Meet Our Experts
NBWJI’s experts include community organizers, lawyers, mental health providers, policy analysts, public health professionals, and criminologists.
Sydney McKinney, Ph.D, MPH, MA
Executive Director
Brooklyn, NY
Dr. McKinney is deeply committed to advancing rigorous research, policy, and technical assistance that lifts up the voices of system-impacted Black women, girls and gender-nonconforming people. Under her leadership, NBWJI’s research and advocacy will demonstrate the importance of centering the experiences of Black women, girls, and gender nonconforming people in efforts to end mass incarceration and how critical it is that our society advance new models of justice that are rooted in honoring the dignity of all people and promote individual and collective healing. Dr. McKinney has over 15 years of experience in the areas of child welfare and justice reform, leading and implementing research and evaluation in applied settings. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology and an M.A. in law and society from New York University, as well as an M.P.H from Columbia University.
Janaé Bonsu, MA, LMSW
Senior Research Associate
Columbia, SC
Janaé Bonsu (she/her) is an activist researcher and Licensed Master Social Worker committed to Black women and nonbinary people through research, policy, and practice. Janaé comes to NBWJI with a decade of pertinent research experience in the fields of criminal legal reform, youth justice, and child welfare. She has extensive experience designing, implementing, analyzing, and sharing research in a variety of community-based and institutional settings. She found a passion in providing strategic research support for grassroots campaigns concerned with gendered and racialized policing. Janaé holds a B.A. in experimental psychology and criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and an M.A. in social work, social policy, and social administration from the University of Chicago. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in social work at the University of Illinois at Chicago where her dissertation research focuses on the intersection of gender-based interpersonal and institutional violence in Black communities, and the impact of that violence on safety-related empowerment.
Trevariana Mason, MS
Research Associate
Rochester, NY
Trevariana Mason has spent most of her career and educational journey working to provide visibility for disadvantaged populations. As she developed an understanding of the criminal and social justice system, her outlook on justice changed. Throughout her career, she has focused on “the talk:” conversations Black parents use to prepare their children for police encounters, marginalized groups experiences throughout the court proceedings, community policing, incarceration and social networks, and women in prison. She has also worked with family dependency treatment courts to encourage healing and strengthening of families. Trevariana holds a B.S in criminal and social justice from Central Michigan University as well as an M.S in criminal justice and a community engagement certification from Michigan State University.
Samaura Stone, MSW
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Washington, DC
Samaura brings more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit and government sectors, focusing on elevating youth voices, improving equity, and aligning policy with practice. Prior to joining NBWJI, she was a senior director at the American Youth Policy Forum. She led a team focused on informing and training federal/state policymakers on ways to increase education and workforce outcomes for youth experiencing homelessness, involved in the juvenile justice system, and transitioning out of foster care. Prior to that, she was a policy analyst at the Aspen Institute, working to increase economic security for youth and families. She has also worked on legislation pertaining to social justice, education equity, women’s health, and youth development during both as a congressional staff person for two U.S. Senators and as a Portland Public Schools employee. Originally from Oregon, Samaura received her MSW from Portland State University and has advocated for and in partnership with formerly incarcerated women and girls, youth impacted by the foster care system, and individuals impacted by mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Aishatu Yusuf, MPA
Consultant
Oakland, CA
Aishatu Yusuf has spent the majority of her career working within multiple social systems to create better outcomes for marginalized youth, young people, and their families. Throughout her career, she has focused on child safety, youth, and adult legal system reform, child protection, and education policy. With the belief that change must be envisioned through an intersectional lens that captures race and gender identity, Aishatu has worked to reduce the education, health, and employment barriers for formerly incarcerated women, evaluated the strengths and needs of girls in gangs, and worked with local and federal policymakers to create recommendations focused on the de-criminalization of girls in schools. At NBWJI, Aishatu leads our work that addresses school to confinement pathways for Black girls and other girls of color. In addition to her role at NBWJI, Aishatu also serves as the Director of Innovation Programs at Impact Justice. Aishatu holds two bachelor's degrees from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in public administration from Northeastern University.
Board of Directors
Monique W. Morris, Ed.D
Board Chair
Brooklyn, NY
Isis Sapp-Grant, LMSW
Board Member
Brooklyn, NY
Ayana Curry, Esq.
Board Member
Bay Area, CA