Meet Our Team

Passionate Advocates for Justice and Equity

At the Texas Center for Justice and Equity, our team brings together dedicated professionals committed to creating sustainable, transformative pathways for systemic change in Texas' criminal legal system. We are advocates, policy experts, organizers, educators, and community builders united by a shared vision of safe and just communities for all Texans.

Our staff represents diverse backgrounds, experiences, and expertise—including directly impacted individuals whose lived experiences inform our approach. This intentional composition ensures that our work remains grounded in the realities of those most affected by mass incarceration while drawing on specialized knowledge in policy, organizing, and program implementation.

Together, we embrace a collaborative, community-centered approach that amplifies marginalized voices, develops evidence-based interventions, and builds cross-sector partnerships. Our team members don't simply identify problems—they co-create solutions with the communities we serve.

Each team member contributes unique talents and perspectives to our collective work, approaching complex challenges with both strategic vision and compassionate understanding. Meet the dedicated professionals driving our mission forward:

Dr. Karen A. Johnson

Karen A. Johnson, Ph.D.

Executive Director

An inspiring, authentic, architect of change, Dr. Karen A. Johnson, -- goes by Dr. J, -- lives her legacy by unapologetically showing up with to others to build, live in, and leave a legacy of equitable and just nations and generations – on purpose.

Highlights of decades of leadership experience across public and private sectors include a distinguished senior executive career with the federal Department of Veterans Affairs; serving as the inaugural Director of the newly created Washington State Office of Equity to bridge opportunity gaps and reduce disparities statewide and across state government; teaching and co-facilitating graduate level equity and leadership college classes; and consulting through businesses she owns.

Dr. J gives her time, talents, and treasure to people, places, and purposes focused on building a culture where everyone values, sees, hears, and treats each other as though they matter. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy, a master’s in public administration, a doctorate in Urban Services, and is a member of the Leadership Women America class of 2018.

Dr. J says, “I will work for liberty and justice for all until equity and justice roll down as waters for all people, nations, and generations.”

To contact Dr. J, please email KJohnson@TexasCJE.org