CCJ Directory

Dawn E. Freeman is an accomplished non-profit leader, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur who is nationally recognized for her expertise on social change and community-based leadership.

In 2017, Freeman was named President and CEO of the Securus Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, where she worked with local governments and community-based organizations to ease reentry for the formerly incarcerated and spur demonstrable reductions in recidivism. She led the rebranding of the foundation in 2020 to The ReGenHope Initiative and became its board chair and president.

Through her non-profit leadership, Freeman has earned a reputation as a thought leader on issues of social justice, community-level change, and criminal justice reform. She has appeared on national television and her writings have been published in a range of major news outlets. She is a sought-after public speaker and an audience favorite for her inspiring personal story of overcoming her youth as a justice-involved individual to become a champion for marginalized groups and social change.

Freeman holds an M.B.A. with a specialization in Accounting and B.A. in Business Administration with a specialization in Management from Saint Leo University. She is a mother of three, a resident of Dallas, Texas, and an active member of St. Paul United Methodist Church.