Chino Hardin

Chino Hardin, Co-Executive Director

Pronoun: He/Him

“Life without freedom is no life, even if the freedom we seek has never been known to us in this lifetime.”

— Chino Hardin

A proud father of three sons, Chino Hardin, Co-Executive Director, is a 20-year veteran organizer continuing his unyielding journey to dismantle oppression through the creation of an ecosystem of liberation and healing accessible to all, especially youth of color who suffer from the debilitating legacy of criminalization, brutality and phobia. He also serves as a Senior Collective Member of brooklyn boihood whose mission is to create spaces where black, brown queer and trans bois* communities can cultivate stories, dreams and creative work.

Chino was born and raised in East Flatbush and Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and has nearly 20 years of experience in community organizing and leadership development, campaign strategy, conflict resolution, gun violence/gang intervention, and Human Justice healing praxis. Committed to developing and elevating spiritual wellness and creative leadership in youth and communities hardest hit by crime, violence and incarceration, Chino has honed his expertise from on-the-ground apprenticeship with noted youth development trainers and practitioners from across the country, as well as his own personal experience in the streets and within the criminal punishment system.  

Thanks to the timely, unrelenting and innovative intervention of programs such as Audre Lorde Project, Prison Moratorium Project and Center for Nuleadership, Chino recognized his potential as a leader and visionary in uplifting and transforming the lives of at-risk, gang-affiliated and formerly incarcerated youth. Chino’s charisma and pedagogical approach have won success and praise in the field of youth leadership development training, specifically applied to youth labeled “dangerous” and “hopeless.” He has appeared in numerous publications and media outlets, including Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugsby Johann Hari, Village Voice, City Limits, The AVE Magazine, BET, and Caribbean Life.

Kyung-Ji Kate Rhee

Kyung-Ji Kate Rhee, Co-Executive Director

Pronoun: She/Her

“People are fulfilled to the extent that they create their world (which is a human world), and create it with their transforming labor.”

— Paulo Freire

Kyung-Ji Kate Rhee, Co-Executive Director, oversees the policy, advocacy and training agenda at CNHJH. 

Kyung-Ji is nationally recognized for her expertise in campaign strategy development, youth justice advocacy and dynamic training design for system and community stakeholders on culture change, racial disparity and leadership growth. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Community Justice Network for Youth (CJNY), a project of the W. Haywood Burns Institute, and the Steering Committee of the New York City Task Force on Racial Disparity in the Juvenile Justice System. She has been featured in a range of publications, including Utne Reader (Top 30 Visionaries under 30), Village Voice, The Source (Top 10 Artists, Albums, & Political Players of the Year), The KoreAm Magazine, Gotham Gazette, New York Sun and Brooklyn Free Press, among others. She received her BA from the University of Chicago where she worked with Michelle Obama and Pamela Bozeman to launch a public service community summer internship program for University of Chicago students.