MISSION
We’re on a mission to reach every person in America released after wrongful imprisonment, provide them with reliable post-release assistance, and advocate with them for a more accountable justice system.
VISION
Accountability for the consequences of wrongful convictions
We’re working toward a not-too-distant future in which:
Our society acknowledges the consequences of wrongful conviction, including on the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and their families, and makes meaningful amends with them;
Every person released after wrongful imprisonment has access to consistent, effective re-entry assistance to help them rebuild their lives, whether they have been out of prison for days or decades; and
Every state provides a fair, transparent, and speedy process by which a person who was actually innocent of the crime for which he or she was imprisoned will be eligible for meaningful compensation and effective re-entry assistance.
“One of the hardest parts of rebuilding my life has been trying to understand the justice system. Trying to understand how they don't see the wrong they have committed.”
Rafael Madrigal
Los Angeles, California
Wrongfully Imprisoned: 10 years
TEAM
Jon Eldan
Founder & Executive Director
Jon Eldan is the founder and Executive Director of After Innocence. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Berkeley Law School, Jon was working as a corporate lawyer at a San Francisco law firm when he began assisting exonerees on a pro bono basis in 2004. Ten years later, he developed the pilot project that became After Innocence. Jon lives in Oakland, California.
Brandi Pretlow, MSW
Program Manager
Brandi (she/her) has dedicated her career to improving the mental health and education outcomes for people, especially those from historically marginalized communities. Since earning her MSW from the University of Chicago, Brandi has spent the last decade serving as a clinical social worker, higher education administrator, and in non-profit leadership. Brandi focuses on utilizing a person-centered and holistic approach to create equitable systems that work alongside people to support their mental health and well-being.
Brittney Yanchek
Program Manager
Brittney Yanchek is a Program Manager for the After Innocence Financial Planning Program. She has a background in finance and has spent her career helping families navigate the complex process of planning for the future. Brittney graduated from West Chester University with a degree in criminal justice and holds a Masters in Business Administration from Eastern University. Brittney currently lives in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
Elaine Wong Eakin, JD
Medicare Specialist
Elaine Wong Eakin is a Health Educator, Health Insurance Agent, and Healthcare Policy Advocate. Elaine was formerly the Executive Director of California Health Advocates, a non-profit that trains Medicare counselors, and she teaches a course in Medicare enrollment issues at U.C. Berkeley Extension. Elaine holds a BA from Cornell University and a JD from Pace University. Elaine lives in Castro Valley, California.
Brigitte Koch, MBA
Program Manager
Brigitte Koch manages the After Innocence Financial Counseling Pilot Project. She has a background in finance and has worked extensively in the education and non-profit sectors. Brigitte brings many years of project design and management experience to the role. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia Business School. Brigitte lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
Brianna Belcher, LMSW
Case Manager
Brianna (Bri) Belcher, LMSW, is a case manager and exoneree advocate with an extensive background in community mental health and outreach, psychiatric services, medical social work, and program coordination. Bri graduated from Michigan State University (Go Green!) with a B. S. in Human Development and Family Studies, followed by an MA in Social Work from the University of Michigan, with a Clinical Care speciality. Bri currently lives in Sacramento, California.
James Mink
Policy Lead
James Mink, JD has worked closely with policymakers, exonerees and stakeholder groups on bills in seven states to reform exoneree compensation and post release services laws. He brings more than 15 years of legislative policy analysis as a member of the Resolutions Committee of the Conference of California Bar Associations. A founding board member of After Innocence, James is also a litigation partner with Walsworth WFBM, LLP, the largest women-owned law firm in California. James is a graduate of the University of Michigan and U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and lives in El Cerrito, California.
Erica Sayko, LMSW
Program Manager
Erica Sayko, LMSW is a Program Manager at After Innocence, providing support in operations, grant oversight, and program planning and management. Erica brings years of experience in clinical social work, public health program development and nonprofit management. Erica practiced social work and patient advocacy in New York City at both Mount Sinai Hospital and the Office of Disability Services at Columbia University, and in Hong Kong, where she launched nonprofits focused on women's cancers and de-stigmatizing and increasing access to mental health care. Erica earned her BA in Justice at American University in Washington, D.C. and a Masters of Social Work from Hunter College of the City University of New York. She currently lives in Maryland.
Kimberlin Leon, MSW
Case Manager
Kimberlin Leon, MSW, is a case manager on our team who has experience providing mental health services and care coordination for individuals and families impacted by justice system involvement and homelessness. A proud local to East San Jose, California, Kimberlin holds a Master's Degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently lives in Sacramento, CA.
Ismary Guardarrama
Communications Manager
2024 Intern
Riley Zitar
Past Interns (2021-2023)
Carlos Hernandez
Maribella Munoz-Jimenez
My Fu
Claire Brady
Karen Froistad
Kendall Holliman
Greer Hoyem
Kaito Komoriya
Osbaldo Ozuna
Annalice Sandiero
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jon Eldan
Founder & Executive Director
Jon Eldan is the founder and director of After Innocence. His bio is above.
Dean Gillispie
Exoneree (Ohio)
Dean Gillispie was exonerated after spending 20 years in prison in Ohio for a crime he did not commit. Dean is an artist, and contributed a piece he made in prison to “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Dean lives in Fairborn, Ohio.
Josh Greene
Psychotherapist
Josh Greene is an artist and psychotherapist (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) in Oakland, California. He is a founding board member of After Innocence.
Sabrina Smith
Exoneree (Mississippi)
Sabrina Smith is the first woman in the United States to have been exonerated after receiving a death sentence. She is an activist and campaigns across the country to end capital punishment.