White House Author

Elizabeth Gaynes is the executive director of the Osborne Association, a multiservice nonprofit that implements and champions solutions that reduce the damage caused by crime and incarceration. During her 29 year tenure, Osborne has grown into NY’s leading provider of family-focused services to individuals affected by the criminal justice system. Using her own experience raising children whose father was incarcerated for much of their lives, she established FamilyWorks, the first comprehensive parenting program in a men’s state prison. In 2004, along with her daughter Emani Davis, she was the first American nominated for the prestigious World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child, for defending the rights of children with incarcerated parents. Ms. Gaynes has a JD degree from Syracuse Law School.