Our founders
With over 30 years combined experience as attorneys, educators, speakers and change makers, and together with Fogbreak’s Advisory Council, a diverse group of professors, social scientists, lawyers, activists and law enforcement professionals, the Fogbreak team creates unique and engaging educational experiences.
Shanti Brien
Shanti is co-Founder of Fogbreak Justice and has led the development of the organization’s adult-learning curriculum and consultation work. She is an attorney, educator and expert on issues of criminal justice, policing, implicit bias, equity and inclusion. Shanti has led workshops and for thousands of people on these topics since 2016. Shanti has been Adjunct Faculty at Berkeley Law at the University of California and Assistant Professor of Practice at the Lokey Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at Mills College. Shanti’s book about the criminal justice system, Almost Innocent: From searching to saved in America’s criminal justice system, was published on March 2, 2021 by Amplify Publishing. She received her BA degree from the University of California, Berkeley and her law degree from Stanford Law School. Shanti is an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) tribe.
Berké Brown
Berké is a partner at Fogbreak and led the development of the Mission, Vision and Values curriculum. As a speaker, organizational change consultant, executive coach, and behavioral researcher, he creates powerful change management programs that increase human motivation and engagement in both work and life. He has worked with numerous municipal governments to create mission-driven and sustainable changes in culture, performance and service. He is also the co-founder of OOTify, a healthtech and consulting hub that intelligently motivates individuals and organizations to consistently improve their mental health outcomes. Berké graduated from the University of California at Berkeley receiving Highest Honors for his research on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and values-based behavior change. Berké is a first-generation Ethiopian-American.
Christy Chandler
Christy is co-Founder of Fogbreak Justice and has led curriculum design, research, data collection and analysis. Before starting Fogbreak, Christy worked for over a decade in the criminal justice system, counseling individuals and corporations facing multi-jurisdictional, state and federal investigations and criminal charges. From her work as a deputy public defender and city attorney, she has extensive trial and appellate experience. She also has published her research in peer-review journals, the Stanford Law Review and the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism. In addition to her law degree from Stanford Law School, Christy has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from George Washington University. Christy founded the Diversity and Equity Committee at her local public school.
Our values
Be Community-Driven
We honor the diversity of the human experience. Our fates are intertwined and only through mutual understanding and respect can we make a lasting difference.
Show Up Authentically
We boldly bring our whole self into the work with honesty and a willingness to show our flaws.
Create Measurable Impact
We are not about trends or checking the box. We aim to create real and sustainable change.
Build Through Collaboration
Maximum impact is only possible when we learn together and from each other. When we work together towards a single aim, we can create connections across great distances.
Stay Open Even When It’s Hard
The journey towards inclusion and belonging is about looking inward and challenging ourselves and our communities to be better even whenit is the more difficult path.