Justice Action Network Welcomes New Executive Director, Lauren Krisai
Today, the Justice Action Network (JAN) and the Justice Action Network Foundation (JANF) are excited to announce new leadership developments. Lauren Krisai is being elevated as Executive Director, and JC Hendrickson will serve as Deputy Executive Director.
Lauren Krisai has been with JAN and JANF since 2018. In her previous role as Deputy Director, Krisai oversaw JAN and JANF’s state-level educational and legislative efforts. During her tenure she led dozens of successful policy campaigns, supported and built several key legislative and stakeholder champions, strengthened JAN’s presence in more than 15 states across the country, and helped to pass more than 140 bills alongside her state team. Prior to Justice Action Network, she served as Director of Criminal Justice Reform at the Reason Foundation. Krisai has worked in criminal justice reform for more than a decade and brings extensive policy and political expertise to her new role.
“Justice Action Network and Justice Action Network Foundation have led national bipartisan criminal justice reform efforts all over the country for nearly a decade. Our success is built on our commitment to work with anyone and everyone interested in effectuating meaningful and long-lasting change that makes our justice system fairer and improves public safety,” said Lauren Krisai. “I’m honored to lead JAN and JANF as we move into our next chapter.”
“For more than a decade, I’ve been lucky enough to follow my passion and do what I love: advocate for a fairer, more equitable justice system and increase opportunities for those who have made mistakes in their past. I believe deeply in our country’s ideals and know that we have work to do to live up to them—this is what drives me in the work that I do, and I feel lucky to continue that work in this new role.”
JC Hendrickson will assume the role of Deputy Executive Director. Previously serving as Director of Federal Affairs, Hendrickson led JAN and JANF’s coalition efforts to advance the Federal Prison Oversight Act, which was signed into law earlier this summer. Hendrickson also led our coalition strategy to defeat a 2023 congressional resolution that would have unjustly returned more than 3,000 people to prison. He joined JAN and JANF in 2023 with nearly two decades of experience in federal policy and advocacy, including at the Pew Charitable Trusts and nearly five years as a congressional staffer.
“Justice Action Network’s unique ability to convene policymakers and stakeholders of all political stripes is critical in making the criminal justice system safer, more humane, and cost effective. I am proud to work for an organization that advances policies rooted in evidence and research, turning good ideas into new laws,” said JC Hendrickson. “Washington is as polarized as ever, and the best way to advance needed reforms is to convene diverse voices, find shared principles, and run the ball. That’s what the Justice Action Network does, and I am proud to help lead the organization into its next phase.”