Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director Joanna Weiss Stepping Down as Executive Director of FFJC

October 1, 2026

Contact:

Michael Paul Jackson, mjackson@finesandfeesjusticecenter.org 

New York – Today, Joanna Weiss announced she is stepping down as Co-Executive Director of Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC), the racial, social, and economic justice organization she co-created, built and jointly oversaw since 2018. Her tenure as co-executive director will officially end December 31, 2026. She will remain at FFJC as a Senior Advisor through early March, 2027.

Effective January 1, Priya Sarathy Jones, the current Co-Executive Director, will become the sole Executive Director of FFJC. Appointed with the unanimous support of FFJC’s Board of Directors, Priya brings a wealth of experience and deep expertise to the role. 

“FFJC has been my home for nearly nine years, and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved,” Joanna said. “We developed research, policy guidance and blueprints for successful reform strategies. We built coalitions and together launched more than 70 successful campaigns that brought impactful fines and fees reform to politically diverse cities, counties, and states across the country. 

“FFJC has grown from a team of two, to a movement-leading organization of 26 dedicated researchers, passionate advocates, communications experts and talented senior leaders, and now has a body of work that will ensure meaningful, lasting change. With this growth, the role of Co-Executive Director has also evolved, to a position requiring different skills than were needed when we launched. No one should hold this role forever. Turning it over invites new ideas and new strategies, and that is what keeps an organization healthy and growing. And rather than clinging to what is comfortable, I believe I can be of greater service by taking on new projects and roles that require my skills as a builder and a strategist.  

“FFJC has the leadership in place to move into its next phase. Priya has been a leader at FFJC and in this movement. She has the skills and dedication needed to lead FFJC to embark on new strategies and create more organizational opportunities to reform fines and fees. I am excited to watch her success as FFJC’s Executive Director.”

“Joanna’s vision to create an organization dedicated to tackling the complicated, deeply rooted and expansive system of fines across the country was the catalyst needed to start a national movement,” said Priya. “Joanna has always been an advocate for change, and I thank her for her leadership and her legacy at FFJC.”

In addition to co-launching FFJC and building fines and fees reform from the ground up, Joanna spearheaded the development of FFJC’s report The Cost We No Longer Pay, the first-of-its kind report outlining the massive amount of relief that has been kept in families’ pockets as a result of reform; leveraged her philanthropic experience to successfully expand the donor support dedicated to fines and fees reform; and has educated policymakers, advocates, justice system stakeholders, and philanthropic leaders across the country on the problem and potential solutions to fines and fees.

“Joanna’s success co-leading and co-creating FFJC stems directly from her talent and dedication to building solutions that work,” said Atteeyah Hollie, FFJC Board Chair. “She has helped shape the fines and fees reform movement in this country, from working with communities to identify the greatest pain points, to educating policymakers about the need for reform, to developing the research and building the partnerships needed to implement durable change. The impact of her work has been, and will continue to be, significant and impactful, and the Board is grateful to Joanna for her vision and leadership. We are also thrilled that Priya will continue to use her immense talents to lead FFJC and expand its reach going forward.”

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