Upclose with members
Our UpClose series invites members to participate in a short conversation about highlights of their work, meaningful experiences related to criminal justice, and CCJ’s value to the field.

UpClose With Jeffrey Korzenik
This month’s member spotlight features Jeffrey Korzenik, the Chief Investment Strategist for Fifth Third Bank. Most recently, he is the author of “UNTAPPED TALENT: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community” (HarperCollins Leadership, April 2021), which shares the business case and best practices for hiring people with criminal records.

UpClose With Richard Jerome
This month’s member spotlight features Richard Jerome, civil rights lawyer and expert in police accountability. From 1997 to 2001, he was Deputy Associate Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice, overseeing the work of the Civil Rights Division and the Community Relations Service, as well as coordinating DOJ’s efforts to promote police integrity.

UpClose With Tarra Simmons
This month’s member spotlight features Tarra Simmons, representative for the 23rd legislative district in Washington State and founding director of Civil Survival. In her interview, Simmons discusses the opportunities and challenges she has faced as the first formerly incarcerated state-level elected official in Washington.

UpClose With Beau Kilmer
This member video spotlights Beau Kilmer, Director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. In this interview, Kilmer discusses how he landed at RAND, what issues the center is addressing now, and how the U.S. should address the explosion of fentanyl misuse, which contributed to the nation’s record-high 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021.

UpClose With James Forman, Jr.
This member video spotlights CCJ Board of Trustees member James Forman, Jr., a professor at Yale Law School and faculty director of the Yale Law and Racial Justice Center.

UpClose With David Safavian
This member video spotlights David Safavian, Deputy Director of the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform.