Decades in
the fight for a 
racially just democracy 

Judith Browne Dianis is a visionary leader, movement lawyer, and nationally respected architect of racial justice strategies who has spent more than 25 years transforming bold ideas into powerful and effective movements. Widely recognized as a voting rights expert and often called the “Godmother” of the movement to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, she has led groundbreaking efforts at the intersection of law, organizing, policy, and narrative to advance equity and build a more inclusive, multiracial democracy.

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As Executive Director of Advancement Project and Advancement Project Action Fund, Judith helped build and scale one of the nation’s most innovative civil rights organizations with a reputation for bold, high-impact work. She pioneered the organization’s “movement lawyering” model, aligning legal advocacy with grassroots power-building and storytelling to combat structural racism in education, voting, policing, and the criminal legal system. 

Throughout her career, Judith has led transformative campaigns that have reshaped the landscape of civil rights and democracy. She played an important role in advancing Amendment 4 in Florida, restoring voting rights to 1.4 million people; helped secure the passage of the Virginia Voting Rights Act—the first of its kind in the South; and supported executive actions re-enfranchising more than 250,000 people with felony convictions. She has also led rapid-response strategies in moments of national crisis, from the 2000 presidential election in Florida to Hurricane Katrina to the uprisings following the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Freddie Gray. 

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A compelling national spokesperson and narrative strategist, Judith has shaped public discourse on racial justice through media, research, and cultural collaboration. She has testified before Congress, appeared widely on national media, and worked with artists and cultural leaders to elevate transformative narratives. Judith believes that lasting change requires not only strong policy and legal strategies, but also the power to shift how people understand and imagine justice.

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Judith began her legal career as a Skadden Fellow at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, later serving as Managing Attorney of its Washington, DC office and directing the Fair Housing Program. Over decades of litigation and advocacy, she has brought and led landmark cases challenging voter suppression, housing discrimination, and inequities in education and the criminal legal system. After 26 years at the helm of Advancement Project, Judith made way for new leadership and is currently CEO of HQ Strategies, LLC, providing strategic advice to non-profits and philanthropic institutions. 

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A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Law School, Judith has received numerous honors. In 2025, along with Alexi Navalny, Judith was awarded the inaugural Charles F. Kettering Foundation Democracy Prize, recognizing courageous leadership in advancing an inclusive democracy. She serves as Trustee Emerita of the Hill-Snowdon Foundation, and on the Boards of Directors of The Movement for Black Lives, Florida Rising and Friends of the Earth.

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At the heart of Judith's work is a profound belief in the power of people to shape their own futures and in the promise of this country. She continues to build, lead, and inspire movements that not only confront injustice but create the conditions for freedom, dignity, and liberation for all.

 

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