Advisory Board
Jonathan S. Abady
Jonathan S. Abady, a founding partner of Emery Celli Brinkerhoff & Abady LLP, has a diverse trial and litigation practice, with extensive experience in both federal and state courts. In the area of civil rights, Mr. Abady was on the team of lawyers who helped free Meek Mill, the Roc Nation recording artist wrongfully imprisoned in Philadelphia; he represented the family and Estate in the tragic Cleveland police shooting case involving 12-year-old Tamir Rice; he is one of the lead lawyers in two major class actions resulting in historic reform in the New York City jail system at Rikers Island; and he litigated significant voting rights cases in both the Bush-Gore and Obama-McCain Presidential elections.
George Atallah
George Atallah is the Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs for the NFL Players Association and has served in his role since May of 2009. Atallah manages the NFLPA’s strategic communications, including media relations, crisis management, digital content and social media. Using both traditional and new media forums, Atallah helped define the union’s position in the lead-up to and during the NFL lockout, along with numerous other high-profile issues and cases for more than a decade.
Atallah’s extensive professional experience constitutes financial services, non-profit organizations, international affairs, government and politics. Through his career, Atallah has developed media relations and crisis communications strategies, and implemented corporate communications plans across various sectors.
Atallah was born in Lebanon and immigrated to New York City shortly after his birth due to civil war. He grew up in Queens, NY, went to Archbishop Molloy High School and attended Boston College receiving a B.A. in English and Philosophy. He later received an M.B.A. from the George Washington University. He is the oldest of three siblings and is married to Jamestown, NY native Holly Scott Atallah. George and Holly have three daughters, Samia Scott Atallah, Elise Faris Atallah and Noor Marie Atallah.
You can follow George on social media @georgeatallah
Susan Batten
Susan Taylor Batten is president and chief executive officer of ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities. ABFE (established in 1971 as the Association of Black Foundation Executives) is a membership-based philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. Since joining ABFE in 2009, Batten has led the organization's philanthropic advising and programming on responsive philanthropy in Black communities for foundation leaders, donors and aligned partners.
Bradley S. Bridge
Bradley S. Bridge is an Assistant Defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia. Mr. Bridge graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Psychology in 1976 and from Harvard Law School with a J.D. in 1979. From 1979 to 1983 he worked in the State Appellate Defender in Chicago, Illinois representing indigent defendants in their appeals to the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Court and in federal habeas corpus cases in the Northern District of Illinois and the Seventh Circuit. From 1983 to the present he’s worked with the Defender Association of Philadelphia. His responsibilities have included representation of indigent defendants in Municipal Court, the Court of Common Pleas (waivers and jury trials, homicide and non-homicide cases), Juvenile Court, Mental Health Court, Pennsylvania Superior Court and Supreme Court, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and in the Third Circuit. His current assignment is with the homicide and appeals units. Since 2005 he has been challenging the constitutionality of sentencing juveniles to life imprisonment without parole and was ultimately successful in that litigation. He was the co-chair of the Defender Association’s Juvenile Lifer Resentencing Project that handled 225 of the 300 Philadelphia juvenile lifer resentencings and he personally represented twenty juvenile lifers at their resentencings. Other responsibilities include evaluation of cases that should be reopened in light of police corruption. He was involved in litigating issues arising out of the 39th District scandal as well as the Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and others. This has led to well over 450 cases being reopened and vacated from 1995 to the present.
Rebecca Brown
Rebecca Brown joined the Innocence Project in 2005 and directs its federal and state policy agenda, which seeks to prevent & reveal wrongful convictions and assure compensation for the wrongfully convicted upon release from prison. Rebecca’s team has successfully lobbied the passage of more than 200 laws at the state-level. Previously, she served as a Policy Analyst for the Mayor's Office in New York City and as a Senior Planner at Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), where she conducted research, evaluation and planning work around its alternative to incarceration programs.Rebecca has presented at judicial conferences, state bar associations, and diverse criminal justice & academic conferences, and has been sought out as a subject matter expert by such high-profile media outlets as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, VICE, Slate, BBC, CBS News, Politico, NPR and the American Bar Association Journal.
Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter
Since 1996, 24-time GRAMMY award-winner, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter has been a dominant force in popular culture. Among his vast entrepreneurial achievements, Mr. Carter has used the platform he has been afforded to speak on various issues, including criminal justice. In September 2016, Carter teamed with Molly Crabapple for “The War On Drugs Is An Epic Fail,” a history lesson on the war on drugs and a call to end biased policing and mass incarceration. Over the next year, Carter executive produced the Peabody Award-winning documentary series, TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, which tackled juveniles in solitary confinement and the New York bail system and penned a powerful op-ed on Meek Mill, bringing to light the lifetime prison that is probation. Mr. Carter also serves as executive producer of the 2018 critically, Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story and the 2019 Free Meek six-part documentary series.
Charlamagne Tha God
Charlamagne Tha God is one of the most potent, influential, and authoritative voices in media today. He is the widely sought after, outspoken, thought-provoking co-host of the hottest nationally-syndicated radio show in the U.S., The Breakfast Club, heard by over 4.5 million weekly listeners. Charlamagne is a cultural influencer and executive producer with his own production company, CThaGodWORLD. With his finger on the pulse of culture as it evolves, he discovers and advocates for original, emerging talent who resonate with popular culture long before they become mainstream, and uncovers and champions projects and content that are often overlooked. Co-host of the popular podcast, Brilliant Idiots, Charlamagne’s distinct point of view and piercing interviews help drive the daily global conversations around issues related to hip-hop, race, society, and politics. Author of the New York Times bestseller, Black Privilege, and the national bestseller, Shook One, Charlamagne is one of the world’s leading voices in the mental health discussion. He publicly shares transparent truths about his struggles with anxiety, and champions his passionate advocacy toward evoking systematic change.
Julie Ciccolini
Julie Ciccolini is the Director of Law Enforcement Accountability at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). She leads NACDL’s Full Disclosure Project which recruits, trains and supports public defenders across the nation with implementing and managing databases to track law enforcement misconduct. She also works at a local and national level to change police secrecy laws and promote greater police accountability.
In her previous role at The Legal Aid Society, Julie developed the law enforcement accountability application that NACDL now implements in other offices. Working with publicly available data, as well as with non-public information generated by the attorneys, Julie built a model that has revolutionized practice and helped promote a movement to reform police secrecy.
Julie was integral to launching The Legal Aid Society’s Cop Accountability Project. She designed and managed their Cop Accountability Project database which tracks police misconduct and identifies patterns of police abuse within the NYPD. She expanded the database to accommodate use by twelve defense and civil rights organizations across New York City and also initiated a public version of the database. Additionally, Julie worked with The Society’s Special Litigation Unit to conduct strategic research endeavors, data analysis projects, and advocacy campaigns in support of various criminal justice reform efforts. For example, her research and analyses helped repeal the unconstitutionally vague gravity knife law in New York and expose racial bias in crime prediction tools, like predictive policing and risk assessment instruments.
Most recently, Julie was a Research Technologist in the Digital Investigations Lab at Human Rights Watch. Using a range of technical skills, she supported remote and digital investigations into human rights abuses across the globe. Julie also conducted her own research on human rights issues, including an investigation into the failures of police accountability systems in New York City. Julie holds a B.S. from New York University and a M.A. in Human Rights from Columbia University.
Cynthia Conti-Cook
Cynthia Conti-Cook is a civil rights litigator with over 15 years of experience fighting New York police and prison guard misconduct and fighting for people to be granted parole release. Most recently serving at the Legal Aid Society of New York, Cynthia led class and individual civil rights federal and state actions, bringing impact litigation on a range of policy matters. Her legal advocacy around repealing 50-a, the New York State police secrecy law, alongside the NYC coalition Communities United for Police Reform, was featured in the New Yorker (July 17, 2020). At Legal Aid, she also pioneered a first-of-its-kind public defender database that tracks misconduct by New York City police officers and released a public version, CAPstat.nyc, providing a critical means of transparency to an issue that has historically been shrouded in secrecy. CAPstat has been featured in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, and El Diario, and is being replicated by other public defender offices across the country through the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. While on sabbatical from Legal Aid, Cynthia is currently working as a Technology Fellow at the Ford Foundation, advising her team about how digital, biometric, and DNA technologies and other algorithmic decision-making systems are changing the criminal justice, immigration, and reproductive rights systems and fights for justice within those systems.
Benjamin Crump
Benjamin Crump represents clients in some of the most important and contentious cases of our time, taking a place in legal history with his pursuit of justice.
His role in the Trayvon Martin, Martin Lee Anderson Boot Camp, Jannie Ligons (State of Oklahoma vs. Daniel Holtzclaw) and Robbie Tolan cases shows a legacy built around the idea that the Constitution applies to everyone, at every level of society.
Mr. Crump’s passion for advocacy has given him the privilege to fight for justice on behalf of the marginalized in our country, a calling to which he remains dedicated.
Mr. Crump has broken barriers in several legal organizations, serving as the first African-American President of the Federal Bar Association for the Northern District of Florida and the first African-American Chairman of the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, The Florida Justice Association, and many other groups dedicated to the law and the pursuit of justice.
Mr. Crump is a frequent speaker and author, having been featured in documentaries like NPR’s “How Lawyer Got Nation Talking About Trayvon Martin,” and BET’s “I Am Trayvon Martin: A Family’s Fight for Justice.” Mr. Crump is also a frequent contributor to Time magazine, discussing many of the civil rights and criminal justice issues African-Americans face today. Mr. Crump will also appear on a television show called “Evidence of Innocence,” which will feature stories about individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned.
He’s received significant recognition for his service in pursuit of civil rights and justice for minorities, being included on prestigious lists like The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Lawyers and Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. He has also received the National Urban League’s Whitney Young Award, AKA’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award, the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award, and the SCLC’s Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award.
Mr. Crump is heavily involved in his community, having previously endowed scholarships to Florida A&M University, Livingston College, Florida State University, and Bethune Cookman University for minority law students. He also serves as the president and co-founder of MyDad360, a mentoring program for fathers endorsed by Colin Powell and recognized by President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. He is a Life Member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, and the Urban League.
He previously served as the inaugural Board Chairman of Florida’s Big Bend Fair Housing Center, and also served as General Counsel to the Florida State Conference of the NAACP and sat on the boards of the Innocence Project and the Equal Justice Institute.
Mr. Crump was born and raised in Lumberton, North Carolina, and is the oldest of nine siblings and step-siblings. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Florida State University. He is a congregation member and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. He is married to Dr. Genae Angelique Crump, is the proud father of Brooklyn Zeta Crump, and the guardian of two adopted cousins, Marcus and Chancellor.
Tiffany Crutcher
Dr. Tiffany Crutcher is founder and executive director of the Terence Crutcher Foundation, an organization named after her twin brother, Terence Crutcher, who was unarmed, shot and killed on September 16, 2016 by Officer Betty Shelby in Tulsa Oklahoma. The mission of the Terence Crutcher Foundation is to engage the community, law enforcement, and policymakers in creating and sustaining an approach to prevent, identify and address issues of inequity pertaining to minority communities in Tulsa, Oklahoma and around the country.
Joshua Dubin
Josh Dubin is a nationally recognized civil rights lawyer, criminal justice reform advocate and jury selection expert. He also serves as the is the Innocence Ambassador for the Innocence Project in New York. The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. The Innocence Project's mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment.
Josh has represented countless individuals convicted of crimes they did not commit. He recently won the exoneration of Clemente Aguirre, a Honduran immigrant who spent more than more than 14 years (10 on death row) for a double murder he did not commit.
He currently serves as lead counsel to James Dailey, an innocent man that has spent more than 33 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. He was framed by the most prolific jail house snitch in US history. The Dailey case has been the subject of intense national media attention – and was recently featured by award winning journalist Pamela Colloff in a piece entitled “False Witness” for Pro Publica and NY Times. “False Witness” received a National Magazine Award for Reporting in 2020. The story was also recognized with the Hillman Prize, the IRE Award, the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism, and the MOLLY National Journalism Prize.
Josh is also the president of Dubin Research and Consulting, Inc. (DRC), a Manhattan-based consulting firm that specializes in jury selection, persuasive visual aids, and trial strategy for complex civil and criminal matters. Josh is regarded as perhaps the most preeminent trial strategy and jury consultant in the nation, having earned high praise from some of the most accomplished members of both the civil and criminal bars. Over the two decades, Josh has assisted with jury selection, persuasive visual aids, witness preparation, and trial strategy on a wide range of high-profile civil and criminal cases all over the country.
ABC’s 20/20 regarded Josh as the “leading jury and legal consultant on major criminal and civil cases. He has written thousands of voir dire questions, watched hundreds of jury members file into courtrooms around the country, and is often sought by top-tier defense attorneys and plaintiffs’ attorneys for his advice on jury selection, trial strategy and presenting the facts.” He recently co-authored a book entitled The Law of Juries for Thomson Reuters, who referred to him as a “master strategist” and “secret weapon.” His co-author, former United States Federal Judge Nancy Gertner, praised him by saying “he completely masters the details of the case, and brings to bear not only legal analysis, but also the teachings of social psychology, his multiple areas of expertise.”
Marcia L. Dyson
Marcia L. Dyson is the CEO of M and M Dyson, LLC an international consultant enterprise in matters of business development, marketing, political strategies and social engagement. She is the founder and CEO of Women’s Global Initiative, a for-profit entity to enhance the lives of women via wealth, education and civil participation. She has served as the first chief of staff for Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s Operation Push International Trade Bureau in 1980. She served as the Public Information Officer Mayor’s Office of Special Events for the City of Chicago, where she built bridges across the diverse 87 ethnic communities through cultural diplomacy and world-class events. Dyson is a board member of many social and women’s organizations, including the Black Women’s Round Table (liaison to the White House on social justice); the Middle East Peace Working Group; and, Mama Sarah Obama Foundation. She is an Ambassador of Peace for the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). Dyson resides in Washington D.C. where she is also an affiliate of Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service.
Michael Eric Dyson
Distinguished University Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, College of Arts & Science, and Distinguished University Professor of Ethics and Society, The Divinity School, and Centennial Professor at Vanderbilt University — is one of America’s premier public intellectuals and author of over 20 books, including seven New York Times bestsellers. A contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and political analyst for MSNBC, Dyson is recipient of two NAACP Image Awards and the 2020 Langston Hughes Festival Medallion. Former President Barack Obama has noted: “Everybody who speaks after Michael Eric Dyson pales in comparison”.
Allisa Findley
Allisa Findley is the president of the Botham Jean Foundation, which was established in October 2018 after her 26-year-old brother, Botham Shem Jean was killed by a police officer in his apartment in Dallas, Texas. Since then, Allisa has been on a mission to keeping her brother’s name alive and making the vision of the foundation a reality and staying true to its mission - promoting Christian intervention for social change. Ms. Findley has been an active participant in the health insurance industry for 15 years, and holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management and a license in Life, Accident and Health insurance. Since her brother’s murder, Allisa’s passion has shifted from healthcare to justice for police brutality victims and police reform. Botham once stated, “We are not alone as a community of believers, and I am comforted when I know I am not the only one doing something” – a statement that Allisa and her team at the foundation strives to live by every day. Allisa Findley lives in New York with her 3 sons who collectively serve as her inspiration and constant reminder to persist in the fight for change.
Jason Flom
Twenty five years ago, Jason Flom founded Lava Records, kicking off a music empire that would discover and champion superstar acts from Katy Perry and Kid Rock to Matchbox 20 and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Jason is much more than a record executive, however; he’s also a philanthropist with a passion for standing up for people whose lives have been derailed by our flawed criminal justice system. A founding board member of the Innocence Project, a board member of NYU Prison Education program, Families Against Mandatory Minimums and The Drug Policy Alliance, he has spent years speaking out for those who otherwise wouldn’t have a voice, helping to set free those who have been wrongfully convicted and helping them get on their feet once released.
Flom was galvanized into advocacy in 1993 after reading an article about a man, Steve Lennon, charged with possessing 4.2 ounces of cocaine. Any amount over 4 ounces is deemed an A-1 felony, akin to murder, mandating a sentence of 15 years to life. Struck by how nonviolent offenses were so unfairly treated, Flom reached out to one of his label’s lawyers about the case…and the lawyer found a loophole, resulting in Lennon being granted another hearing and being released. The rush of effecting change hit Flom hard, and his crusade as a justice system watchdog officially began. As part of his campaign for criminal justice reform, Jason founded Lava for Good Podcasts, which is dedicated to telling inspiring human stories and promoting social justice. Lava for Good is behind a lineup of notable podcasts, including the Wrongful Conviction Presents series hosted by Jason, in addition to renowned criminal justice advocates. The Wrongful Conviction series has explored the stories of a long list of exonerees and those who are still behind bars, from Brendan Dassey and Rodney Reed to the Dixmoor 5 and Amanda Knox.
Also a tireless advocate for animal rights and conservation, Jason has offered his support to organizations such as VetPaw (Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife) and the African Wildlife Foundation. In 2018, inspired by his own bulldog, Lulu, he wrote Lulu is a Rhinoceros, a children’s book that has become a valuable resource for the transgender community or for anyone who feels as though they were born in the wrong body.
For his work, Flom was named "Music Visionary of the Year" in 2000 by the UJA Federation, and in 1999 he received the Torch of Liberty Award from the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2004, The Correctional Association of New York honored him with their social justice award, and in 2005 Flom received the T.J. Martell Foundation Humanitarian Award. In 2008, Flom was honored as a Partner in Pursuit of Justice by the Bronx Defenders and was awarded with City of Hope’s Ambassador Award. He received the Innocence Project’s Award for Freedom and Justice in 2009 and the Spirit of Life Award by Russell Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 2014. He was honored as a Philanthropic Partner by the Bronx Defenders in 2016. Two years later, Flom received the Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award from the Southern Center for Human Rights, the Sentinel of Freedom Award from the Foundation for Criminal Justice, and the After Now Service Award from the NYU Prison Education Program. He has appeared on Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. and was recently featured in Rolling Stone magazine in a story that detailed his criminal justice advocacy work.
K.C. Fox
K.C. Fox is a decorated combat veteran turned veteran media executive and crisis communication expert. During her time serving her country and observing the country through the lens of the media, K.C. identified a vacuum of females, especially minority females, present in leadership roles. To address this issue, she has spent the last decade working to enhance the narrative of minority female leadership across the board. Through her business ventures and philanthropic work, her mission is to aggressively create the next generation of female leaders.
She is the owner of the Vault Crisis & Communication Firm, Founder of The Lady General Foundation, Co-Founder of Sisters of the Movement, and Co-Founder of the American Black Cross.
During her 24 year career in media, K.C. has represented and coached numerous NBA and NFL athletes when it mattered the most. She is also the strategic mind behind some of the nation’s largest cases in the civil and women’s rights arena, working alongside the nation’s most sought after civil rights and women’s rights attorneys.
K.C. has been recognized by the Dallas Business Journal with their Minority Business Leader Award, featured in Essence Magazine, included in multiple editions of “Who’s Who in Black Dallas”, as well as catching the attention of MSNBC and NBC Black for her work and leadership as a black woman on the front lines during Hurricane Harvey.
She is also a member of One Billion Rising, The Golden Circle, and served as the Second VP of the NAACP- Dallas. She also joined the ranks of the first chartered Dallas chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women where she chaired The Civil Rights and Citizens training committees.
Alicia Garza
Alicia Garza is an organizer, political strategist, and cheeseburger enthusiast. She is the Principal at the Black Futures Lab and the Black to the Future Action Fund, co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, Strategy & Partnerships Director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and co-founder of Supermajority.
Alicia has become a powerful voice in the media and frequently contributes thoughtful opinion pieces and expert commentary on politics, race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. Her work is featured in Time, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, Elle and Essence.
In addition, Alicia has received numerous accolades and recognitions, including being named to TIME’s 100 Women of the Year list, Fortune's 40 Under 40, Fast Company’s Queer 50 list and The Root’s list of 100 African American achievers and influencers. Alicia has received Glamour’s Women of the Year Award, Marie Claire’s New Guard Award, and was honored as the Community Change Agent at BET’s Black Girls Rock Awards.Alicia’s first book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart, will be published in Fall 2020 with One World (Penguin Random House.) She shares her thoughts on politics and pop culture on her podcast, Lady Don't Take No. Alicia warns you -- hashtags don’t start movements. People do.
Danroy Henry Sr.
Danroy Henry is the co-founder of DJ Henry Dream Fund, a 501c3 charity dedicated to the memory of his son, Danroy “DJ” Henry whose life was tragically cut short due to police violence. DJ Henry’s life was the subject of the first PSA.
Angella Henry
Angella Henry is the co-founder of DJ Henry Dream Fund, a 501c3 charity dedicated to the memory of her son, Danroy “DJ” Henry whose life was tragically cut short due to police violence. DJ Henry’s life was the subject of the first PSA.
Jessica Jackson
Jessica Jackson’s quest for justice began in a Georgia courtroom. The high-school dropout held her two-month-old daughter and watched helplessly as her husband was sentenced to six years in prison. In that moment, she decided to turn her shock into a crusade to change the justice system. She then enrolled and graduated from University of South Florida's Honors College and Santa Clara University School of Law where she was awarded the Dean's Outstanding Student Award.
Jessica's career as an attorney began at Habeas Corpus Resource Center, representing men and women on California's death row. In 2014, Jessica co-founded #cut50, a bipartisan initiative to end mass incarceration where she served as National Director. #cut50 took on both federal and state legislation including the “First Step Act” which The New York Times called the law “the most substantial justice reform in a generation". While leading #cut50, Jessica helped pass 19 bills in 17 states, led a national Clemency campaign and built a 50 state grassroots network for bipartisan reform, #cut50’s Empathy Network.
In addition to working on both the state and national level, Jessica was elected to the City Council in the City of Mill Valley, California in 2013 and later served as Mayor for the city. During her tenure, Jessica focused on affordable housing, regional homelessness, emergency preparedness and protecting local businesses. Today, she serves as the Chief Advocacy Officer of the REFORM Alliance, an organization where she is continuing her work to end mass incarceration starting with ending mass supervision.
Van Jones
Van Jones is the CEO of REFORM Alliance, CNN political commentator, and has hosted The Redemption Project and The Van Jones Show on CNN. Jones has been a leader in the fight for criminal justice reform for more than 25 years. He has founded and led many thriving social enterprises, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and the Dream Corps – a social justice accelerator that houses #YesWeCode, #GreenForAll, and #cut50, the organization that recently led the charge on passing the FIRST STEP Act (a bipartisan Federal bill that the New York Times calls the most substantial breakthrough in criminal justice in a generation). The mission of the REFORM Alliance is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system – starting with probation and parole. Jones has authored three New York Times best-selling books, The Green Collar Economy (2008), Rebuild the Dream (2012), and Beyond the Messy Truth (2017). In 2009, Jones worked as the Green Jobs Advisor to the Obama White House, where he oversaw an $80 billion dollar investment in training and jobs development within the environmental and green energy sectors. Jones has been honored with numerous awards and spotlighted on several lists of high achievers, including the World Economic Forum’s “Young Global Leader” designation, Fast Company's 2008 "12 Most Creative Minds On Earth," Rolling Stone’s 2012 “12 Leaders Who Get Things Done,” Variety's 2018 "New York Power List" and TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2009.
Michelle Kenney
Michelle Kenney is the mother of Antwon Rose, a seventeen year old who was shot in the back by police in Pittsburgh, PA. Antwon Rose's life was the subject of the second PSA. Michelle Kenney throws a community event in celebration of her son's life in Pittsburgh every year, and is the director of the newly formed Antown Rose II Foundation. Ms. Kenney is also responsible for the delivery of House Bill #1664 to the Pennsylvania Senate in Harrisburg on March 30, 2019, along with five other PA State Representatives.
Gayle King
Gayle King is co-host of CBS THIS MORNING. An accomplished television journalist, King interviews top newsmakers and delivers original reporting to CBS THIS MORNING and all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. She is also editor-at-large of the award-winning O, the Oprah Magazine. King recently began hosting a live, weekly radio show titled “Gayle King in the House” on SiriusXM. CBS THIS MORNING is CBS’ most successful morning news broadcast in more than three decades. Since joining CBS News in 2011, King has conducted revealing and news-making interviews with world leaders, political figures and celebrities including former President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Bruce Springsteen, Elon Musk Billie Eilish, R. Kelly and Michelle Obama and her mother, Marian Robinson, in their first TV interview together. In addition, King has handled a number of high-profile assignments, including recently moderating CBS News' 202 Democratic presidential debate in Charleston. In June, King hosted "Justice for All" an hour long CBS News special on racism and police brutality. King has received numerous awards for her extensive work as a journalist, including three Emmys. In 2018 she was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and in 2019 she was selected for the TIME 100, Time Magazine’s annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world. The mother of a daughter, Kirby, and a son, Will, she currently resides in New York City.
Faith Leach
Faith Leach is the Chief of Staff at the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Foundation and member of the Board Directors at Ladies of Hope Ministries – a nonprofit focused on ending the trauma-to-prison pipeline for women and girls. Faith has worked for more than a decade to address key drivers of economic and structural inequality experienced by communities of color. Faith’s day-to-day work includes expanding access to economic opportunity in underinvested neighborhoods, and creating avenues for Black, Latinx and returning citizen small business owners access affordable capital to start and grow their businesses.
Mysonne Linen
Mysonne, “the General” Linen, to his fans, is an independent hip hop artist and criminal justice reform activist from the Bronx, NY. Known for his introspective style and brutally honest lyrics and socially conscious lyrics, Mysonne’s experiences of poverty and wrongful incarceration compell him to do more than rap about social and economic conditions of the ghetto. Mysonne is an organizer and frequently speaks out against biased policing and inequity in the criminal justice system. Mysonne made the decision to start his own company, US Entertainment, to maintain creative control over his work and deliver the type of music that his fans want and need. In February 2017, his single”That’s How We On It” earned heavy rotation across the country, ad video of his 2017 freestyle on DJ Funkmaster Flex’s show reached over 40 million views. His highly popular Cypher on the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards was likewise celebrated both for its technical skill and the socially conscious content. Mysonne represents the underdog, refusing to succumb to negativity and proving that struggle can be the catalyst for leadership. He is married to Angelic Linen and is the proud father of three sons.
Tamika Mallory
Tamika D. Mallory is nationally recognized civil rights activist and seasoned community organizer. She served as the youngest ever Executive Director of the National Action Network. Mallory was the co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington, the largest single day demonstration in US history. She most recently gave what has been dubbed “the speech of a generation” – State of Emergency in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. She is an expert in the areas of gun violence prevention, criminal justice reform, and grassroots organizing.
S. Lee Merritt
Lee Merritt is an activist and attorney barred to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State of New Jersey, federally in Eastern District of Pennsylvania the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, and US District Court of the Northern District of Texas. Attorney Merritt is emerging as an influential new voice in the fight for Civil Rights throughout the country by bringing a passion for social reform and a commitment to speaking out on inequities while practicing law. Merritt is a Cum Laude graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended law school at Temple University's James Beasley School of Law where he received several commendations for trial advocacy as part of the National Trial Team. He was also recognized for his acumen in persuasive writing as an inductee to the Temple Inn of Courts. Merritt began his legal career as an associate of the Cochran Firm before going into private practice. Attorney Merritt leads a high-profile practice with clients involved in international events including the tragic Dallas sniper attacks of 2016, corporate discrimination cases, viral police brutality matters and several cases associated with the Black Lives Matter Movement. He enjoys a reputation for dogmatic determination and ensuring a just outcome for his clients beyond mere monetary compensation. Prior to becoming an attorney, Merritt worked as a school-teacher and basketball coach. Merritt is also a spoken word artist, public speaker, mentor and proud father. His commitment to social justice is born out of his own experiences and inner-city upbringing. Merritt is committed to the reform of the justice system in America and is using his practice to effect lasting change for underserved and underrepresented communities.
Carmen Perez
Carmen Perez is something of a Renaissance woman in modern-day activism. She has dedicated 25 years to advocating for many of today's important civil rights issues, including stopping mass incarceration, gender equity, violence prevention, racial healing and community policing. As President and CEO of The Gathering for Justice, a social justice organization founded by legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte, Carmen has crossed the globe promoting peace through civil and human rights, building alternatives to incarceration and violence, and providing commentary and guidance for state and federal policy creation. Her work providing cultural, spiritual and educational events as well as individual support to incarcerated youth inside of juvenile detention centers and prisons in California and New York has led Carmen to prisons in El Salvador and Venezuela.
Carmen is the co-founder of Justice League NYC and founder of Justice League CA, two state-based task forces for advancing juvenile and criminal justice reform agenda. She has organized numerous national convenings, including Growing Up Locked Down conferences focused on solutions for juvenile justice reform, and led the March2Justice, a 250 mile march through 5 states from New York City to Washington, DC which drew Congressional attention to key legislative reforms to confront the national crisis in police violence. A respected expert in the field of juvenile and criminal justice and system accountability, Carmen was invited to testify before the President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, was a featured speaker and Co-Convener of the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March, Justice Or Else, and has helped lead several major campaigns including helping free Meek Mill and Pedro Hernandez. Carmen’s most recent work is her role as the National Co-Chair of the Women’s March on Washington, drew over 5 million people across the globe who marched in resistance of hatred and bigotry, affirming women of all identities’ rights as human beings.
In 2017, Carmen was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People, Fortune's 50 Top World Leaders and Glamour's Women of the Year. She’s received the Justice, Peace, and Freedom Award from the 2017 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Awards and was named "Latina of the Year" in 2017 and in 2018 was Forbes Mexico, 100 Mujeres Mas Poderosas. She has also been recognized for her contributions to criminal justice reform, with the "Gutsy Award" from the National Juvenile Justice Network, a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for Outstanding and Invaluable Service to the Community, the Santa Cruz County Women's Commission “Trailblazer’s Award in Criminal Justice”, and the “Zaragoza Award” from the Committee for the Mexican Culture at D.V.I. Prison in Tracy, for her contribution and dedication to bringing hope to incarcerated men.
Norman Reimer
Norman L. Reimer is the Executive Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the nation's preeminent organization advancing the mission of the nation’s criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for all and to advocate for rational and humane criminal justice policies. As executive director of NACDL and NACDL’s related Foundation, Norman Reimer has overseen a significant expansion of the Association’s educational programming and policy initiatives, and led major initiatives to promote public defense reform, oppose over-criminalization and inadequate intent requirements in criminal statutes, seek pretrial justice reform, confront flawed forensic science, and address various injustices that contribute to mass incarceration, disparate impact, and systemic bias. Mr. Reimer was a founder of Clemency Project 2014, one of the largest pro bono projects ever undertaken by the legal profession. The Project secured sentence commutations for nearly 900 individuals, saving more than 13,000 years of imprisonment. Prior to assuming this position, Norman Reimer was a practicing criminal defense attorney for 28 years and a recognized leader of the bar.
Rashad Robinson
Rashad Robinson is the President of Color Of Change, a leading racial justice organization driven by more than 7.2 million members who are building power for Black communities. Color Of Change uses innovative strategies to bring about systemic change in the industries that affect Black people’s lives: Silicon Valley, Wall Street, Hollywood, Washington, corporate board rooms, local prosecutor offices, state capitol buildings and city halls around the country. Under Rashad’s leadership, Color Of Change designs and implements winning strategies for racial justice, among them: forcing corporations to stop supporting Trump initiatives and white nationalists; framing net neutrality as a civil rights issue; holding local prosecutors accountable to end mass incarceration, police violence and financial exploitation across the justice system; forcing over 100 corporations to abandon ALEC, the secretive right-wing policy shop; changing representations of race and racism in Hollywood; moving Airbnb, Google and Facebook to implement anti-racist initiatives; and forcing Bill O’Reilly off the air.
Rashad is widely consulted on strategies for corporate accountability, transforming the criminal justice system, media and tech reform, culture change and narrative infrastructure, and building Black political power. He is a sought-after keynote speaker at events across the country, and appears regularly as a quoted source, interview guest and opinion writer in major media, as well as a chapter author in essay collections focused on social justice. In addition to media appearances, Rashad has been profiled by The New York Times, Wired, The Root, The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Fast Company, The Huffington Post, PBS, BET and several other outlets. Color Of Change has been named three times in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list—in 2015, 2018 and 2020—and was profiled by the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Rashad is the proud recipient of awards from organizations as varied as ADCOLOR, the United Church of Christ, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation and Demos. Rashad was a member of the inaugural cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity, and serves on the board of the Hazen Foundation. Previously, Rashad served as Senior Director of Media Programs at GLAAD.
Angela Rye
Angela Rye award-winning host, social justice advocate, lawyer, commentator, and self-described empowermenteur, embodies what it means to be a “bringer of truth”. Named and raised accordingly, the attorney’s no holds barred commentary has resonated with demographics all over the world. Her thoughtful yet incisive commentary and real talk about social justice, politics, culture, and history sparks much-needed conversation about the state of America.
She is the host of the weekly podcast “On One with Angela Rye” and a commentator on CNN. She has also been seen on several programs and outlets from Breakfast Club to the Daily Show, BET where she has been nominated for multiple NAACP Image Awards, HBO, TV One, ABC, ESPN, NBC, NPR, and many others. Recognized for her honest, refreshing commentary and social justice advocacy by our nation’s most prominent civil rights organizations such as National Urban League, NAACP, and National Action Network she has also been featured in publications including the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Essence, Washington Post, Glamour, Ebony, and the Undefeated.
Angela Rye is a 2019 recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the historic Wiley College. She is the Principal and CEO of IMPACT Strategies, a political advocacy, social impact, and racial equity firm based in Washington, DC where she creates strategic partnerships and coalitions with Capitol Hill, third party organizations, and influencers to ensure societal change. She served as the Executive Director and General Counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus for the 112th Congress. She also served as the Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel for the House Committee on Homeland Security for four years. With more than 15 years of political strategy and social responsibility experience, Angela has worked with every branch of government—on the municipal, state, and federal levels. She has also developed award-winning strategic partnerships between our nation’s most well known civil and human rights organizations for corporate and government partners. She has advised several local, state, and federal campaigns on strategic messaging, GOTV, and influencer engagement.
Angela serves on several boards including Wilberforce University, Congressional Black Caucus Institute, Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Chris Paul’s Club 61, and Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network. Working at the intersection of purpose, justice, and integrity, Angela is an effective leader who creates opportunities and opens doors for her peers and the next generation.
Topeka K. Sam
Topeka K. Sam is the Founder and Executive Director of The Ladies of Hope Ministries – The LOHM, co-founder of HOPE HOUSE NYC, President of TKS Ventures LLC, and Faces & Voices Inc. She serves on the board of directors for Grassroots Leadership, Coalition for Public Safety and The Marshall Project.
Since her release from federal prison on May 5th, 2015, Topeka has achieved the following: 2015 Beyond the Bars Fellow and a 2016 Justice-In-Education Scholar both from Columbia University, 2017 Soros Justice Advocacy Fellow, 2018 Unlocked Futures Inaugural Cohort Member, 2018 Opportunity Agenda Communications Institute Fellow, Director of #Dignity Campaign for #cut50 where she led the bi-partisian national effort to pass 20 pieces of legislation restoring the Dignity for Incarcerated Women, Senior Advisor of New Yorkers United for Justice, Host of “The Topeka K. Sam Show” on SiriusXM UrbanView Channel 126 Sundays 9 am EDT, and is now developing scripted and unscripted series as an Executive Producer for TV & Film, inspired by her fight to change the many problems that plague female incarceration with 44 Blue Productions.
Topeka has been featured in Vogue, Essence, SalonTV, Vice, New York Times, TheCut, Rolling Stone and Variety Magazine. She has shared her expertise on The Tamron Hall Show, CNN, MSNBC and The Today Show. Additionally, has been featured in Glamour Magazine and Black Enterprise for being “The Black Woman behind the video that led to the Trump Clemency of Alice Johnson.” She has spoken at the 2018 United States of the Woman Conference, 2018 Women in the World Conference, 2018 White House Prison Reform Summit, is a TedxMidAtlantic Superheros Presenter and has received many awards for her contributions transforming the lives of women and girls impacted by the criminal legal system.
She has worked and continues to work selflessly and relentlessly in her fight for the dignity, decriminalization, and decarceration of women and girls.
Barry Scheck
Barry C. Scheck, is a Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. In his forty-two years on the Cardozo faculty, he served as the Director of Clinical Education, Co-Director of the Trial Advocacy Programs, and the Jacob Burns Center for the Study of Law and Ethics. He worked for three-years as a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society in the Bronx before joining the faculty at Cardozo.
Barry and his colleague Peter Neufeld, co-founded the Innocence Project (IP) now an independent non-profit organization closely affiliated with Cardozo which uses new evidence of innocence including DNA testing to exonerate the wrongly convicted. The IP works with criminal justice stakeholders to pass state and federal legislation to reform the criminal justice system in the areas of law enforcement accountability, including eyewitness identification procedures, interrogation methods, crime laboratory administration, and forensic science research. In its twenty-eight years of existence, 375 individuals have been exonerated in the United States through post-conviction DNA testing. You can read about each of these cases at www.innocenceproject.org. The IP also serves as the headquarters of the Innocence Network which consists of 56 innocence organizations within the United States and 13 abroad.
Barry is also a partner in the law firm Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin, LLP (formerly Cochran Neufeld & Scheck, LLP), specializing in civil rights and constitutional litigation. The firm is frequently retained by victims of police brutality, pursuing civil rights claims in the courts and institutional reform.
Barry has done extensive trial and appellate litigation in significant civil rights and criminal defense cases. He has published extensively in these areas, including a book with Jim Dwyer and Peter Neufeld entitled, Actual Innocence: When Justice Goes Wrong And How To Make It Right. He has served in prominent positions in many bar associations, including the presidency of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) where he currently serves as Trustee of the NACDL Foundation. He is a former Commissioner (1994- 2016) on New York State’s Forensic Science Review Board, a body that regulates all crime and forensic DNA laboratories in the state. He is currently a member of the Legal Resource Committee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. From1998 - 2000, he served on the National Institute of Justice's Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. In 2005 he was a member of the American Judicature Society’s National Commission on Forensic Science and Public Policy.
In 1971 he received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and in 1974 his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
Jordan W. Siev
Jordan is the leader of Reed Smith’s non consumer Financial Services Litigation team. His representation of financial institutions and hedge funds focuses on litigation in federal and state courts throughout the United States. He also regularly handles arbitrations before FINRA, JAMS and AAA arbitration panels, and defends financial institutions in major class and derivative actions. Additionally, Jordan has represented financial institutions and hedge fund groups in some of the most hotly contested bankruptcy litigations in recent years.
Jordan's practice is at the cutting edge of structured products litigation, including representing liquidators in the largest CDO fund litigation in history, as well as multiple financial industry players in other structured products litigations and out of court disputes, including disputes related to structured investment vehicles. Jordan also routinely counsels clients regarding potential risks and rewards relating to their structured products investment strategies.
Jordan also represents many high net worth individuals and public figures, including in the entertainment and sports fields, in courtroom and out-of-court disputes related to all facets of their entertainment and sports activities.
Jordan has an extensive pro bono practice focusing on criminal justice reform, civil rights and prisoners’ rights issues. Jordan is a frequent writer and speaker on litigation matters, and serves as Chairman of the Board of the New York City chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Robert F. Smith
Robert F. Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. He directs Vista’s investment strategy and decisions, firm governance and investor relations. Vista currently manages equity capital commitments of over $93Bn and oversees a portfolio of over 80 software companies that employ over 90,000 people worldwide. Since Vista’s founding in 2000, Smith has overseen over 560 completed transactions by the firm. There are over 200 million users of Vista’s software.
In 2020, Smith was named as one of the TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2017, Smith was named by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds. Robert has also been named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year.
Smith is the founding director and President of the Fund II Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving the African American experience, safeguarding human rights, providing music education, preserving the environment while promoting the benefits of the outdoors, and sustaining critical American values. In January 2016, Cornell University honored Mr. Smith’s leadership by naming the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. In 2017, Smith signed on to the Giving Pledge, the only African American to do so. His gift of $20 million was the largest by an individual donor to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Smith is the Chairman of Carnegie Hall and the Chair of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Business Roundtable, the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School, as a Member of the Cornell Engineering College Council, and is a Trustee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco.
In 2019, Smith received an honorary doctorate from Morehouse College and made headlines by announcing that he would cover the student loans of nearly 400 Morehouse College 2019 graduates in a commencement address. After his Morehouse pledge, Smith founded the Student Freedom Initiative to relieve the crushing burden of student debt for STEM students at all HBCUs.
Alex Spiro
Alex Spiro is a partner based in the firm's New York office, where he serves as Co-Chair of the Investigations, Government Enforcement & White Collar Defense Practice. Mr. Spiro is a graduate of Harvard Law School. As a Manhattan prosecutor, among other cases, Mr. Spiro helped indict and convict Rodney Alcala, the “Dating Game” serial killer, for two New York murders in the 1970s, and, convicted, at trial, serial murderer Travis Woods. He also worked with the Conviction Integrity Unit investigating potential wrongful convictions. Mr. Spiro has, as lead counsel, tried well over 50 cases to verdict. Notably, over the last several years, he has secured a string of significant verdicts for his clients in both federal and state court. Alex's practice area spans nearly every type of litigation or dispute across the globe. Mr. Spiro has handled and tried cases across the country and Europe, and has litigated cases involving white collar and regulatory issues, defamation and 1st Amendment law, securities, complicated financial matters, intellectual property, bankruptcy, etc. He has also overseen an array of complex investigations that include companies in a wide range of issues and industries. In addition, Mr. Spiro has served on the faculty of Harvard's Trial Advocacy Program, a lecturer at Harvard Law School, and is Chairman of the Board of Harvard's criminal justice initiative - The Fair Punishment Project. He also serves as Counsel to the Reform Alliance. As an attorney, Mr. Spiro has lectured on a variety of subjects including trial practice, corporate privilege, evidence, and criminal law. Mr. Spiro is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and has received several other academic and professional citations, including the Albert Imlah writing award, and the ACC Northeast Ethics Lawyering award. He also sits on several company boards - both private and public. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mr. Spiro studied bio-psychology and worked at Harvard's Psychiatric Facility, McLean Hospital. In his five plus years at McLean, Mr. Spiro supervised departments of an adolescent treatment facility and ran a program for children with Autism and Asperger's syndrome.
Shelley Stewart
Shelley is a leader within McKinsey & Company’s Marketing & Sales practice where he serves a range of clients on growth related topics. He has worked with numerous privately held and publicly traded companies across both the industrials and technology sectors to help clients identify opportunities for accelerated growth, design new go-to-market models, improve effectiveness of sales-force deployment, and improve margin through comprehensive pricing programs.
Alongside his client work, Shelley co-leads McKinsey’s research on building black wealth in the United States. He has published numerous articles and is a speaker on the topic. Shelley is also on the Board of Directors of the National Black MBA Association. Before joining McKinsey, Shelley worked in the financial-services industry. He held a variety of roles at an investment banking firm, and subsequently co-founded Dreadnought Capital Management, an investment management firm where he led trading and portfolio management.
Shelley has a BA in Economics from Boston College and an MBA from Columbia University
Whitney Tymas
Whitney Tymas is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in criminal law. She has led initiatives to promote fairness and accountability and has taught and presented widely across the nation. Whitney advises individuals, organizations and political action committees, such as Justice & Public Safety PAC, Justice & Public Safety Action Fund and others, about justice policy and strategy. In 2015, Whitney launched a national initiative focused on electing progressive leaders, committed to equity and public safety. Since then, she has overseen several dozen campaigns in prosecutor and sheriff races across the country. Before this, Whitney served as director of the Prosecution and Racial Justice Program at the Vera Institute of Justice. This groundbreaking national program identified and sought to remedy patterns of racial injustice and ethnic disparity caused by prosecutors. Beginning in New York City as a public defender with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, Whitney also practiced law at the Office of the Appellate Defender, the Legal Aid Society Criminal Appeals Bureau, as a prosecutor in Virginia, and in private practice as a defense and civil rights attorney. Whitney has practiced in state and federal courts, at the trial and appellate levels, handling a wide range of criminal cases, from misdemeanors to multiple defendant homicides. Whitney is a graduate of Barnard College and New York University School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Snow Scholar. She was born in Washington, DC, came to adulthood in Harlem, and has devoted her life to public service and social justice.
Eboni K. Williams
Eboni K. Williams is currently the Host & Executive Producer of REVOLT BLACK NEWS, which airs on REVOLT TV founded by Sean "Diddy" Combs. She's also a co-host on the network's hip hop talk showState of the Culture. Eboni has emerged as a powerful media voice in the national conversation where politics, law, justice, sports, and popular culture intersect. Ms. Williams is an attorney, best-selling author, television personality, and contributor to Forbes. She made her literary debut with ‘Pretty Powerful: Appearance, Substance & Success’ in September 2017. ESSENCE Magazine named Williams one of its ‘Woke 100’ in the April 2018 anniversary edition. She has become a regular guest on the nationally syndicated radio show ‘The Breakfast Club’, breaking down issues such as judicial discretion and Black political power versus electoral influence. Eboni received her B.A. in Communications and African-American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. She successfully practiced law in both the public and private sectors. Eboni has represented clients in criminal matters including murders, rapes, high volume drug cases, sex crimes, and federal offenses. She is a proud and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Eboni also serves on the Board of Directors for Safe Horizon, which is the nation’s leading victims assistance organization.
Jana Fleishman
Jana Fleishman began her music career in 1992 and over the years has worked alongside artists such as LL Cool J, Janet Jackson and Ludacris. In 2000, at Island Def Jam Records, Fleishman began working directly with Mr. Carter and the ROC family, eventually heading Communications for Mr. Carter and breakthrough artists such as Rihanna and Ne-Yo during his tenure as President of Def Jam Records. She joined Roc Nation in 2009 and now as EVP of Media and Strategic Development, oversees both artist and corporate communications for Mr. Carter and initiatives; including the Made In America festival and the NFL, creating social justice PSAs. Fleishman serves as agent and manager to WNBA 3x All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith and works across all Roc Nation platforms on strategy, special content and partnerships.
Dania Diaz
Dania Diaz serves as the Managing Director of Philanthropy at Roc Nation. In her role she works with her team to significantly maximize the charitable and community impact of artists and athletes through strategic philanthropic management and advisory support services so that they may be better equipped to effectively advance social good and impact, locally, nationally, and globally. She also helps to maintain the company’s unwavering commitment to humanitarianism through Team Roc, the Social Justice Department. In addition, she serves as Executive Director of the Shawn Carter Foundation. She has been with Roc Nation and the Shawn Carter Foundation since July 2011. Prior to her current role Dania spent seven years as Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director of Oliver Scholars, a youth development program for underserved, high-achieving Black and Latino students seeking to attend private independent and boarding schools. Prior to that, she spent nine years at Columbia Business School’s Executive Education Department, serving as the Associate Director of the Institute for Not-for-Profit Management, dedicated to building managerial and leadership capacity within the not-for-profit sector both domestically and globally. Dania is also mother to her high school-age son and college-age daughter. She earned her master of arts degree at Teachers College, Columbia University and bachelor of arts degree at Columbia College, Columbia University in New York.
Desiree Perez
Since 2009, Roc Nation’s Chief Executive Officer, Desiree Perez has been, besides Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter himself, the person most responsible for realizing his ultimate vision of creating a business empire that spreads far beyond its origins. In her time at the company, Roc Nation has grown beyond a record label, music publishing, and artist & sports management agency, to become a company that both engages and employs his community.
In addition to her involvement in all aspects of Mr. Carter’s music career, from platinum records to sold-out tours, Perez has had her hand in every significant deal the company has made in the past decade, including a groundbreaking deal with the NFL focused on entertainment and social justice, all while overseeing Roc Nation’s day-to-day operations.
Perez is responsible for a 10-year, $200 million worldwide touring deal between Mr. Carter and Live Nation, a decade after the two parties had inked a multi-million dollar 360-degree deal that included management, publishing, licensing and other outside investments. Her work led to a worldwide partnership with Universal Music Group, under which Roc Nation joined the Universal family, while still operating as a standalone label.
The company’s management arm boasts a roster of superstars including Mariah Carey and Rihanna, the latter of whom Perez negotiated multi-million sponsorship deals with Samsung and Puma. After helping to found Roc Nation Sports, Perez negotiated Kevin Durant’s groundbreaking endorsement deal with Nike—a whopping 10-year, $300 million dollar contract. This came only a short year after shepherding Robinson Cano’s 10-year, $240 million player contract with the Seattle Mariners. She continues to further help to expand Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter’s portfolio with the successful luxury liquor brands D’USSÉ Cognac and Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) champagne and clothing line, Paper Planes.
Her business acumen extends to negotiating the purchase of the streaming service TIDAL for $56 million and spearheading the deal to sell a 33% stake in the company to Sprint for $200 million.
In addition to building the business, Perez also leads Team Roc, Roc Nation’s philanthropic division. She fights tirelessly to tackle social injustices on a daily basis; whether it is helping families with legal aid to taking on Governors and prison systems. In February 2020, Perez led the team that assisted over 150 inmates to sue over barbaric conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. She was the driving force behind Meek Mill’s legal team to petition the courts to secure the rapper’s release from prison. Although she prefers to keep a low profile, Perez has worked tirelessly to bring attention to the subject of prison reform, which led to the formation of REFORM Alliance, an organization that fights for prison and probation reform.
The Bronx, NY native honed her skills through the nightlife and restaurant management ranks at several locations in NYC before co-founding the flagship 40/40 club located in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, of which she is part owner.
Through all initiatives and all her work, Perez allows the voiceless to have a voice and a platform from which to speak.