Gina Eleane Wood is a nationally respected leader and a confidential senior advisor to the Joint Center’s President and CEO on the conceptual framework and implementation strategy for new initiatives, partnerships, key stakeholder relationships, communications, research, policy analysis, and resource development.  Ms. Wood helps to identify critical and emerging domestic and international policy issues and developing research parameters, as well as collaborating with well-known scholars and experts in designing and conducting rigorous investigations, studies and reports.

She provides leadership and direction to the Joint Center’s Energy and Environment Program, including a distinguished national Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change and an Asset-Building Policy Initiative on “closing the wealth gap” working with regional and state-level coalitions supported by the Ford Foundation.  Ms. Wood leads the planning and implementation strategy for launching the Joint Center’s new Civic Engagement and Governance Institute to be launched on November 18, 2011. Her work with NGOs to include civil rights organizations, professional membership associations, elected and appointed officials at all levels of government, foundations and corporate leaders has positioned the Joint Center as a recognized leader on key policy issues.

Ms. Wood has an exemplary record of public service, spanning twenty-plus years in state and federal level positions.  She has held leadership positions requiring her to focus on strategic planning, budget forecasting, organizational development, program and resource development, creating public and private sector partnerships, as well as advancing effective communication strategies.  Having worked in the legislative and executive branches of Oregon State government, former Governor Jim Hodges of South Carolina asked her to join his Cabinet as Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, where she was unanimously confirmed by the South Carolina State Senate. She was a member of both the Health and Human Services Sub-Cabinet and the Public Safety and Corrections Sub-Cabinet of agencies. At the federal level, she served as staff director of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, chaired by then Attorney General Janet Reno and comprised of cabinet-level officials from key federal agencies. During her tenure, she led several major federal interagency initiatives, which gained the support of the United States Congress and national foundations. She continues to advise government agency officials, foundations and nonprofit leaders on program conceptualization, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability strategies. Most recently she was asked to work with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support their National Policy Summit on eliminating disparities in behavioral health and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Ms. Wood is a member of Open Society Institute’s Justice Roundtable Executive Leadership Committee and affiliated with the Women of Color Policy Network at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. She was recently appointed to the Enterprise Economic Impact Council of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity. In addition, she serves on two national boards:  the Coalition for Juvenile Justice Executive Board, where she was re-elected national chair of the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee, and recently elected Secretary of the Board of Trustees for The National Crittenton Foundation. Given her passion to be a positive influence on girls and young women and an advocate, she serves on the board of directors of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington and holds a leadership position as Vice Chair Governance and Corporate Secretary.  Ms. Wood holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Missouri.

Ms. Wood is also a Joint Center subject matter expert. Details on her areas of expertise can be viewed here.