Skip to Content
Headshot of Olivia Dana

Olivia Dana

Chief of Staff

Olivia Dana is Chief of Staff at the Center for Justice Innovation, where she serves as a strategic advisor to the CEO and a member of the Executive Team. With more than a decade of experience in criminal legal system reform, Olivia plays a central role in advancing the Center’s mission and impact through cross-organizational collaboration, strategic planning, and executive leadership.

Prior to stepping into her current role, Olivia oversaw the Center’s Supervised Release program, a supportive pretrial services programs which serves over 8,000 participants annually across Brooklyn and Staten Island. Her work focused on building an innovative pretrial model grounded in supportive services and community engagement. She also served as Deputy Director of Research-Practice Strategies, where she performed original research and provided technical assistance to jurisdictions around the country seeking to build more effective and fair local criminal justice systems. As Project Director at the Staten Island Justice Center, she developed alternative-to-incarceration programs and spearheaded community-based initiatives.

Olivia began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn’s Kings County District Attorney’s Office, where she managed all stages of criminal prosecution and advanced restorative and community-focused approaches to justice.

Her work has been recognized through numerous publications and speaking engagements on pretrial reform, restorative prosecution, and broader criminal justice reform efforts.

Olivia holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in English from Fordham University. Olivia is a licensed attorney in New York State.

Olivia's Updates

We Don’t Have to Choose Between Safety and Justice

We Don’t Have to Choose Between Safety and Justice

For far too long, we’ve been told that we must choose between justice and safety, that those two goals are in direct competition. Community Justice challenges that false dichotomy, providing a path forward in divided times.

Oct 29, 2024

Healing Haircuts: Reimagining Masculinity in the Barbershop

Healing Haircuts: Reimagining Masculinity in the Barbershop

Barbershop talks hosted by our RISE team give men a chance to work through their feelings about relationships, self-love, and masculinity in a space they feel comfortable.

Oct 10, 2024

Growing Safety in Green Spaces

Growing Safety in Green Spaces

Green spaces are in short supply in historically marginalized neighborhoods, but investing in them makes for safer, healthier communities.

Sep 25, 2024