About the JFA Coalition

Kelly McConney Moore is a policy and advocacy leader focused on policing, criminal justice, and civil rights. As Deputy Director of Legislation with the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, Kelly works with state-level policymakers and advocates to reform policing practices to achieve true safety for all. Kelly previously was Legislative Counsel for Voting Rights Lab, where she analyzed and advanced legislation to expand voter access nationally, and Policy Counsel for the ACLU of Connecticut, where she created and advocated policies to reduce the harms of the criminal justice system and strengthen civil rights. A graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, Kelly began her career as a civil litigator at Greenberg Traurig, following which she founded and served as president of a legal research and writing firm.

Jess Palyan is the policy program manager at Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition against relationship abuse. At Violence Free, he serves as a legislative advocate, helping educate domestic violence programs about the legislative process and educate legislators about the services offered by domestic violence programs. Jess is a former legal aid attorney and judicial law clerk, and graduated from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in 2022. He has served on the JFA steering committee since December 2023. 

Malaika is the Executive Director of the Legal Rights Center, focused on supporting our community’s visions and the organization’s mission of transformation in the criminal legal system. Malaika joined the Legal Rights Center in 2019 as a social work intern. Her experience includes direct programming with youth and families, issue-based advocacy with community-based coalitions, racial equity facilitation, political campaign management, and nonprofit development. She is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker with dual master degrees in Public Policy and Social Work from the University of Minnesota.