David Muhammad, Executive Director

David Muhammad is a leader in the fields of criminal justice, violence prevention, and youth development. Mr. Muhammad is the Executive Director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR).

NICJR works to reduce incarceration and violence, improve the outcomes of system-involved youth and adults, and increase the capacity and expertise of the organizations that serve these individuals.

Through NICJR, David provides leadership and technical assistance to the Gun Violence Reduction Strategies in the cities across the country, including Oakland, CA; Indianapolis, IN; and Washington, DC. David helped lead a partnership of organizations and technical assistance providers that achieved a 50% reduction in shootings and homicides in Oakland. David was the main author of NICJR’s report on Oakland’s Successful Gun Violence Reduction Strategy.

David has worked to implement positive youth development into youth justice systems around the country and was the primary author of NICJR’s seminal report, A Positive Youth Justice System. For three years, David was extensively involved in developing a detailed reform plan for the Los Angeles County Probation Department, the largest probation department in the country. He also served as the technical assistance provider for the Sierra Health Foundation’s Positive Youth Justice Initiative, providing training and consulting to several California probation departments.

Mr. Muhammad has been the federal court appointed monitor overseeing reforms in the Illinois juvenile justice system in the MH v. Monreal Consent Decree. Mr. Muhammad is also the federal monitor in the Morales Settlement Agreement, which requires the Illinois Parole Review Board and the Illinois Department of Corrections to reform its parole system. David is also a member of the Antelope Valley Monitoring Team which is charged with monitoring the Los Angeles Sherriff’s Department’s implementation of a federal Settlement Agreement. He was recently appointed

The former Chief Probation Officer of the Alameda County (California) Probation Department, David was responsible for overseeing 20,000 people on probation, a staff of 600, and a $90 million budget. In 2010, David was named the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Probation in New York City, the second largest Probation Department in the country, where he was responsible for overseeing 35,000 people on probation and a staff of 900. David served as the Chief of Committed Services for Washington, DC’s, Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). His responsibilities at DYRS included 300 staff, a $42 million annual budget, a juvenile institution, and 900 youth committed to his department’s care.

In 2013, Mr. Muhammad was the first Executive Director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) in Los Angeles. ARC has grown to become one of the largest and most prominent service providers and policy advocacy organizations for the formerly incarcerated in California.

While Executive Director of The Mentoring Center in Oakland, Ca., David was contracted by the City of Richmond, CA to help design the Office of Neighborhood Safety, which has since been credited for bringing significant reductions in violence to the city.

As a graduate of Howard University’s School of Communications, David also has an extensive journalism career. David also completed a course on “Systems Dynamics for Senior Managers” at the MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, MA. In August of 2008, David completed a certificate program on Juvenile Justice Multi-System Integration at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute.

Diana Dahl, Director of Development and Operations

Diana Dahl is NICJR’s Director of Development and Operations. By ensuring high quality deliverables, igniting operational efficiencies, impacting key partnerships, and building organizational capacity, Diana’s leadership and expertise helps to advance NICJR’s sustainability and mission impact. She brings 18 years of experience leading nonprofits and small businesses serving historically marginalized and underserved populations across a wide variety of human service domains, including education, health, and justice.

Diana’s leadership centers on big picture visioning paired with the development of deliberate processes and relationships; data-driven decision-making that allows freedom to take reasonable risks required for innovation; an intentional balance of supporting yet challenging institutional systems; and active curiosity and inquiry as tools to enhance operational productivity, service quality, and team dynamics.

Prior to joining the NICJR team, Diana led Development, Marketing, and Operations for Resource Development Associates, a California-based consulting firm dedicated to social justice and equity. Diana led efforts to ensure a sustainable pipeline of mission-aligned work, tripling proposal development while increasing the organization’s award rate. She also provided oversight and quality assurance for grant services contracts, including grant writing that was awarded over $108 million for clients across California.

As former Executive Director of Middle Park Medical Foundation in Colorado, Diana tripled the Foundation’s service area and increased its giving tenfold. She developed what has become the largest fundraising event of its kind in the county, and she collaborated with other local leaders to design and seek funding to integrate mental health care into primary care and hospital settings, resulting in the largest mental health grant ever awarded in the county.

Within four years of development work in Philadelphia at ASPIRA, Inc. of Pennsylvania, Diana brought in over $25 million to build organizational capacity and expand learning programs within their PreK-12 bilingual school system. She designed summer work programs for middle and high school youth that resulted in 1st and 3rd place awards from Philadelphia’s citywide WorkReady system and she played a key role in acquiring two school management contracts totaling $100 million over five years.

Diana holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Pennsylvania State University. She is also a graduate of Community Resource Center’s Nonprofit Leadership Development Program; the Special District Association of Colorado’s Leadership Fellowship focused on executive roles and ethics; and completed a Practitioner Inquiry Fellowship with the National Afterschool Matters Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania.

Keiland Henderson, Gun Violence Reduction Assistant Director

Keiland Henderson serves as the Gun Violence Reduction Assistant Director at NICJR where he coordinates and manages the communication, technical assistance, and training for jurisdictions NICJR is supporting to develop Gun Violence Reduction Strategies (GVRS). This includes supporting the cities that are members of the National Offices of Violence Prevention. He also conducts ongoing research and writes reports on gun violence reduction.

Prior to joining NICJR, Keiland worked as the Community Engagement Coordinator for the City of Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) where he played a crucial role in implementing a city-wide violence reduction strategy. He also served as a Violence Interrupter and Outreach Supervisor; supervising a team of life coaches and case managers.

Prior to OVP, he worked as the Executive Director for the Reno-Tahoe Young Professionals Network and with Faith-Based Solutions; working for over ten years in nonprofit management, business development and community outreach.

He currently serves on Delta College’s Pathway to Law Advisory Board, San Joaquin County’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission and is an inaugural graduate of NICJR’s Professionals of Color Fellowship.

Mikaela Rabinowitz, Director of Data and Research

Dr. Mikaela Rabinowitz is the Director of Data and Research at NICJR. She supervises NICJR’s team of Policy Analysts as they complete research and data analysis in criminal and juvenile justice, youth development, and violence reduction.

Mikaela is a long-time social science researcher who believes that rigorous investigation can help drive more just and equitable public policy. Prior to joining NICJR, she held a number of policy, research, and advocacy positions in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Until July 2022, she served as the Director of Data, Research, and Analytics for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office under DA Chesa Boudin. In this role, she was responsible for establishing a research agenda aligned with the office’s strategic priorities and policy initiatives and overseeing the implementation of this agenda through internal projects and partnerships with academic and nonprofit research organizations. As part of the DA’s senior leadership team, Mikaela was part of an unprecedented effort to reduce the footprint of the criminal justice system in San Francisco, while increasing the infrastructure for diversion and restorative justice.

Mikaela is also an advocate for improving the quality, uniformity, and transparency of criminal justice data. To this end, she has been involved in local, state, and national criminal justice data transparency efforts, including the BJA-sponsored Justice Counts initiative and the recently signed Justice Data Accountability and Transparency Act in California.

In 2021, Mikaela published her first book, Incarceration without Conviction: Pretrial Detention and the Erosion of Innocence in American Criminal Justice with Routledge Press. Based on the results of a mixed-methods analysis of pretrial detention in Cook County, IL, she argues that the Supreme Court’s increasingly narrow interpretations of the presumption of innocence and due process protections for pretrial defendants, and the corresponding increase in pretrial detention, have fundamentally undermined the meaning and value of innocence in the criminal justice system.

Mikaela holds a PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in African American Studies from Columbia University.

Trevariana Mason, Senior Data & Policy Analyst

Trevariana Mason is the Senior Policy Analyst at NICJR. In this role, she supports NICJR’s Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board and Gun Violence Reduction Strategy teams with data analysis, evaluation, and research. She also prepares policy studies, papers, and other written communications on a variety of topics related to violence reduction and justice reform, and she provides guidance and support to other members of the NICJR policy team.

Trevariana is passionate about providing visibility for disadvantaged populations through research. To this end, her research career has focused on community policing, incarceration and social networks, women in prison, and marginalized groups’ experiences of police encounters and court proceedings. Through this work, Trevariana has developed a strong commitment to promoting community-based violence prevention, alternatives to incarceration, and opportunities for community healing.

Prior to NICJR, she served as a Research Associate at the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, where she oversaw the design and implementation of research projects focused on the wellbeing of system-impacted Black women and girls. Previously, as a Research Associate at Measures for Justice, Trevariana directed the implementation of quantitative research strategies and county-level data coding projects as well as oversaw performance and workload measures, decision point analyses, data publication, and community engagement. She also previously served as a Program Coordinator for the Ingham County Family Dependency Treatment Court, where she encouraged healing and strengthening of families.

Trevariana holds a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal and Social Justice from Central Michigan University. Her master thesis, entitled “Strategies Used by African Americans During Police Encounters and Their Effect on ‘The Talk’ Given to Black Children,” was published in 2017 at Michigan State University.

Allen Valenzuela, NOAB Program Director

Allen Valenzuela serves as Program Manager for the Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board (NOAB), NICJR’s youth diversion initiative in Oakland. With over a decade of experience working across various social service and non-profit sectors, Allen has demonstrated a history of successful community engagement, leveraging his professional relationships to increase supports in the neighborhoods he serves. 

Prior to joining NICJR, Allen served as the Community Liaison for Lincoln Child Center, where he provided mentoring for foster youth and youth on probation, and connected youth and families to community-based programs and supported them in navigating various systems, including the juvenile justice system, housing, and healthcare. He has also served as a Youth Life Coach for Community & Youth Outreach (CYO), where he provided intensive case management services for justice-involved youth, and worked as Program Coordinator for Youth Radio to support curriculum development and instructional design. Allen helped build out Youth Radio’s Juvenile Justice media skills program and workforce development, including working with incarcerated youth at Alameda County’s Camp Wilmont Sweeney and the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC). 

Allen currently serves as a Volunteer in Probation for the Alameda County Probation Department where he continues to provide support and mentorship to youth in the JJC.

Amy Arthur, Content Development Specialist

Amy Arthur is NICJR’s Content Development Specialist. Amy is passionate about harnessing the power of the written word to fund innovative programming and accessibly communicate research to decisionmakers and the communities they serve. A seasoned writer and editor with more than eight years of experience developing winning grant proposals and RFP responses, Amy’s writing has led to grant awards totaling more than $122 million from foundations and city, state, and federal entities.

As NICJR’s lead writer and editor, Amy partners with staff across the organization to craft compelling proposals, communicate progress to funders, and develop reports and other deliverables that disseminate NICJR’s research and share lessons learned from the implementation of direct service initiatives such as the Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board.

Prior to joining the NICJR team, Amy served as Associate Director of Business Development for Resource Development Associates, a California-based consulting firm dedicated to social justice and equity. At RDA, she bolstered organizational sustainability and growth by leading the competitive proposal development process. She also led grant writing and fund development capacity building contracts with numerous government and nonprofit agencies. Prior to joining RDA, Amy managed fundraising and communications for Rebuilding Together San Francisco and worked as a member of the development and communications team for New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, where she developed winning proposals both for property acquisition and funding for new construction and critical home repair.

Amy holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Poetry from Johns Hopkins University. Before entering the nonprofit sector, Amy taught composition and creative writing at Hopkins University and Goucher College. She also served as an Editorial Assistant for the Hopkins Review and as Summer Director of the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference. Her poems and literary criticism have appeared in the Birmingham Poetry Review, Measure: A Review of Formal Poetry, Literary Matters, Blackbird, and elsewhere.

Darcell Harrison, Violence Reduction Program Coordinator

Darcell Harrison is the Violence Reduction Program Coordinator for NICJR. For more than 17 years, Darcell has worked on the frontlines of violence reduction, re-entry, and youth development. Darcell has served in several capacities, including mentor, case manager, life coach, violence interrupter, youth workshop facilitator and he has spent several years as a Life Coach supervisor in Oakland’s successful Gun Violence Reduction Strategy. Prior to coming to NICJR, Darcell served as Program Supervisor at Community and Youth Outreach in Oakland.

Darcell has been directly impacted by violence and the criminal justice system, having been seriously injured as a victim of violence and having been formerly incarcerated. For nearly two decades, Darcell has been an example and source of inspiration for others through his personal transformation and his exceptional work as a mentor, violence intervention specialist, and supervisor.

At NICJR, Darcell provides leadership, training, and technical assistance for organizations across the country. He leads Life Coaching and violence intervention training as well as supervises a team of Life Coaches in the Bay Area.

Emmanuel Hernández, Violence Reduction Program Coordinator

Emmanuel Hernández is the Violence Reduction Program Coordinator for NICJR. In this role, he works with the Executive Director, Violence Reduction Program Manager, and NICJR National Partner to provide support and technical assistance to jurisdictions around the country implementing gun violence reduction strategies.

Prior to joining NICJR, Emmanuel worked at the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab as a Qualitative Research Manager for a qualitative study of cognitive behavioral training programs in Chicago. Prior to the Crime Lab, he worked as a Project Coordinator for Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Mexico City, where he managed the development and implementation of a Group Violence Intervention Strategy in Mexico City’s Police Department in collaboration with Yale University, the California Partnership for Safe Communities, Mexico City’s law enforcement and social services agencies, and local nonprofits.

Emmanuel holds a Master in Public Policy degree from the University of Chicago. Currently, he teaches a class on Citizen Security in the Public Space and Urban Mobility Program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

NICJR is excited for Emmanuel to join the team.

Isabel Tayag Parker, Operations & Communications Coordinator

Isabel Tayag Parker is the Operations & Communications Coordinator for NICJR. In this role, she leads the graphic design of key GVRS and Justice Reform deliverables, coordinates social media and communications efforts, administers federal grants, and coordinates the organizations recruitment process.

Isabel graduated from the University of San Francisco where she received a B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology, Law and Society. Prior to joining NICJR, Isabel was a Policy Fellow with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and Digital Organizing Fellow with Justice Teams Network (JTN), where she supported grassroots organizing efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Isabel also serves as a Project Director for No More Tears (NMT), a violence and crime prevention program founded by incarcerated men at San Quentin State Prison. At NMT, Isabel leads the infrastructure and capacity building efforts of the organization as it works to expand its reentry, community, and youth programming.

Isabel’s passion lies at the intersections of media and mass incarceration, and she hopes to help organizations like NICJR shift cultural narratives around crime, policing and incarceration.

Jesslyn Mitchell-Laguna, Policy Analyst

Jesslyn Mitchell-Laguna is a Policy Analyst at NICJR. She supports the Policy Team by collecting data and conducting research on policies, programs, strategies, and organizations in the fields of criminal and juvenile justice, youth development, violence reduction, organizational development, and other relevant areas. She writes and contributes to NICJR publications, assists with NICJR advocacy efforts, and supports NICJR community outreach as needed. Jesslyn also manages grants and contracts in support of NICJR’s strategic growth and development by liaising with community partners, government agencies, and other philanthropic entities.

Jesslyn is a fierce proponent of intersectional race, gender, and economic equality. Prior to her work with NICJR, Jesslyn was an educator, researcher, and advocate in the US and abroad. Jesslyn previously worked in Tanzania and Uganda to build coalitions for women’s economic rights at the local, national, and international level. She worked in post-conflict zones where she learned first-hand how societal trauma and systemic poverty affect community violence and crime.

Jesslyn received her Master of Public Policy degree from the Luskin School of Public Affairs with a certificate in International Institutions and Policies. She studied Human Rights Education at Vassar College, where she received her B.A..

Nehali Vishwanath, Policy Analyst

Nehali Vishwanath is a Policy Analyst at NICJR. Nehali conducts research on policies, programs, strategies, and organizations in the fields of criminal and juvenile justice, youth development, violence reduction, organizational development, and other relevant areas. In this capacity Nehali co-authors reports and coordinates legislative and policy initiatives.

Before coming to NICJR, Nehali was a Public Affairs Analyst at Becton Dickinson on their Government Affairs team. While at BD, she helped foster a working relationship with government officials, maintained their internal communications network, and assisted in developing policy surrounding healthcare safety and technology.

Prior to working at BD, Nehali worked at Bedsider, a nonprofit operated by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. There, she organized events to raise awareness for women’s reproductive health and helped connect collegiate women to health clinics in their area.

Nehali has a B.A. in Public Health Studies from Johns Hopkins University.

Nehali is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School, as a 2022 Bloomberg Fellow. The Fellows Program is an initiative that supports leaders of health in organizations tackling critical challenges across the country.

Nicole Picard, Operations and Finance Coordinator

Nicole is the Operations and Finance Coordinator for NICJR. In this role, she supports financial operations, grant reporting, and other organizational processes as a part of the NICJR Development and Operations team.

Nicole earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Suffolk University in Boston. Following graduation, she was awarded a fellowship with the Center for Public Management, where she worked with local nonprofits on a variety of projects including research reports, designing community surveys, event management, and more.

Nicole then went on to work in the investment management industry with a focus on operations, finance, and marketing. Throughout that time, she continuously volunteered with community organizations such as Prison Book Programs, Friends of Boston’s Homeless, and local food banks. She currently serves as a volunteer with a local prison, providing direct support to those who are incarcerated. Realizing her passion for criminal justice reform, Nicole joined the team at NICJR to contribute her skills in finance, supporting the mission of working to transform the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

Rachel Bowns, Policy Analyst

Rachel Bowns is a Policy Analyst for NICJR, where she contributes to research efforts on justice policy, gun violence reduction, and the violence intervention work of community-based organizations. In this role, she collects and analyzes relevant data, contributes to publications, and supports advocacy efforts.

Prior to joining NICJR, Rachel worked with the Institute for Justice Research and Development at Florida State University. She supported data collection efforts for prison re-entry programing research, interviewing currently and formerly incarcerated individuals and providing data management and monitoring support. Rachel previously supported interdisciplinary research efforts at Florida State University and University of Missouri for research related to mass shootings, young adult alcohol use, and trauma-informed care. Rachel has also worked with victims of crime, at-risk youth and families, and children and families involved with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in volunteer, case management, and therapeutic capacities.

Rachel’s experience working with justice-impacted individuals has made her passionate about reducing and healing trauma in the criminal justice system through evidence-based policy and practice. Her research interests are centered around victim-offender overlap, trauma in the criminal justice system, and translational criminology.

Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, an Master of Science degree in Criminology, and a Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University. She is pursuing her PhD in Criminology at Georgia State University.

Shantay Jackson, Violence Reduction Project Manager

Shantay Jackson is the Violence Reduction Project Manager at NICJR. In this role, she provides technical assistance to NOVPN members, oversees the development of NICJR’s SafeStat pilot project, and plays a key role in other innovative initiatives related to gun violence. Shantay is passionate about advocating for social justice issues, including procedural justice, restorative practices, and education.

Prior to NICJR, Shantay served as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement in Baltimore City. As a member of Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Cabinet, she was responsible for addressing violence as a public health issue; serving as the accountability partner for all city agencies and local, state, and federal partners; delivering public safety policy recommendations; and conducting meaningful engagement with Baltimore City’s neighborhoods in the work of co-producing public safety.

Before dedicating her life to public service, Shantay spent almost 20 years in the private sector as the Assistant Vice President of Global Solutions and Technology at T. Rowe Price Associates and a Principal at Brown Advisory. After the Baltimore uprising in 2015, Shantay left corporate America and became Executive Director of the Baltimore Community Mediation Center, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing interpersonal conflict and community violence in Baltimore City by increasing the use of non-violent conflict resolution strategies. During her time there, she expanded the organization’s reach by rolling out a Police and Community Program, introduced community listening tours, and provided moderation and facilitation services to grassroots organizations and city agencies. This work led to her federal appointment as Community Engagement Liaison for the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Consent Decree. Shantay also previously worked as Chief Operating Officer for the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) Leadership and is the Founder and CEO of EVOLVE to Lead, an organizational leadership development consultancy.

Shantay’s background in the private sector, coupled with her nonprofit experience and personal lived experiences, enable her to authentically and seamlessly navigate political, private, and non-governmental arenas. She is often called upon by local, state, and national partners to share her philosophies associated with leadership, change, violence prevention, and police/community relations. Notably, this includes serving as Baltimore’s representative for the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, providing funding recommendations for violence prevention to Baltimore City’s Congressional Delegation, meeting with members of the Maryland Governor’s executive team, and speaking to members of the Maryland Judiciary on transformative change for organizations and strategies for data evaluation when serving the community. Most recently, Shantay was honored by Black Girls Vote and Radio One for her work as a woman in the political sphere.

Shantay attended Villa Julie College, majoring in Computer Information Systems. She is a certified mediator and large-group facilitator, licensed consultant through the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, certified scrum master, and project management professional. She is also certified to conduct a host of organizational development trainings.

Tara de Bortnowsky, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director

Tara de Bortnowsky serves as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director for NICJR. Tara coordinates business logistics, project management, and organizational operations for the NICJR team. She works closely with the Executive Director and Director of Operations to ensure that day-to-day mechanics of the organization run smoothly.

Prior to joining NICJR, Tara served as a Programs Assistant for the Ventura County Community Foundation where she supported both the Scholarship Director and Chief Compliance Officer. In this role she prepared grants for disbursement, tracked and managed awards and reports, and acted as a liaison between students, fundholders, volunteers, and the foundation. Tara is certified in Fiduciary Essentials for Foundations and Endowments, Blackbaud Nonprofit Databases, and Fusion Labs Grants Management software.

Tara is a recent graduate of Seattle University, where she earned her B.A. in English Literature and International Studies, with an emphasis on decolonial literature.

Victor Bannerman, Intensive Life Coach

Victor Bannerman, also known as Coach Vic, is an Intensive Life Coach for NICJR’s violence reduction program in Oakland. Coach Vic works with youth and young adults at high risk of being involved in crime and violence.

Prior to joining NICJR, Coach Vic served as a mentor and counselor for at-risk youth in crisis facing criminal charges. His experience working with individuals as both a coach and a counselor have made him acutely aware of the challenges faced by at-risk youth and adults in their communities, and he has dedicated his life to improving circumstances and outcomes for those he works with.

For 25 years, Coach Vic worked as a personal trainer and high school coach in the Bay Area. He has worked with young athletes to create and implement training programs that have carried several clients to successful collegiate and professional athletic careers. Coach Vic specializes in designing athletic training programs that not only target physical wellbeing, but also build and exercise life skills such as stress management, maintaining positive mental health, relationship building, and enhancing self-worth.

Aman Sebahtu, National Offices of Violence Prevention Network Coordinator

Aman Sebahtu is the Network Coordinator for the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network. He is an attorney, technical assistance provider, facilitator, and researcher working to advance racial justice and community well-being through investment in community-led strategies that transform harmful systems. He is the Director of Justice at Evident Change.

Aman was previously the Operations Director for NICJR, where he provided technical assistance, consulting, research, organizational development, and advocacy in the fields of juvenile and criminal justice, youth development, and violence prevention to an array of nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic foundations. Prior to NICJR, Aman was a site manager at the W. Haywood Burns Institute, where he provided strategic direction to system and community stakeholders working to improve local and state policies contributing to racial and ethnic disparities.

An Oakland native, Aman serves on the board of the Brotherhood of the Elders Network. He earned a BA in Sociology and African American studies from Emory University and a JD from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Dana Kaplan, Justice Reform Partner

Dana Kaplan is a seasoned public servant and non-profit leader of over 20 years with a relentless passion for criminal justice reform. Dana is leading NICJR’s federal project to assist jurisdictions across the country to expand alternatives to youth incarceration through closing youth correctional facilities, reinvesting cost savings into community programs, and assessing and responding to the economic impacts of facility closures on surrounding communities. Dana is currently a Fellow with the Art for Justice Fund and Senior Advisor to the Independent Commission on Incarceration and Criminal Justice Reform, supporting New York City’s groundbreaking effort to close the jails on Rikers Island, replace them with a smaller system of borough facilities with less than a third of their detention capacity, and transform Rikers Island itself into a green infrastructure hub. She spent the past eight years at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, where she oversaw $150 million in contracted programming to reduce the city’s jail population and played a key leadership role in the development of the city’s plan to close Rikers, including the necessary City Council and Land Use approval processes, as well as neighborhood and community engagement.  While at the Mayor’s Office, Dana also coordinated implementation of Raise the Age, including transferring 16 and 17 year olds off of Rikers Island and into juvenile facilities, while overseeing youth programming investments to reduce the number of incarcerated youth in New York overall.  She also played a leadership role on school climate reform and neighborhood- based efforts to improve public safety in the fifteen public housing developments with the highest levels of violent crime.  Prior to her work at the Mayor’s Office, Dana was the Executive Director of the New Orleans based Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, a statewide legal and advocacy organization that monitored youth prison conditions, ran youth programming, and advanced a legislative agenda to reform Louisiana’s juvenile justice system, including the closure of youth correctional facilities. As a Soros Justice Fellow with the Center for Constitutional Rights, she worked nation-wide to provide technical assistance to both government and community organizations on detention reform.  Her background also includes work in upstate New York to address the economic considerations of prison construction, and she has been involved in building successful coalitions between rural and urban New Yorkers to redirect funding for youth prison construction toward funding for economic development and youth development strategies instead.

DeVone Boggan, National Partner

DeVone Boggan is the National Partner of NICJR. He serves as the Executive Director of Advance Peace (AP). AP is dedicated to ending cyclical and retaliatory gun violence in American urban neighborhoods. AP invests in the development, health, and wellbeing of those at the center of the gun violence crisis.

Prior to founding Advance Peace, DeVone served as Neighborhood Safety Director and Director of the City of Richmond (California) Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS). As Director of ONS, DeVone was responsible for the development, implementation, and management of comprehensive approaches to reducing firearm assaults, preventing retaliation associated with firearm conflict, and transforming the lives of the city’s most lethal young men. DeVone is a national authority on urban gun violence prevention and intervention.

Hilary Bass, Justice Reform Program Manager

Hilary Bass is the Justice Reform Program Manager at NICJR. In this role, she leads NICJR’s justice reform projects and direct service programs, including the Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board (NOAB) Initiative. Hilary is a dynamic public sector leader with a proven track record in driving results through innovative public safety initiatives, community development, and strategic collaboration. Known for her expertise in creative placemaking and community engagement, Hilary is dedicated to establishing vibrant public spaces and improved public systems that foster positive societal change and long-term improvements in public safety.

Prior to NICJR, Hilary served as Executive Director of the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs’ Activities League (DSAL), leading the development and daily oversight of the organization. Under her leadership, DSAL grew to become a 70-person organization with a nearly $3 million budget. Over the course of 12 years, she secured over $30 million in funding for impactful community-based projects, shaping outcomes in public safety, public health, and economic and community development. Her efforts with DSAL included working from within the Sheriff’s Office to develop a hyper-local food system in Alameda County as a strategy to address economic development for the reentry community while simultaneously reducing food insecurity and increasing health outcomes for thousands of county residents. Her work also included the development of a free athletics department serving the low-income youth and families of unincorporated Alameda County as a strategy to prevent crime by building healthy people. Additionally, she brought in resources for local community development initiatives such as murals on 11 facades of small businesses to make neighborhoods safer and help the business community thrive. Through all of this work, she has developed strong expertise in operations, program development, and fundraising as well as excellent skills in building positive relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Hilary holds a degree in Sociology and Urban Studies from Boston University and was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018 as an Emerging Leader.

Damion Walker, Violence Reduction Program Coordinator

Damion Walker is the Violence Reduction Coordinator for NICJR. In this role, he applies his lived experience to empower government stakeholders and community-based organizations (CBOs) in implementing effective, sustainable gun violence reduction strategies. Damion has a deep passion for providing impactful change to justice-impacted and underserved communities. His unwavering commitment to social justice and community empowerment drives his work to create meaningful change and safer environments for all.

Prior to NICJR, Damion served as the first Community Coordinator for Harris County, Texas’s violence prevention program within the Public Health Department. There, he supervised credible messengers in targeted high-risk areas, building meaningful relationships to reduce gun violence and foster safer communities. Damion also previously worked for the Harris County Public Defender’s Office as a Peer Navigator, bridging the service and communication gap between lawyers, families, and defendants. In this role, he assisted families navigating the judicial system with empathy and expertise, drawing on his experience as someone who was certified as an adult when he was a juvenile and endured a lengthy period of incarceration.

Damion holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Houston. He is also a Certified Anger Resolution Therapist and a proud graduate of the Anthony Graves Smart Justice Speakers Bureau. He currently mentors justice-impacted youth and provides training for communities and organizations.

Avelina Richardson, Administrative Assistant

Avelina Richardson is the Administrative Assistant for NICJR. In this role, she manages the NICJR office; provides administrative support to NICJR leadership and staff; coordinates travel and special events; and supports various additional administrative functions. Prior to joining NICJR, Avelina supported incarcerated people and their families in various capacities. She served as Program Manager at Bonafide, where she developed re-entry services for people returning home from life sentences. She also previously served as a Resource Manager and Legal Assistant at UnCommon Law, where she created accessible information for incarcerated people and their families as they navigated the inequitable Board of Parole Hearing process, as well as supported people preparing for the Board. Avelina has also facilitated restorative justice-centered groups inside of men’s and women’s prisons throughout California.

Avelina’s commitment to supporting organizations working to enact change in the justice system is informed by her own personal experiences. Her own involvement with the justice system and her father’s incarceration throughout her life have provided her with a deep understanding of the trauma inflicted by incarceration. Avelina is passionate about creating pathways for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people to reconnect with restorative justice practices that were stolen and erased from their cultures as a result of colonization. Her work is intentionally dedicated to making healing accessible for communities who have historically been underserved and disenfranchised.

In 2024, Avelina was selected as a fellow with California Justice Leaders. She is also an inaugural graduate of NICJR’s Young Professionals of Color Fellowship. In 2019, Avelina received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. During her time there, she served as Program Director of UC Berkeley’s Teach in Prison program, an intern at Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic, and a member of Berkeley Underground Scholars.