~ Our Team ~
Norris Henderson
Founder and Executive Director
Norris is the Founder and Executive Director of both VOTE and our sister organization, Voters Organized to Educate. Norris is a former OSI Soros Justice Fellow, and has had tremendous success impacting public policy and discourse about reentry, police accountability, public defense for poor and indigent people, and reforming the notorious Orleans Parish Prison (OPP), also known as the Orleans Justice Center (OJC).
Devin Davis
Director of Political Operations
Devin Davis is Director of Political Operations of Voters Organized to Educate. He joined Voters Organized in 2021 as the organization’s first Political Coordinator, and in June 2022 was promoted to lead the new Political Operations team.
Anna Sacks
Executive Assistant
After several years on the Communications Team, Anna is the Executive Administrative Assistant at VOTE. She works diligently to keep our leadership organized and strengthen our relationships with external partners and allies. She is originally from Philadelphia but considers New Orleans home as well. READ MORE
Bruce Reilly
Deputy Director
Bruce Reilly is Deputy Director of both VOTE and Voters Organized to Educate. He is a writer, and founding member of the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM). Bruce provides expert analysis on discrimination in employment, housing, and voting rights.
Will Harrell
Senior Public Policy Counsel
In January 2018, Will assumed the post of Senior Public Policy Counsel. He maintains other consulting arrangements such as policy advocacy and field organizing for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Mississippi. He recently transitioned out of work for the American Civil Liberties Union Campaign for Smart Justice where worked on reforms in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky.
Jennifer Janowsky
Data Manager
Jennifer was originally an artist and biologist at Tulane University before she began her work with VOTE in 2016. She has since watched VOTE grow as a movement and transform lives. Jennifer is now the Data Administrator, working to keep track of our valuable members and expand VOTE’s reach through statewide campaigns and digital organizing.
Checo Yancy
Director of Policy
Checo Yancy is the Policy Director of our sister advocacy organization, Voters Organized to Educate. He works alongside the Department of Corrections and the legislature, laying the groundwork for formerly incarcerated people like himself to strengthen their capacity to fight for their rights.
Colleen Gielskie
Director of Operations
Colleen Kane Gielskie is a farmer's daughter from the Catskill Mountains of New York, and has lived in New Orleans for more than a decade. She was the Assistant Director for Communications and Operations at the ACLU of Louisiana from 2009 to 2018, was an active member of the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition (OPPRC) from 2010 to 2017, and is a lifelong participant in liberation movements.