Staff

Melissa Milchman
Executive Director
milchman@juvjustice.org

Melissa is a steadfast youth advocate and juvenile justice reform professional whose passion and professional journey is dedicated to developing and enhancing systems of care that prevent or reduce the impact of system involvement for youth and families. Melissa's core areas of subject matter expertise include: government administration, grants and strategic initiatives, evidence-based prevention, authentic youth engagement, and collaboration among youth-serving systems and communities. Melissa previously served as the Juvenile Justice Specialist for the District of Columbia and facilitator of the DC State Advisory Group, known locally at the Juvenile Justice Advisory Group (JJAG), where she convened cross-sector government and community partners with youth and families to improve justice system responses and enhance prevention efforts for the District. Melissa also advised and mentored the JJAG Youth Leaders in Action committee, a collaborative of  young leaders with lived experience that strive to elevate the voices of community and youth in decision making spaces. Melissa earned her Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from the University of Florida. She was also the recipient of the CJJ 2022 Tony Gobar Outstanding National Juvenile Justice Specialist award. 

Brock Landwehr
Associate Director
landwehr@juvjustice.org

Brock oversees the CJJ’s probation reform initiatives, and supports CJJ’s training and technical assistance efforts funded through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, including CJJ’s Compliance Monitor’s project, and other CJJ activities. Brock served on CJJ’s Executive Board as the Government Relations Committee Chair from 2018 to 2023, and became the Associate Director in 2023. Prior to CJJ, Brock served as the Juvenile Justice Specialist and the R-ED/DMC Coordinator for Kansas. During this time, he served as a peer mentor for a number of states around the country, and presented for both OJJDP and CJJ. Brock graduated from Kansas State University, and has over 25 years of experience helping young people and families.

Ridha Kapoor
Policy and Field Relations Associate
kapoor@juvjustice.org

Ridha spent four years working with youth inside a facility in Southern California, where she aided in completing middle and high school coursework, as well as led workshops in creative writing, music, and more. Ridha’s areas of expertise focus on dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline through race and ethnic studies, public policy, education work, and community organizing. Ridha’s participation in grassroots and community organizing efforts led her to tackle many issues and their intersections, with racial justice and youth being the root focus. Ridha currently serves as the Coalition for Juvenile Justice’s Policy and Field Relations Associate. With Ridha’s work having taken place throughout San Bernardino County, working with CJJ allows her to gain different perspectives and link youth legal system work to federal policy in D.C. itself, as well as nationally. Ridha hopes to use this work to reform and create spaces where marginalized youth not only feel safe, but empowered.

Caroline Martin
Communications and Administrative Associate
martin@juvjustice.org

Caroline graduated from the University of Maryland in 2023 where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Marketing. In 2022, she completed a summer internship with the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. She previously worked for Strong Mind-Strong Body INC, a nonprofit aiding individuals re-entering society after incarceration, in a marketing role. She is excited to continue her professional journey at the Coalition for Juvenile Justice as the Communications and Administrative Associate. Caroline is passionate about elevating the voices of young people to solve the recurring problems within the youth legal system.