Leilani Brown

REENTRY specialist

Leilani Brown is the Reentry Specialist at For The People, where they act as a liaison between incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people, families, and other system stakeholders involved in the resentencing process. Leilani is also responsible for building strong partnerships with community-based organizations across the country to connect individuals with resources that support their successful reentry. Leilani came into this role after navigating her own lived experiences being system-impacted and recognizing systemic gaps that she believes could have positively impacted the outcome of her loved ones in the justice system. Through her experiences in community-led spaces, she was exposed to concepts of restorative justice and healing, informing the lens through which she sees this work.

Prior to For The People, Leilani worked in San Francisco as an In-Custody Case manager, leading diversion efforts in collaboration with community partners and the court system to support clients during the pretrial phase Leilani has also worked on housing case management through San Francisco’s Adult Coordinated Entry Access Point, working with justice-involved clients and navigating their unique housing barriers. Leilani’s first exposure to housing justice work began in her role as a Program Coordinator with East Bay Community Law Center’s Housing Law Clinic, where she supported low-income, marginalized clients in the East Bay moving through evictions and tenants’ rights issues.

Leilani holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley and isa proud UCLA Law Fellow. In their free time, Leilani enjoys nature walks with friends, finding unique threads in her local thrift shops, traveling, and exploring new restaurants. Originally from the greater Los Angeles area, Leilani currently resides in Oakland, CA.