Dr. Sheena Meade

Dr. Sheena Meade is the CEO of the Clean Slate Initiative (CSI). CSI is a national bipartisan organization that builds state-based coalitions to pass legislation that automates the expungement of eligible arrest and conviction records.

In April of 2023, Dr. Meade’s organization, CSI, received a landmark $75 million commitment through The Audacious Project, a donor collaborative housed at TED. The award supports the organization’s strategy to unlock opportunities for up to 14 million people in America and is an unprecedented investment in second chances. As part of the announcement, she presented a TED talk at the TED2023 Conference in Vancouver, BC, where she shared her own experience of living with a record and CSI’s mission with a global audience.

Dr. Meade has also served as the director of strategic partnerships at the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and senior advisor to the Second Chances Florida Campaign. In those roles, she developed the blueprints for fundraising, events, and grassroots organizing that helped win the landmark ballot initiative that restored voting rights for Floridians who have completed all of the terms of their sentence.

Dr. Meade, who has been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, is a mother of five, proud wife, organizer, optimist, and leader of a national organization committed to ensuring meaningful opportunities for all, regardless of past records.

• NBA Social Justice Coalition - Sheena's bipartisan approach has helped drive over 7 million conviction and non-conviction cases to be cleared with the support of CSI.
• Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) - Sheena raised 15 million dollars, mobilized thousands of impacted families and supporters to get to the polls, trained hundreds of activists to engage within their communities on the issue of criminal justice, and brought together 800 faith congregations to support Amendment 4 efforts. Florida voters enthusiastically passed Amendment 4 in 2018, restoring voting rights to 1.4 million people.
• Successful voter registration drives around the country included working with the likes of Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, John Legend, and Roc Nation.

Keynote Topics:
• A Blueprint for Breaking Barriers
• Self-Care for Leaders: Balancing Personal Needs and Community Responsibilities in Times of Crisis
• From Poverty to Power - How One Woman's Journey Can Inspire Us All
• The Power of Resilience: My Journey from Struggling to Succeeding
• Turning Pain into Purpose
• Unleashing Your Inner Strength
• The Resilient Woman
• Your Second Act