A Conversation with RBIJ’s Maggie O’Donnell

Can you tell us a little bit about your new role at RBIJ?

I’m RBIJ’s Director of Policy & Advocacy, which means that I lead on the development of legislative and outreach strategies for advancing change across our broad portfolio of work. In this role, I also oversee the day-to-day operations of the Policy & Advocacy team in collaboration with our national, federal, state, and local partners.

What does the Policy & Advocacy team focus on?

The Policy & Advocacy (previously referred to as “Campaigns”) team focuses on advancing change across a portfolio of criminal justice issues, including ending extreme sentencing (Juvenile Life Without Parole and the death penalty) and a suite of workforce & justice issues (Clean Slate, occupational licensing, driver’s license reform, and bail reform). We also explore issues at the intersection of criminal justice, poverty, racial justice, and human rights.

In close consultation with local campaign organizations, the Policy & Advocacy aims to engage, educate, and equip businesses – and their leaders – to participate in meaningful advocacy around policy-specific reform campaigns. 

What is the role of businesses in driving criminal justice reform, especially at the state level?

At RBIJ, we believe that few constituencies are more important to lawmakers than employers and investors. When companies use their platforms and social capital for education and leverage, they create impact. Businesses have the power to shift narratives, encourage people to think differently, and shed light on important issues. They also have an almost unparalleled ability to call on governments, leaders, and change-makers. 

Over my time at RBIJ, I have seen firsthand how business leaders can play a critical role when campaigns are at tipping points. When companies sign onto a statement, byline an op-ed, or call their legislators, they act as unlikely allies and can be the difference between a bill passing or failing. 

How do you make the case to employers to engage on these issues? What advice would you give business leaders looking to create change?

First, it’s important to remind companies that justice issues are workforce issues. As states across the country are faced with unprecedented labor shortages, the imperative for businesses to help remove barriers imposed on justice-involved individuals, increase access to economic mobility, and expand talent pools has been brought into sharp relief. For many business leaders, supporting legislation that will allow them to tap into an underutilized and untapped talent pool (like Clean Slate for instance) is a welcome development. Similarly, businesses are increasingly embracing a position of responsibility, integrating efforts to help build healthy communities through their core operations and company mission. The murder of George Floyd narrowed this focus on the importance of focusing and engaging on justice reform and racial equity issues. 

For business leaders hoping to create change, I’d make a shameless plug to work with us. The Policy & Advocacy team provides companies with engagement opportunities around policies that will have a real and lasting impact – all while keeping additional work off their desks. Through the Workforce & Justice Alliance, businesses can participate in opportunities to drive change across the country. 

You’ve worked on a lot of different efforts throughout your time at RBIJ — what are you proudest of?

It’s been especially rewarding to work on the Clean Slate Missouri campaign as the local business community has stood united in support of the effort. A cohort of the state’s largest Chambers (including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, Greater St. Louis Inc. and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce) and business champions (like SugarBot Bakery’s Jackie Huebbe!) have all signed on in support. While legislation failed to pass this year, advocates are optimistic about the path forward in 2024.

I’ll add that I also loved the opportunity to (finally!) meet some of our closest partners in-person at last year’s American Workforce & Justice Summit. I’m really looking forward to doing the same later this year in New York. 

What inspired you to get involved in the fight for fair and equal justice systems?

From a young age I had a deep desire to help create a more just world, likely due to my Quaker upbringing which emphasized the importance of equality. In my early career, I had the opportunity to lobby U.S. elected officials on a diverse portfolio of international human rights issues including the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Learning about the detainees at Guantanamo (from mentors, lawyers, and through reading a ton of books, especially Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s Guantanamo Diary) was a formative experience that forever changed my understanding of injustice. The issue is what inspired me to work alongside organizations, business leaders, and community leaders to create meaningful change across our country’s systems of punishment and incarceration and is, simply, why I do what I do.

If you could change one aspect of the justice system, what would it be?

This is a really challenging question because, to me, the American justice system gets so much wrong. That said, if I had a magic wand, I would change the way we currently use law enforcement as the primary mechanism for creating and maintaining community safety.

When you aren’t working, what else do you enjoy doing?

As summer approaches, I’m really looking forward to spending more time outside. I live in Brooklyn and things really wake up this time of year. So much of life that would normally be private becomes public here and, while I’d love to have my own garden (someday!), it’s lovely to treat the local park as a shared backyard with thousands of my neighbors. 

I also really enjoy walking my pup, taking care of my plants, soaking up the sun at Coney Island, and traveling (next big trip is Japan!).

What’s a fact about you that would surprise people?

Several years ago, I went on a spontaneous trip to an amusement park with friends. I had a blast and, upon leaving, concluded that I really like roller coasters. I can’t say enough good things about how fun it is to scream.