Speakers

Avik Das is the Executive Director of the Justice Advisory Council (JAC), serving under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. His work leading the JAC focuses on advancing justice system innovation, policy development, and investments that are evidence informed and community affirmed.  Avik and his team are committed to further President Preckwinkle's community safety and equity goals, including reducing reliance on the criminal legal system, and providing grant funding to community-based organizations advancing violence prevention and supporting the success of residents returning home from periods of incarceration. He represents Cook County as a member-entity lead in the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC), a coordinating body of local governmental efforts in violence prevention grant and policy work alongside counterparts in the State of Illinois and City of Chicago governments.

Prior to joining the JAC, Avik served over two decades as a Juvenile Probation Officer within the Circuit Court of Cook County.  He spent his last six years in that field as the Director and Chief of the Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department. He remains committed to community-based service and support for court-involved youth and adults who may otherwise be at risk of being lost to violence or incarceration.  

He is a licensed attorney and holds appointed leadership roles serving the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Juvenile Redeploy Oversight Board.  He is a member of Columbia Law School's Youth Correctional Leaders for Justice and a Fellow of the University of Chicago, Civic Leadership Academy, as well as a Fellow of the Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform.