Molly Greene has had a lot of lives. She has been a farmer in the Southwest, a community program officer in Kenya, an advocate in Washington, D.C., and an attorney and organizer in Los Angeles. The throughline? A desire to address society’s biggest social problems and improve the systems, policies, and institutions that impact people’s lives.

Currently, Molly leads The Appeal, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom reporting on criminal justice issues in the U.S. As Strategy + Legal Director, Molly is particularly proud of the newsroom’s impact—from helping people get released from prison, to informing proposed legislation, to spurring federal and state investigations, The Appeal’s journalism reflects the power of writing to change how we see, understand, and move through the world.

For two decades, Molly has built and led campaigns that move the needle on social and political issues. She designed and implemented incoming-producing urban gardens in Albuquerque and addressed food insecurity in Kenya through a training program for local farmers. She oversaw statewide voter protection programs and led a movement for law schools to cancel classes on election day. She designed and implemented a campaign to appoint more public defenders and public interest lawyers to the federal bench. Her unique approach to projects big and small blends narrative, advocacy, legal, and organizing strategies to maximize efficacy and impact.

Molly believes that creating healthier and more supportive environments leads to better work product. She has received national recognition for her people-centered leadership and work building innovative workplaces and share her expertise at conferences, workshops, and universities. Her effort to create a sustainable and democratic newsroom was a finalist for the Local Independent Online News Awards. She is a 2024 ONA Women’s Leadership Accelerator alum and wrote a monthly column on The Appeal’s unique newsroom for the Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Molly’s alter ego is an architect, interior designer, and food influencer. She identifies as equal parts city mouse and country mouse, feeds an addiction to crossword puzzles, and someday hopes to give a Ted Talk on why rom coms are terrible but she’ll never stop watching them.

Molly graduated from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and holds a degree in philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She currently resides in the middle of the California desert.