Naomi Smoot is the former Executive Director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ). During her tenure at CJJ Naomi spearheaded the organization's federal policy work and served as co-chair of the Act4JJ Coalition. She assisted State Advisory Groups in their pursuit to build their capacity as change agents, and worked with youth members in an attempt to improve relationships between law enforcement and the communities in which they work.
Prior to CJJ, Naomi represented young people in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia in juvenile court proceedings and special education matters. Before attending law school, Naomi worked as a print journalist for nearly a decade, amassing nearly a dozen awards for her news coverage. Naomi previously served on the leadership board at Rising Hope, a non-profit serving those experiencing housing instability along Fairfax County’s Rte. 1 corridor, and A Way Home America, a national non-profit focused on preventing youth homelessness. She has also served on the Board of Fellows at the National Center for Juvenile Justice. In 2019, she had an article on the JJDPA published in NCJJ’s law review.
Naomi received her J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law, and her B.S. from Christopher Newport University.