Taja Hereford serves as a Manager for the Inclusive Hiring team at the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) overseeing the award-winning Unlock Potential workforce development program for opportunity youth and second chance hiring work in Texas and Tennessee. Prior to joining RBIJ, Taja worked in state government for Texas focusing on work related to substance use prevention through coalition efforts. In addition to government work, she has worked with various non-profit organizations that helped serve formerly incarcerated mothers and individuals helped get reintegrated into society. She has led workforce development opportunities at her previous work companies. Taja has a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina. She aims to restore human dignity to those who society has tried to strip away this value from.