Ali Knight

Ali brings over 20 years of experience in public service, primarily in leadership roles in the nonprofit sector. He has dedicated his career to balancing his passion for justice with an integrated approach to people leadership and community transformation.

Throughout his career, Ali has held increasingly impactful roles in policy, program administration, research evaluation, and organizational development. His commitment to developing and supporting models that remove barriers, create opportunities, and unlock the potential of those most marginalized among us, is informed by his own lived experience as a former NYC foster care youth.

Most recently, Ali served as the President and CEO of Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), a nationally recognized, San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit that partners with young people to transform lives, communities, and systems. Ali spent nearly 10 years at FLY, helping the organization reach enormous programmatic scale and impact across the Bay Area and leading reform across the state of California through its advocacy work.

Earlier experiences include senior leadership roles at the Institute for Justice and Opportunity at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and at the Vera Institute of Justice, both in NYC, and in various youth-serving nonprofit organizations in NYC and in the Bay Area. Ali also taught courses in criminal and juvenile justice at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. He received the 49ers Frontline Hero of the Game Award (2020), he was named an NYU Alumni Changemaker of the Year (2021), and he is an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellow (2022-24).

Ali has a Master of Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Ali currently lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two children.