Christopher Poulos is an attorney currently serving as executive director of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council. Prior to his appointment, he served as executive director of Life of Purpose Treatment at the University of North Texas, where he was also an adjunct professor of criminal justice. During law school, he served at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, The Sentencing Project, and was selected as law student of the year by the National Jurist magazine. While at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, he helped redesign stigmatizing language previously used by the federal government regarding addiction and justice system involvement in order to reduce discrimination. Christopher was an advisor to U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) on addiction and justice policy, and served on several task forces related to criminal justice policy and reentry. He graduated cum laude from the University of Maine School of Law, where he was president of the American Constitution Society and, as a student attorney in the Juvenile Justice Clinic, represented children facing criminal charges.
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Christopher openly identifies as a person in long-term recovery from addiction who has also been incarcerated. Over a decade ago, he made a decision to seek help and has maintained his recovery since. The U.S. Department of Justice selected him to consult as one of the Nation’s most successful people to have reentered society following incarceration. His work and story have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, and other outlets. He also gave a TED talk on reentry and his personal journey in 2015.