Bianca Tylek

Bianca Tylek is the Founder and Executive Director of Worth Rises, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it touches.15 She founded Worth Rises in 2017 after recognizing a gap in the criminal justice movement in challenging the financial interests of both corporations and governments in mass incarceration and mass surveillance.12

Tylek is considered one of the nation's leading experts on the prison industry.34 Her background includes:

• Education: B.A. from Columbia University and J.D. from Harvard Law School4
• Prior work experience: Financial analyst at Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs4
• Criminal justice experience: Worked with the Justice Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign to End Mass Incarceration at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and various state and local corrections agencies46

Under Tylek's leadership, Worth Rises has achieved significant milestones:

• Published innovative research on the prison industry, including the nation's largest dataset of corporate prison profiteers3
• Led successful campaigns to make prison and jail communication free in several locations, saving families over $400 million4
• Blocked mergers, inspired divestment, and limited access to capital for prison profiteers4

Tylek has been recognized with numerous fellowships and awards, including being named an Ashoka Fellow, Elevate Prize Winner, and TED Fellow.4