Nick Allen is Inatai Foundation’s policy and advocacy director and holds more than two decades of experience in law, government, and community-driven advocacy. In this role, Nick works with foundation colleagues, community leaders, and funding partners to develop and advance public policy priorities in Washington as he builds relationships and leverages Inatai’s status as 501(c)(4) grantmaking organization.Prior to Inatai, Nick led the ending mass incarceration work for Columbia Legal Services, a statewide civil legal aid organization. In this role, he also represented people in Washington’s correctional facilities through litigation and policy advocacy on a wide range of issues related to juvenile justice, prison conditions, and reentry. Born and raised in Seattle, Nick was propelled to study law after serving as legislative aide to former King County Councilmember Larry Gossett.
Nick currently serves on the board of State Voices and local non-profits focused on prison education and reentry. He is a past recipient of the Seattle University School of Law Black Law Students Association’s Vanguard Leader of the Year Award and the Loren Miller Bar Association’s Social Justice Award. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Seattle University School of Law.