Board

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Jessica Younts serves as a consultant for nonprofits assisting with strategic planning and organizational infrastructure and management. Jessica also served on the policy team for the National Executive Council (NEC) at Columbia University’s Center for Justice. She is co-founder of Justice Impact Alliance (JIA), an organization led by individuals impacted by the criminal legal system.  Through the research, programs, and policy collaborations of justice-impacted leadership, JIA has introduced several initiatives targeting inequities within legal, education, housing, and employment systems including the Justice Impact Network, a digital platform providing resources for people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system. 

Jessica served as VP of FRRC from incorporation in 2011 until 2021 and served as the Fines & Fees Program Director from 2019- 2021. She was involved with the drafting and ultimate passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which eliminated the lifetime ban on voting for people with felony convictions and instantly re-enfranchised over 1.45 million people with past felony convictions. After legislation was passed that attempted to limit the reach of Amendment 4, Jessica developed and implemented FRRC’s Fines & Fees Program which paid close to $30 million towards people’s fines and fees. 

Jessica holds both a JD and Ph.D in Criminal Justice from Nova Southeastern University, and a BS from St. John’s University.

Kristy has been a fierce advocate for re-entry and prison reform since her release in 2017, advocating to provide new opportunities for second chances. Her successful fight to remove the criminal history box on all college applications, in the state of Oregon, was realized in 2020. This was achieved by collaborating with key partners, legislators, and higher education coalitions. That same year, Kristy earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Innovation and Leadership at Southern Oregon University, graduating summa cum laude.

Kristy founded The Freedom Exchange Project, where she connects and has conversations with men and women impacted by the criminal legal system, in order to amplify their voices. Kristy has a certificate in Community Storytelling, is a Certified Peer Support Specialist, and is a member of the Faces of Women Speakers Bureau for LOHM. Kristy is a board member of AFJO, a member of Unlock Higher Ed, and is the Pre-Release Coordinator and Policy Advocate at Operation Restoration. Kristy graduated from Just Leadership USA - Leading with Conviction fellowship program in 2023. Kristy is passionate about bridging communities and cultures so that people have opportunities to realize their ultimate potential.

Kristy recently published her first best-selling book, Perfectly Flawed - Uncovering Your Greatest Purpose. Her book is a raw, interactive, reflective reading experience, revealing the complexity of the human spirit in all of its glory, pain, and compassion. Through creative prompts, she gently coaxes the reader to observe their own story so they begin to see exactly why their life is what it is today.

Joyce Hamilton Henry is the Regional Development Director at the American Civil

Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida.  She has held leadership positions in academe and in

the nonprofit sector.  She is based in the Tampa ACLU office.

Since 2008, she has been employed by the ACLU of Florida in the areas of policy,

advocacy, and development. She has worked with local, state, and national

organizations to address a range of civil liberties and civil rights issues including felon

enfranchisement, voting rights, immigrant rights, LGBT rights, juvenile justice, criminal

justice, racial justice, and police practices.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family

Relations from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Social Work degree from the

University of Connecticut School of Social Work, and a doctorate degree in Social

Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

Dr. Hamilton Henry was a psychiatric social worker at the Department of Child and

Adolescent Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Connecticut. She was the Director of the

Office of Multicultural Programs at the University of Hartford. In that capacity, she

developed and implemented programs to assist with the recruitment and retention of

students of color and to address broader issues of diversity and inclusion on the college

campus.  She was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Hartford for 20 years where

she taught in African American Studies and in the Departments of Sociology and

Psychology. Her areas of expertise include race and ethnic relations, Caribbean

immigrants, the Caribbean Diaspora, voting rights, civic and political engagement.

She has conducted research on Caribbean immigrants, is published in the field of social

work, and has presented extensively on a range of topics.  She is the author of No One

Asked Us: The Under-representation of African Americans and Latinos on Local Boards

and Commissions and has co-authored several papers on West Indian immigrants.

Ani was given the opportunity in 2006 to enter corporate America in an entry level position and worked her way up to upper-level management. During her tenure there she faced many challenges with the lack of formal education and prior experience in the field. Her determination and will to learn allowed her to receive hands-on education and growth within the company. Being justice-impacted while also navigating the numerous barriers she faced, she was able to acquire the education and skills that led to her becoming an entrepreneur. She became licensed by the State of Florida as a CAM and started her own business that manages and consults for non-profit associations throughout South Florida. Ani manages the oversight of financials, capital improvements, Florida Statute compliances, and the companies’ overall operations for all properties, funds, and ventures. She leads client outreach and relationship management efforts and develops and implements strategies for pursuing new business development, managing client communication, and overseeing relationships with top strategic clients.

Realizing the impact of providing necessary resources and guidance to impacted individuals Ani launched an internal program within her company for justice-impacted individuals. This program provided job placement within her company, housing referrals, mentorship programs, onsite vocational training, and financial management education. With the success of the program, Ani realized that her true passion was helping others navigate through the many challenges justice-impacted people face. She decided she wanted to further her endeavors and joined the Justice Impact Alliance where her experience and skills could aid in helping as many people as possible.

Ani has devoted her personal time to helping, mentoring, and donating to people and causes within her community and South Florida over the years. She was involved in a prison ministry program that visited a South Florida women’s prison and held a weekly church service for them.