After living in nine different states, Janey developed a passion for tackling some of the most complex challenges facing American cities, from gun violence to police reform to homelessness. During her four-year tenure in the Chicago Mayor’s Office, she witnessed firsthand the power of data and research to transform how public agencies and systems serve people. With that vision in mind, she helped found the California Policy Lab in 2017.

Janey draws on her experiences as a government executive, criminal defense lawyer, nonprofit employee, and public school teacher to lead staff, develop partnerships with government leaders, and launch research projects at CPL. Improving policies and programs to better address the homeless crisis in Los Angeles is a large focus of her work. She is a member of the National Alliance to End Homelessness Research Council, Deputy Director of the Homelessness Policy Research Institute, and also serves on the advisory committee for the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. She is the co-author of several CPL reports on homelessness in Los Angeles, including research focused on predicting and preventing homelessness.

Prior to joining CPL, she was Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety where she had direct oversight of the Chicago Police Department, Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management. She also developed policy on a wide set of issues, including police reform, public safety operations, domestic violence, and youth violence prevention in Chicago. To make violence prevention policies more effective, Janey engaged a diverse coalition of partners, including agencies working on school climate, behavioral health, and workforce development. During her tenure in Chicago, Janey worked closely with researchers to evaluate violence prevention programs and scale up the ones that were proven effective.

Before working in the Chicago Mayor’s Office, she served as senior counsel and Firearms Policy Coordinator in Michael Bloomberg’s administration, and helped lead Mayors Against Illegal Guns. In that role she led undercover investigations of illegal gun sales at gun shows and online gun trafficking. She has practiced law, taught high school, and worked in the nonprofit sector. She holds a B.A. from Williams College and a J.D./LL.M from Duke Law School.