Diego
- Student chapter president of the St. Thomas More Society of USD School of Law
- Michigan Merit Award Scholarship, Michigan State University
- Dean’s List, Michigan State University
- Member, Catholic Writer’s Guild
- Member, San Diego Writer’s Guild
FAMILY
Born in Miami, Florida, and raised in Michigan, Piedra now lives in San Diego with his wife and son. In his spare time, he enjoys outdoor recreation and writing young adult novels.