Cecilia Zavala

Cecilia Zavala (she/her) is the Executive Director of Nation Outside, a nonprofit powered by directly impacted people working to transform the criminal legal system. Born and raised in Detroit, Cecilia brings over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience, rooted in a deep commitment to community, justice, and equity.

As someone with firsthand experience navigating the barriers created by a criminal conviction, Cecilia has dedicated her life to dismantling those barriers for others. She leads with a trauma-informed, people-centered approach—building programs and policy initiatives that center healing, opportunity, and systemic change.

Under her leadership, Nation Outside launched Michigan’s first Trauma-Informed Peer-Led Reentry (TIPLR) program in partnership with MDOC, training and employing system-impacted individuals to support others as they transition home. She successfully guided the organization’s transition to independent 501(c)(3) status, expanded operations across the state, and secured millions in public and private funding to sustain this visionary work.

A graduate of JustLeadershipUSA’s Leading with Conviction fellowship, Cecilia believes in the power of lived experience, collective leadership, and radical imagination. She is a mother, advocate, and movement builder who leads with courage, compassion, and deep Detroit roots.

Cecilia’s ambassadorship is supported by our nominating partner, JustLeadership USA.