Speakers:
Frank Knaack is the Executive Director of Alabama Appleseed, where he serves as the organization’s chief strategic officer and voice for its mission, vision, values, and programs. Prior to joining Alabama Appleseed, Frank spent nearly eight years with the ACLU and its Virginia and Texas affiliates. Most recently, Frank served as the Director of Public Policy and Communications for the ACLU of Virginia, where he led the organization’s advocacy before state and local government bodies and oversaw the design and implementation of the organization’s communications strategy. Under his leadership the organization secured major public policy victories in the areas of criminal justice, death penalty, government surveillance, reproductive freedom, and immigrants’ rights. Prior to joining the ACLU of Virginia, Frank developed and managed the ACLU of Texas’ statewide campaigns and led the organization’s successful efforts at the Texas Legislature to pass legislation designed to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Frank began his human rights advocacy career with the national ACLU, where he researched domestic human rights violations and coordinated national advocacy campaigns designed to hold the United States accountable to its international human rights treaty obligations. Frank has also served as a Palestine Works Fellow with Adalah.
Frank has been quoted on human rights issues in a variety of publications including The Washington Post, Slate, and the Associated Press. Frank received his M.A. in International Human Rights Law from The American University in Cairo and B.A. from the University of Vermont.
Former Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, The White House
Jordan is an experienced litigator and public policy leader with significant experience in federal trial and appellate matters. He advises clients on complex federal litigation and appeals informed by senior service in the White House, federal judicial clerkships, and private practice.
Jordan previously served as a Special Assistant to the President on the White House Domestic Policy Council and as an advisor to the White House Office of American Innovation. In those roles, he helped shape federal policy on criminal justice, regulatory reform, and law enforcement matters. He played a central role in implementing the FIRST STEP Act, coordinated review of major executive actions, and oversaw clemency reviews with the Office of White House Counsel and the Department of Justice, working across federal agencies to execute complex policy initiatives.
Earlier, Jordan served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he advised on workforce and reentry policy and provided legal review of significant departmental guidance and funding initiatives.
Prior to his federal service, Jordan worked with nonprofit policy organizations in Washington, D.C., including the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity, focusing on criminal justice reform and constitutional issues. He contributed to policy development efforts and provided testimony and legal briefings to state legislatures. For his accomplishments on these issues, he was named to Forbes 30-Under-30 in Law & Policy in 2018.
Jordan also had the privilege of serving as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Barbara Lagoa of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Hon. Aileen M. Cannon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Following his service in the White House, Jordan practiced as a civil litigator in Miami, serving on multiple trial teams and representing clients in complex matters in federal and state courts, with regular appearances in both trial and appellate proceedings.
In 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Jordan to serve on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he currently serves as Vice Chair. In that role, he evaluates applicants for judicial office and participates in the recommendation of nominees to the Governor.
Jordan earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Marshall University and his J.D. from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law.
