Simon Gonsoulin is a coach for the Center for Improving Youth Justice (CIYJ).  He works with sites in the Midwest and South.  He currently services on the board for CIYJ and the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA).  Prior to joining CIYJ as a coach, Mr. Gonsoulin was a principal researcher for the Human Services Division – Youth, Family, and Community Development (Advancing Justice) Hub for the American Institutes for Research where he served as the Director of the Corrections and Community Enhancement Technical Assistance Center (CCETAC). The CCETAC was funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The primary purpose of the center was to provide technical assistance to 140+ Second Chance Act Grantees and build the capacity of the field as it relates to adult and juvenile reentry. Mr. Gonsoulin served as the Director of the Youth Reentry Technical Assistance Center (YRTAC). The national center was funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and provided technical assistance to 50+ juvenile reentry grantees. Mr. Gonsoulin served as the Director of the Children Exposed to Violence Training and Technical Assistance Center (CEVTTAC) funded by OJJDP. The primary purpose of the center was to provide technical assistant to Children Exposed to Violence Grantees (CEV) who are working with communities to develop community-based approaches to assist children and their families who are exposed to violence build resilience and prevent future juvenile violence and delinquency. He served as the senior advisor and justice specialist for the Center for Coordinated Assistance to States (CCAS). In this capacity he provided TA to states, tribes, and local governments that receive OJJDP funding either through OJJDP’s Title II Formula Grants program or its Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program.  Prior to joining AIR, Mr. Gonsoulin was appointed to the Governor’s Cabinet in Louisiana as the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Youth Development where he led the state’s juvenile justice reform efforts for four years. As the lead for the state’s juvenile justice agency, Mr. Gonsoulin served as a voting member and policy maker for the Louisiana Children’s Cabinet whose membership was made of leaders from all children and youth serving agencies. He also served as the State Director of Education for the Office of Youth Development prior to the gubernatorial appointment. Prior to working with the Office of Youth Development, Mr. Gonsoulin was the Director of Special Education Services in the West Baton Rouge Parish School System. His prior work history included the positions of school principal and special education teacher and supervisor in an adult correctional setting.