Rev. Ruben Austria, is a dynamic and transformational leader in the youth justice field. With over 25 years of experience in grassroots, community-based nonprofit leadership, he brings a rich expertise and understanding of the issues and challenges faced by those laboring in the field. In 2009, Rev. Austria founded Community Connections for Youth (CCFY), a Bronx-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower grassroots, faith and neighborhood organizations to develop effective community-driven alternatives to incarceration for youth. There he developed the South Bronx Community Connections model, the first independently evaluated positive youth justice intervention for court-involved youth. While at CCFY, he grew the organization from one volunteer on a $35,000 budget, to 40 staff with a $4.3 million budget, positioning the organization as a national leader in the movement to end youth incarceration and build community capacity for juvenile justice reform. He is the President of Ruben Austria Consulting Group, providing executive coaching and consulting on funding and organizational development for nonprofit leaders. He is a dynamic speaker and a trained circle keeper using restorative justice practices. Rev. Austria earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cornell University.