The Stanford Center for Racial Justice (SCRJ or Center) is excited to announce the appointment of Christa Gannon ‘97 as Senior Fellow and Special Advisor, effective January 11, 2022. Ms. Gannon will serve as an informal thought partner and advisor to the Center and report to the Executive Director, George Brown.

Ms. Gannon comes to the Center with decades of experience in law and public policy, and a demonstrated commitment to the pursuit of racial justice and racial equity. Upon graduation from Stanford Law School, Ms. Gannon was one of 10 recipients of George Soro’s Open Society Institute Fellowship, the postgraduate scholarship which funded the start of her nonprofit organization Fresh Lifelines for Youth, more commonly known as FLY.

Christa designed FLY in partnership with incarcerated youth. FLY’s core programs of legal education, leadership training, and mentoring interrupts the pipeline to prison and supports youth on their path to healthy, free, and productive lives. Together with young people, FLY also works to help juvenile justice systems become more just, humane, and equitable. FLY is now one of the Bay Area’s longest-standing, most respected agencies working with youth who are currently, formerly, or at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system.

As a result of FLY’s accomplishments, Ms. Gannon has received numerous honors, including the inaugural Stanford Law School Alumni Public Service Award and becoming one of the first in the United States to receive the Ashoka Fellowship for social entrepreneurship in the field of juvenile justice. In 2018, Christa was selected as a Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford. She is also a former board member of Stanford’s National Haas Advisory Board. You can read more about Ms. Gannon in Helping Kids to FLY: Christa Gannon, an article by Randee Fenner in the Stanford Lawyer Magazine.

As a part of Christa’s continued work as FLY’s Founder in Residence, she will be supporting SCRJ in our efforts to address some of the most challenging problems in our country resulting from the history and persistence of racism. In her role as Special Advisor, Ms. Gannon will assist the Executive Director with important and pressing needs as they arise. For example, she will serve as a thought partner to the Executive Director on strategy and planning efforts, including assisting with completion of a draft written strategic plan for use with key stakeholders. She will also help identify and connect to key policymakers and/or innovative leaders in Silicon Valley addressing racial equity in particular areas of interest that emerge from the strategic plan.

Ms. Gannon will also partner with the Executive Director or other SCRJ Leadership in meetings with emerging stakeholders (donors, potential partners, etc.) to help explore and source new collaborations and identify and execute key next steps. In the Center’s effort to scale up our work, she will additionally serve as a general thought partner and advisor on any issues related to the establishment of the Center, such as: strategy, organizational structure, talent deployment, operations, fundraising, and stakeholder management.

It is with great joy and delight that we welcome Christa to our team!