Vidhya Ananthakrishnan co-directs the Lab’s Youth Justice Initiatives team, which is focused on ending the punitive youth prison model and accelerating investment in those communities that have been hardest hit by youth incarceration. In this role, she supports YJI’s fundraising efforts and guides YJI’s advocacy, strategic communications, and narrative research work. She also works closely with a range of partners across the country, including the Youth Correctional Leaders for Justice (YCLJ), a network of current and past correctional administrators calling for the end of youth prisons and investment in communities. Previously, Vidhya worked at the Vera Institute of Justice, where she was involved in numerous local, state, and national youth justice efforts to keep youth out of custody. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from The George Washington University and a BA in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University.