Brittany K. Barnett

Activist, Change Agent, Investor, Lawyer, Social entrepreneur

Brittany K. Barnett is a best-selling author, attorney and entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of hope, justice, and freedom. As a corporate attorney, Brittany was committed to pro bono representation of clients unjustly sentenced under federal drug laws. Her dedication to this life-changing work resulted in freedom for numerous people serving fundamental death sentences for federal drug offenses -- including seven clients who received executive clemency from President Barack Obama. Brittany’s work is multi-dimensional, seeking not only to free people from prison but also to cultivate their creative and entrepreneurial powers to better the world. She is the founder of the Manifest Freedom Fund and Milena Reign, social enterprises devoted to shifting the paradigm to show the world-changing impact that justice-impacted entrepreneurs can have when they have access to capital and resources not to merely survive, but to thrive. Dedicated to transforming the criminal legal system, Brittany founded two nonprofits to carry out her life's work: Girls Embracing Mothers, dedicated to empowering girls with mothers in prison, and the Buried Alive Project, which fights to free people buried alive under outdated federal drug laws. Her work has empowered hundreds of women and girls impacted by maternal incarceration and freed over 50 men and women who survived over 1,000 years in prison under draconian sentences. Her book, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, was released to critical acclaim and selected as an NAACP Image Award nominee and Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist. Her book was also chosen by Amazon as the #1 Best Book of 2020. Brittany previously served as Associate General Counsel at ORIX focusing on mergers and acquisitions (private equity). She is a graduate of SMU's Dedman School of Law and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and PwC alum. Watch Brittany’s TED Talk: The creativity, innovation and ingenuity languishing in US prisons (Jan 2022)

criminal justice reform, economic freedom, equity, tech, startups, venture capital, impact investing, providing opportunity for justice-impacted entrepreneurs

True freedom must include nurturing and investing in the creativity, innovation and ingenuity of justice-impacted people. The freedom journey doesn't end when someone is released from prison. In many ways, it begins.