Director of Policy & Advocacy

Reporting to the Vice President of Development and External Relations, the Director of Policy & Advocacy will develop and lead the organization’s advocacy and public policy initiatives to reduce the population of incarcerated individuals and eliminate the barriers people endure upon returning home after incarceration in Nebraska.

The Director of Policy & Advocacy is responsible for establishing a solid advocacy and policy infrastructure to advance criminal justice reform that creates systemic change for people who have been impacted. Legislation, policy, grassroots organizing, public education and strategic communication are strategies that will be implemented to achieve RISE’s policy priorities. The Director of Policy & Advocacy is responsible for building relationships with key stakeholders, partners, policymakers and community members to significantly influence advocacy initiatives and advance large-scale reform policies.

RISE is the largest nonprofit organization in Nebraska focused solely on habilitative programming in prisons and reentry support. At RISE, transformation starts pre-release and continues post-release. Our inside/out model bridges incarceration to the community and considers all the critical steps in that journey. We prepare and train people for each phase through intensive character development, employment readiness, job creation through entrepreneurship, family programming and case management.

We transform people in the community by building awareness and empathy that leads to support and opportunity. These connections heal families, create employment pathways and lower recidivism. The mission of RISE is to break generational cycles of incarceration.

RISE has received a “Best Places to Work in Omaha” award from Baird Holm and the Greater Omaha Chamber. RISE is a recipient of the Non-Profit Association of the Midlands Catalyst Award, honoring non-profits that inspire action, advance excellence and innovation, and drive transformation while making a meaningful impact. In 2025, RISE received the Roger Baldwin Civil Libertarian of the Year Award from the ACLU of Nebraska.

• The Director of Policy & Advocacy will have the knowledge and understanding of the embedded racial inequality in the criminal justice system, the ability to build relationships and be a willing collaborator with other groups and individuals in the criminal justice arena, and the passion and experience to drive the process to set criminal justice strategies.
• Design RISE’s advocacy and policy infrastructure by developing policy goals and policy agenda and implementing strategies that include legislative, policy, research, coalition building, public education, grassroot organizing, and strategic communications.
• Plan and execute statewide and local campaigns to advance criminal justice reform through federal, state and/or local legislation and policy.
• Serve as RISE’s main registered lobbyist.
• Manage and oversee all policy & advocacy, policy research and project specific staff for this department, including interns and policy fellows.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, partners, policymakers, and community members to establish a coalition of organizations and individuals working towards criminal justice reform through collaborative efforts that include grassroots organizing.
• Develop a communications strategy that includes writing advocacy letters, providing expertise to policymakers, and maximizing traditional and social media outlets to advance legislative and policy changes.
• Monitor the policy environment, lead legislative tracking, maintain fluency in policy issues regarding the criminal justice system, and engage directly with state and local legislative bodies.
• Build support for priority bills, work to defeat harmful bills and amendments, seek legislation or policies that help reduce incarceration and eliminate reentry barriers, and research/analyze the state and local implications of nationally passed legislation.
• Track lobbying time and expenses, file reports, and maintain compliance with state and federal rules.
• Prepare written/oral presentations to educate all staff,…