Chantá is a strategist, advocate, and storyteller who is passionate about Black liberation and women’s leadership. Before joining the Management Center, Chantá served as the founding Managing Director of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit, where she stood up an entire office of 50+ employees from scratch, developed an inaugural training program for all staff, and cultivated a robust leadership team. In 2020, Chantá was recognized as one of Crain’s Detroit 40 Under 40 for her leadership of the burgeoning public defender office during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, Chantá served as the Special Counsel for New Initiatives at the Innocence Project, leading the organization through an examination of the role of race in its outward-facing work and internal operations. She has over fifteen years of litigation and management experience with organizations such as the Orleans Public Defenders and the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn. Chantá is nationally recognized for her expertise in the training, management, and supervision of criminal defense practitioners. She is a faculty member for Gideon’s Promise and for the National Association of Public Defense’s Executive Leadership Institute. Chantá also serves as the Board Secretary of the Essie Justice Group, a sisterhood of women with incarcerated loved ones. Chantá is a Women’s Media Center SheSource Expert and a 2015 Council of Urban Professionals Fellow. Chantá holds a BA in African American History from Spelman College and a JD from NYU School of Law. Chantá loves long walks with loved ones, sunshine and soul music.
