Taking money out of justice

As the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Gaspar leads the strategic planning, organizational management, programmatic development, external affairs, and fundraising activities for the organization. Mr. Gaspar joined The Bail Project as a Bail Disruptor shortly after the organization’s launch and quickly rose through the ranks to become an Operations Manager, Regional Director, and eventually the National Director of Operations. A formerly incarcerated individual directly affected by the cash bail system, Mr. Gaspar earned his GED and bachelor’s degree and studied law while in prison, won his appeal, and was released 11 years early. Building upon his direct lived experience in the criminal justice system and fulfilling his commitment to social justice, he dedicates his spare time to efforts that help stabilize lives by mentoring young people and facilitating re-entry for people returning from incarceration. He has earned several certifications including an Offender Workforce Development Specialist certification from the National Institute of Corrections, the highest-level certification in Lean Six Sigma, and certifications in Results Based Accountability (RBA) and Trauma-Informed Community Building. Mr. Gaspar was recently selected for the Galaxy Gives Leadership program and is a graduate of JustLeadership USA’s Leading with Conviction program. A proud Mexican-American, husband, father of five, and grandfather, Mr. Gaspar’s work with The Bail Project is an embodiment of his hope for a brighter future, where better systems of justice are possible.

Robin Steinberg is the founder of the Bail Project and three other high-impact organizations: the Bronx Defenders, the Bronx Freedom Fund, and Still She Rises. In 2017, Steinberg launched the Bail Project, modeled on the success of the Bronx Freedom Fund, a community bail fund started by Steinberg and David Feige in 2007 to support clients of the Bronx Defenders. Prior to her tenure at the Bail Project, Steinberg founded and served as the executive director of the Bronx Defenders, a nationally-recognized public defender office known for its pioneering work on holistic defense, which refers to a client-centered and community-based model of legal representation that seeks to address both the underlying causes and collateral impacts of criminal justice involvement. In 2016, Steinberg launched Still She Rises in Oklahoma, which is the first public defender office in the nation dedicated to the representation of mothers in the criminal justice system. Steinberg received her B.A. from UC Berkeley and J.D. from New York University School of Law. She has taught trial advocacy and other courses at Harvard, Columbia, Seton Hall and elsewhere. She has been recognized with the Impact Award by the New York Law Journal, the Service of Justice Award by New York State Defenders Association, and Alumna of the Year by New York University School of Law among other notable achievements. Her publications have appeared in law reviews, policy journals and books, including the Hamishpat Law Review, Cardozo Law Review, NYU Review of Law & Social Change, Yale Law & Policy Review, and Harvard Journal of African-American Public Policy. Steinberg is a frequent commentator on criminal justice issues and has contributed opinion pieces to The New York Times, The Marshall Project, and USA Today. She is the author of the forthcoming book “Courage of Compassion: A Journey from Judgment to Connection” to be published by Optimism Press. She is currently a Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow of the Criminal Justice Program at UCLA School of Law.