Candice C. Jones and Karol V. Mason Join Volcker Alliance Board of Directors
New York, NY – The Volcker Alliance is delighted to announce the addition of two eminent leaders to our Board of Directors, Candice C. Jones, president and CEO of Public Welfare Foundation, and Karol V. Mason, president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
With years of experience across various levels of government, Jones has dedicated her career to serving communities largely overlooked. She began her career as a White House fellow within the U.S. Department of Education where she focused on reforming educational opportunities for the incarcerated, and later as director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice where she worked to decrease the number of youth in state custody. Previously she served as a senior advisor at Chicago CRED, where she raised investments for violence intervention programs and community-based opportunities as alternatives to the criminal justice system.
Earlier in her career Jones worked as a program officer at the MacArthur Foundation, managing a grant portfolio focused on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system and increasing the quality of legal defense for indigent youth. Over the course of her career, she has honed her ability to cut through bureaucracy and balance the competing needs of a community to better serve at-risk populations, a strength she brought with her to Public Welfare Foundation.
“Throughout my career in the public sector, I have been driven to serve those who have been disenfranchised and create meaningful change for communities most in need,” said Candice C. Jones. “I’m excited to work with my former colleague, Sara, and the dynamic Volcker Alliance team to support leaders of diverse perspectives in assuming the mantle of change.”
Mason is a powerful voice for student success, equality, and criminal justice reform. At John Jay, Mason has raised over $33 million to support her vision for student success, substantially increasing graduation rates and generating record fundraising. Her student success initiatives fuel academic achievement and career preparation and include MBK Connect, a partnership with the Obama Foundation that supports men of color through college prep, mentorship, and brotherhood, and the Completion for Upper-Division Student Program, which marries data-driven science with responsive personal advising. Mason also launched the Future of Public Safety Initiative, which helps communities reshape safety policy, programs, and budgets.
Prior to joining John Jay, Mason served as assistant attorney general at the US Department of Justice, where she led the Obama Administration’s juvenile justice, bail reform, and re-entry programs, with responsibility for a $4 billion annual budget. As partner at Alston & Bird, LLP, Mason chaired the Public Finance Group and was the first African American woman to chair a management committee at a major firm.
“John Jay College educates fierce advocates for justice who serve in the public sector and beyond, a focus reflected in Volcker Alliance initiatives,” said Karol V. Mason. “I’m impressed by the Alliance’s work empowering the next generation of diverse, service-oriented students, and I am honored to join this accomplished board.”
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Media Inquiries, please contact: Idalis Foster | ifoster@volckeralliance.org
