Dee Mandiyan - Center for Justice Innovation

Dee Mandiyan (they/them) has been the Senior Program Manager of the Youth Justice Board since 2018. They oversee curriculum development and implementation, partnership building, communications, and Board-led research. At the Center for Court Innovation, Dee is currently a chair of the LGBTQ Working Group, which seeks to improve the Center’s practices and relationships with LGBTQ-identifying clients and employees.

Dee earned their BA in Psychology and English from Amherst College in 2010 and their MA in Human Development and Social Intervention from New York University in 2016. Before joining the Center for Court Innovation, Dee researched the impacts of gender-specific interventions in the juvenile justice system. They also have experience running an LGBTQ student center within the CUNY system, teaching SAT/PSAT prep, and planning events for non-profits.

Dee's Updates

Parents with children stop at an outdoor table that reads

How Community Ambassadors Help Their Neighbors Secure Stable Housing

Amid a housing crisis that has left many feeling helpless, the Community Ambassadors program in Syracuse restores communication and trust.

Center for Justice Innovation Voluntarily Recognizes Brooklyn Supervised Release Union

The Center for Justice Innovation (Brooklyn Supervised Release) is pleased to voluntarily recognize National Organization of Legal Service Workers UAW, Local 2320 as a staff union, representing many of our Brooklyn-based Supervised Release Program staff. We look forward to a productive, collaborative collective bargaining process that helps us continue our vital work building safety and justice with the communities we serve.

Reflecting on Strong Starts, 10 Years On

Over the past decade, the Strong Starts Court Initiative has worked to transform the family court process to focus on strengthening parents’ relationships with their babies.

A woman in a Queens Community Justice Center T-shirt lifts a child holding a basketball up on her shoulders towards a hoop.

Why Supporting Families Is Crucial to Strong Communities

For many families, contact with the legal system comes after years of struggling to meet basic needs. When we invest in solutions that respond to those needs both inside and outside of the courts, we pave the way for safer, stronger communities.