Felipe Franco

Felipe A. Franco is a recognized leader in youth justice and currently serves as Senior Fellow for Young Adult Practice with the Center for System Innovation at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In this role, he focuses on identifying, advancing, and scaling cross-system strategies that support system-involved young adults in their transition to adulthood. His work centers on ensuring that emerging adults impacted by Justice have access to the relationships, opportunities, and resources necessary to thrive.

Felipe is supporting the Emerging Adult Justice Framework, a developmental model that is currently being implemented in jurisdictions and/or programs from Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York City, Oklahoma, and Washington, DC, where it is contributing to improved outcomes for young adults by aligning policies and practices with developmental science.

In addition to his role at AECF, Felipe serves as an appointed member of the New York City Board of Corrections, where he helps oversee the city’s jail system and on the boards of Forum for Youth Investment and Break Free Education, contributing to broader efforts to expand opportunity and justice for young people.

Prior to joining AECF, Felipe served as Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Youth and Family Justice at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). During his tenure, New York City achieved historic reductions in youth incarceration and youth crime. He also led the implementation of New York’s Raise the Age legislation, successfully transitioning 16- and 17-year-olds out of Rikers Island into the developmentally appropriate juvenile justice system. Under his leadership, the Close to Home initiative became a recognized model, demonstrating that youth can be safely supported in their communities while reducing reliance on youth prisons.

Earlier in his career, Felipe served as Deputy Commissioner at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, where led reforms that resulted in the closure of 26 youth prisons. His professional experience also includes leadership roles at the Children’s Aid Society, teaching at New York University, coordinating community partnerships at the New York City Police Department, Vera Institute of Justice, and providing clinical services to youth and families at Gouverneur Hospital and the Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center.

Across his career, Felipe has been a leading voice in advancing developmentally informed justice systems that prioritize opportunity, healing, and long-term success for young people and their families.

Email: boc@boc.nyc.gov