About

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Attorney Christopher Poulos was appointed Executive Director of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council (Council) on October 1, 2017 by Department of Commerce Director Brian Bonlender and the Council. On March 8, 2018 he was unanimously confirmed in this role by the Washington State Senate. Previously, Christopher served as Executive Director of Life of Purpose Treatment at the University of North Texas, where he was also an adjunct professor of criminal justice. During law school, he served at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, The Sentencing Project, and was selected as law student of the year by National Jurist magazine. While at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, he worked to reduce discrimination by reframing stigmatizing language used by the federal government regarding addiction and justice system involvement. Christopher also served as an advisor to U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) on addiction and justice policy, and served on several task forces related to criminal justice policy and reentry. He graduated cum laude from the University of Maine School of Law, where he was president of the American Constitution Society and represented children facing criminal charges as a student attorney in the Juvenile Justice Clinic.   Christopher openly identifies as a person in long-term recovery from addiction who has also been incarcerated. Over a decade ago, he made a decision to seek help and has maintained his recovery since. The U.S. Department of Justice selected him to consult for a project documenting the nation’s most successful people to have reentered society following incarceration. His work and story have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, and other outlets. He also gave a TED talk on reentry and his personal journey in 2015.   WA Statewide Reentry Council Facebook Twitter Instagram   Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder http://zipbangwow.com/ Song credit Marker Beacon. Song “Free".   Marker Beacon Website