Head of Prisoners' Legal Services leaving to work for Mass. attorney general's office

The head of the legal group representing people incarcerated in Massachusetts is leaving her post to work for state Attorney General Andrea Campbell.

In an email to colleagues, Lizz Matos said she will step down as executive director of Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, where she started working as a staff attorney in 2011. Matos has led the nonprofit since 2018.

A spokesperson for the attorney general said Matos will become senior advisor and head of the AG's civil rights division in September. Matos in the email said she looks forward to continuing "to advance civil and human rights for those who need it the most."

"I have always seen my role as an advocate to identify and address structural inequality and maximize impact," Matos wrote. " I have been honored during these 12 years to know that every day I was genuinely fighting for the civil and human rights of some of the most marginalized people in Massachusetts."

The Prisoners' Legal Services board of directors said it has formed a search committee to look for an interim executive director while it conducts a search for a permanent replacement.

In a statement on the group's website, board president and attorney Patricia Garin credited Matos with growing the advocacy group and "redefining the organization's mission to center anti-racism in its work."

Garin said she expects Matos to continue to advocate to protect the rights of those in state custody. "We know she will continue to uplift marginalized people in Massachusetts in her new role with the Attorney General’s Office," Garin said.