Kandia is a results-driven policy professional who believes that central to all good public policy is the positive impact that good policy has on the quality of people's lives. As the Policy Director for Dream.org JUSTICE he is charged with working with state and federal officials to make policy changes that will impact our criminal justice system. Kandia is a person who has been directly impacted by this system and he brings to our organization more than 18 years of experience in policy and government affairs. Over his career he has served as a senior congressional staffer, and in his role as Chief of Staff for the City of Detroit, he managed multiple City agencies and intergovernmental relations. Kandia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and an English minor from Niagara University. He is intentional in building sound political strategies, crafting evidence-based policies and developing strategic messages. As a community organizer he was successful in getting a coalition of fellow community organizers and public health officials in Michigan to declare mass incarceration a public health crisis. As a result, the coalition actively engaged in efforts to reform the criminal justice system. Kandia is a native Detroiter who resides on the “eastside” where he enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 daughters.