New York City

Center for Justice Innovation names Rasmina Kirmani as Chair of the Board

April 13, 2023 Robert Abruzzese
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CITYWIDE — The Center for Justice Innovation, a national non-profit organization focused on advancing equity, safety, and well-being within communities and justice systems, announced the election of Rasmia Kirmani as chair of its board of directors.

Kirmani succeeds Judge Victoria Pratt, the Board’s inaugural chair, who will remain on the Board.

“Rasmia Kirmani and Judge Victoria Pratt are both dynamic, compassionate leaders who know how to get things done,” Center Executive Director Courtney Bryan said.

“We’ve been incredibly lucky to have Judge Pratt supporting us since 2009, when she helped launch Newark Community Solutions, and are grateful she will continue her service on the Board,” Bryan continued. “Kirmani has been an invaluable Center partner in her role as leader of cutting-edge community-based and civic organizations. We’re thrilled to have the benefit of her experience and wisdom as our new board chair, helping us deliver the innovative responses to safety and justice challenges that lie ahead.”

The election of Kirmani marks a significant moment in the Center’s 25-year history, following its renaming from the Center for Court Innovation earlier this year. Kirmani is a national expert on public housing and currently serves as a Senior Fellow at Hester Street, an urban planning, design, and community development nonprofit in Manhattan. Kirmani was appointed to the City Planning Commission by Mayor Eric Adams last year.

“I am honored to serve as Board Chair for the Center for Justice Innovation,” Kirmani said. “Throughout my career, I have worked directly with communities and across organizations to find common ground and test out potential solutions that make our institutions and our neighborhoods safer, more livable, and more equitable for all.”

Kirmani has a long history of involvement with the Center, starting with her first job in New York City as a receptionist for the Times Square BID, which was partnering with the newly founded Midtown Community Court at the time. She also led the Brownsville Partnership and helped nurture the Center’s Brownsville Community Justice Center, and has collaborated with the Center to support and advocate for NYCHA residents.

During Judge Pratt’s tenure, she played a crucial role in implementing justice reforms as the presiding judge of Newark Community Solutions. After joining the Center’s Board of Advisors in 2017, she assisted the organization in transitioning from the Fund for the City of New York to an independent non-profit, at which point the Board of Advisors became a full-fledged Board of Directors responsible for oversight, accountability, fundraising, partnership development, and strategic advice.“It has been a privilege to serve as the inaugural Chair of the Center’s Board of Directors,” said Judge Pratt. “From the first time I learned about this organization, I found that the people here do magic. We take care to bring everyone to the table to solve the most complicated problems facing our communities today, something so important, and all too rare.”

The Center operates more than two dozen community- and court-based programs, and has published over 60 original research publications and provided hands-on assistance to practitioners in nearly all 50 states since its founding in 1996.

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