Francis Mendez

Francis provides grant and financial management capacity building to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) grantees from the U.S. Territories. He specializes in strategy, operations, and capacity building. Previously, Francis served as project director for OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center. In that role, he led the national brokering, coordination, and facilitation of all OJP’s Training and Technical Assistance resources and services to support juvenile justice and child victimization prevention professionals.

Francis also served as national director of juvenile justice for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, where he led national efforts to expand mentoring programs for high-risk youth. He also brings city and state government experience from senior management roles at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, the New York City Department of Education and Administration for Children’s Services, and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Before working in city and state government, he served in several roles such as general counsel, director of advocacy, and director of legal services at Covenant House New York.

Francis is certified as a Project Management Professional and has a background in law, social work, and business administration. He is a licensed social worker in Maryland and is also admitted as an attorney to the New York, Connecticut, and Maryland bars.