Minnesota Justice Research Center Welcomes Jana Kooren as New Associate Director

The Minnesota Justice Research Center is pleased to announce our new Associate Director, Jana Kooren. Kooren brings two decades of leadership experience in social justice work to this vital role at MNJRC.

Kooren is a career leader with a deep background in nonprofit management, having contributed to the advancement of criminal justice, democracy, abortion access, and immigrant rights. Holding a dual Social Justice and French degree from Hamline University, Kooren was most recently with the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and before that, she worked for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota. She currently serves on the Board at ACER (African Career Education & Resource), Inc.

MNJRC is a rapidly growing organization with a powerful vision to transform Minnesota’s criminal legal system. As Associate Director, Jana will take on strategic leadership responsibilities, overseeing finance, communications, staff supervision, and board relations while working alongside the Executive Director, Justin Terrell, to strengthen organizational management.

“I am excited to have Jana joining our team at the MNJRC,” says Justin Terrell. “Jana is a leader who mixes passion with strategy. She has a track record of building strong teams and leaders. She will hit the ground running on day one, adding capacity to our team of dedicated staff. We are lucky to have her.”

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About the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC)

The Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to driving meaningful change to Minnesota’s criminal legal system through rigorous and community-centered research, education, and policy development. The MNJRC works with people with a wide range of knowledge and experience in the criminal legal system, including scholars, practitioners, students, survivors, and those who have served time in prison.