Yoana Tchoukleva is an attorney, policy analyst and project creator dedicated to advancing a community-led vision for justice, healing and transformation. At Impact Justice, she leads the planning phase of Project Zero, a groundbreaking new initiative aimed at achieving 0% recidivism, homelessness and unemployment among individuals returning to San Francisco after serving time in prison.
Yoana has over a decade of experience in the fields of criminal justice reform, restorative justice, legislative advocacy, racial justice, and post-conviction relief. Prior to Impact Justice, she served as Assistant District Attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office where she expanded access to Restorative Justice Diversion for youth and adults facing felony charges. Previously, she drafted legislation mandating implicit bias training for all judges, attorneys and medical professionals in California; clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson; worked on civil rights cases at the ACLU of Northern California; sought resentencing for individuals serving juvenile life without parole, and held reentry and community restorative justice circles. Her work is focused on creating pathways to healing and addressing the systemic causes of violence. She received her Juris Doctorate from Berkeley Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Chicago.
When not working, Yoana serves as an elected delegate to the California Democratic Party, Vice Chair of the Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission (SSOC), and Legislation Committee Co-Chair of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee. She lives in Oakland on unceded Ohlone land and loves to dance.