Rakim Covington

Rakim Covington, Field Coordinator

Pronoun: He/Him

“As I look back over my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.”

— Rakim Covington

Rakim Covington, Field Coordinator, was born and raised in Brooklyn, largely by New York’s foster care and group home system. He is an expert on what youth endure in the system and the effects of system involvement on young black and brown people. Moving from the system, to foster care, to a group home, Rakim was eventually released into his mother’s custody before facing a state bid a few years later. With the void the system inevitably creates in any life, he sought the love he craved from family in the streets.

After completing five years in prison, Rakim came to CNHJH and, despite having “felt like [he’d] heard it all before,” kept returning to connect with CNHJH staff. In time, he considered the Center to be an extended family and devoted himself to expanding its reach.

A doting father of a young daughter, he is passionate about meeting young kids he ran the streets with, offering his experience and advice on where they will end up if they fail to pursue their own positive potential. Rakim spearheads recruiting and consults on programmatic issues around violence prevention and youth empowerment work.

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. 

Brittany V.Z. Smith

Brittany V.Z. Smith, Program Manager

Pronoun: She/Her

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”

— Maya Angelou

Brittany Smith, Program Manager, was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York with an older brother and incredible single mom, who instilled the importance of honesty, leadership and following one’s dreams.

Witnessing the challenges her family members faced while reintegrating into society after their incarceration, as well as the school system’s attempts to stigmatize her son, Isreal (“Izzy”), who, at his tender age, already fears police violence, Brittany decided to become part of the solution.

In 2014, she started as a CNHJH intern through Berkeley College, mostly interested in the youth and juvenile justice initiatives where she could help influence and empower them. Brittany is committed to instilling positivity in the lives of system-involved youth so they maintain a hope for a fruitful and productive life.

As Program Manager, she oversees the Center’s programmatic and logistical planning, scheduling, organizational management and project development and completion. She is the resident Project ReNu expert, assisting community members with obtaining rap sheets and determining their eligibility for the Certificate of Rehabilitation.

Jaael Cudjoe

Jaael Cudjoe, Training Manager

Pronoun: She/Her

“Look in the mirror and love what you see or stand there until you do.”

— Jaael Cudjoe

Jaael Cudjoe, Training Manager, grew up between Brooklyn and Trinidad. Raised by strong Black women, Jaael believes in the power of committed and organized people.

Jaael studied Africana Studies at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She found herself extremely interested in the impacts of colonization on the African Diaspora and the importance of self-care and self-reflection to heal from the generational traumas inflicted on people of African Descent.

Jaael has experience working with direct service non-profit organizations, large corporations, and small start-ups. Her path to CNHJH began with her involvement in the Prison Moratorium Project while she was still in high school. Jaael quickly saw the power and importance of community organizing to changing the material conditions of people of color and stayed connected to the Center through the years. In 2019, she returned to join as full-time staff, leading the design and execution of the Center's training programs.