Theron Pride

As the Managing Director of National Initiatives and Research at the Center for Justice Innovation, Theron Pride leads the National Technical Assistance, Research, and Data and Applied Research Departments at the Center. In this role he supports a talented group of professionals committed to helping policymakers, practitioners, and community members identify and implement best practices and innovative strategies to transform justice systems and create safe and healthy communities, in the U.S. and internationally.

Theron Pride recently served as a Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Office of the Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during the Biden-Harris Administration. In this role, he oversaw and provided strategic direction to the grantmaking components for the DOJ totaling more than $5 billion in annual funding for criminal and juvenile justice systems, victim services, research and statistical analysis, and public safety resources for state and local jurisdictions. During the Obama Administration, Theron served as the chief of staff and senior counsel in the Office of Justice Programs at the DOJ, and led several high-profile initiatives focused on reducing youth violence, addressing children's exposure to violence and promoting opportunities for boys and young men of color. 

Prior to his presidential appointments at the U.S. Department of Justice, Theron has served in a variety of roles responsible for implementing community-based strategies to promote public safety and public health, including in the City of Philadelphia's Office of Violence Prevention, the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice in New York City and the Yale Child Study Center at Yale University. Theron holds a master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.