Jason Starr has over 15 years of experience as an attorney, educator, and strategist in the fight for human rights. His practice is multi-dimensional and spans the public, nonprofit, and social entrepreneurship sectors — employing litigation, public policy advocacy, and organizing -— and rooted in meaningful partnership with people and communities. Jason is also a seasoned cannabis policy advocate and Chief Impact Officer at On the Revel, the parent company for a collection of curated educational and networking experiences democratizing information for those interested in the regulated cannabis industry and most impacted by the War on Drugs.

Jason is the former and founding Director of Impact Litigation and current Senior Strategist at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights membership organization, where he built a partnership hub for strategic collaborative pro-bono impact litigation with grassroots legal activists, private law firms, and mutual aid organizations.

Previously, Jason served as inaugural Counsel for Civil Rights and Federal Affairs to the New York State Governor where he managed legal, policy, and budgetary affairs for a broad portfolio of issues including criminal legal system reform, clemency, democracy protection, immigration, and housing. He participated in the negotiation of landmark state legislation eliminating cash bail for most non-violent offenses, legalizing the adult use of recreational cannabis, and strengthening protections for tenants in rent-regulated and public housing. Jason also served as Counsel to both the Governor's Task Force on Reentry and Community Reintegration and Joint Task Force on Worker Exploitation and Employee Misclassification. Most importantly, he also fought to expand access to government, establishing the Martha P. Johnson/Sylvia Rivera Diversity Fellowship to increase the representation of LGBTQ+ people in the Executive Branch among other initiatives. Prior to joining state government, Jason was the Director of the Long Island Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union and an associate at an education civil rights law firm.

Jason’s love for fighting for youth started with his experience as a middle and high school math teacher in Miami. He has brought his legal and political training to his life as a community volunteer. As Board Chair of a community-based charter school serving homeless and transitional youth, Jason successfully led an effort to delay the unlawful closure of the school after successfully negotiating one of the first union contracts for a charter school in New York City. Currently, Jason is a Board Member of Brooklyn Defender Services and an Advisor to The BRO (Brothers Redefining Opportunity) Experience Foundation, an initiative focused on cultivating safe spaces for young men of color to express their feelings, share ideas, and cultivate character. A native of South Carolina, Jason has made a home in New York for the past 16 years.
https://ontherevel.com