Amy Watson is a professor at the Wayne State University School of Social Work. For the past two decades, her research has focused on police encounters with persons with mental illnesses and the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model. Professor Watson has also conducted research and provided consultation to programs serving persons with mental illnesses with criminal legal system involvement. These include CIT programs, mental health courts, and prison reentry programs.

Professor Watson is currently the President of the Board of Directors of Crisis Response Programs and Training. She served on the CIT International Board of Directors from 2016-2021, as President of the Board 2020-2021. Earlier in her career, she worked as a probation officer on a team serving clients with serious mental illnesses and as a Forensic Social Worker/Mitigation Specialist working on death penalty cases. She has a BA in Criminal Justice from Aurora University and an AM and PhD from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.