Nationally Recognized Criminal Justice Leader and Former DOJ Official Appointed to Drive Enterprise Transformation and Operational Scale
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Claire Gross, Sr. Manager of Public Relations
cgross@ceoworks.org | (646) 370-8292
New York, NY–July 21, 2026– The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) today announces the appointment of Jamila Hodge as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). A nationally recognized criminal justice leader with two decades of public service as a prosecutor, policy advisor, and executive leader, Hodge joins CEO at a pivotal moment in the organization’s expansion.
As COO, Hodge will serve as CEO’s enterprise integrator, translating strategic vision into execution across the organization’s core operational, technological, and administrative functions. Her role will ensure operational excellence as CEO executes its bold 5-year strategic plan, Opportunity 2030, to build the foundation of and catalyze a united national reentry system. The strategy aims to expand CEO’s operations from 12 to 20 states, reach 127,000 people returning from incarceration, and unlock $750 million in government investment for the reentry field by 2030.
“I am absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to step into this role at CEO to help expand its impactful and life-changing work. Meeting the critical need for employment for thousands of people returning to their communities from incarceration is both important and deeply meaningful to me,” said Jamila Hodge, Chief Operating Officer of CEO. “When I began my career as a prosecutor, I quickly encountered the inefficiencies in our reentry system. Witnessing these systemic gaps led me to work with the DOJ Federal Interagency Reentry Council—and it is what makes joining CEO such a profound, full circle moment for me. CEO's work to build true economic opportunity for people returning to their communities seeks to dismantle our country's obsession with punishment and reshape reentry to enhance public safety and community care. I look forward to supporting CEO's dedicated staff and Sam's visionary leadership in implementing the Opportunity 2030 plan so that everyone returning from incarceration receives a true fair chance.”
“Jami is an extraordinary leader who brings an unparalleled wealth of experience from the highest levels of federal policy and advocacy, and systemic justice reform,” said Sam Schaeffer, Chief Executive Officer of CEO. “I am thrilled to welcome her to CEO as our Chief Operating Officer. Her leadership will strengthen our people, operations, and organizational systems, ensuring we have the infrastructure and execution needed to fully realize Opportunity 2030 and build the reentry system America has always needed.”
Hodge most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) where she led the organization’s expansion into a national force advancing safety beyond policing, mass incarceration, and executions. Under her leadership, the organization secured millions of dollars in federal funding to increase community-based responses to violence, partnered with local organizations to end the death penalty, and provided technical support to dozens of grassroots organizations. This work aimed to scale community-based approaches that promote safety, healing, and accountability that repairs.
Prior to leading EJUSA, Hodge was the founding Director of the Reshaping Prosecution Program at the Vera Institute of Justice, the organization that originally created CEO. In that role she partnered with prosecutors and community organizations nationwide to implement reforms aimed at ending mass incarceration and reducing racial disparities.
Her distinguished career also includes 12 years in the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, including four years as a community prosecutor focused on prevention and intervention strategies. She also held senior policy roles in the DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy – shaping policies for people turning from incarceration and those seeking access to counsel – and in the office of then-Vice President Joe Biden as a senior advisor on criminal justice and drug policy.
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About the Center for Employment Opportunities
The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to people recently released from incarceration. CEO currently operates in 30 cities in 12 states and is dedicated to ensuring justice-impacted people have opportunities to achieve socioeconomic mobility. For more information, visit ceoworks.org.