Ioana Tchoukleva

Yoana Tchoukleva is an attorney, policy analyst and restorative justice circle keeper dedicated to advancing a community-led vision for justice, healing and transformation. At Impact Justice, she leads the planning grant process of Project Zero, a groundbreaking new initiative aimed at reducing to 0% recidivism, homelessness and unemployment rates among individuals released from prison to San Francisco. 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 (AB 241 and AB 242); 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 ending violence by addressing the systemic causes of harm and creating spaces for healing. She received her Juris Doctorate from Berkeley Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Chicago. 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 facilitates annual Re-Storying Justice Jams, holds accountability processes in the community and supports many movements for change. Over the last year, she has written multiple resolutions and articles calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, entry of humanitarian aid and compliance with U.S. and international law. When not working, Yoana loves to dance and dream about how we can learn to live in right relationship with each other and the Earth.