Jaspal Bhatia

Senior Program Officer, AIR Opportunity Fund

Jaspal Bhatia is a senior program officer with the AIR Opportunity Fund, where he leads the Public Safety and Policing grant program. He develops and implements research-driven initiatives to improve outcomes within the U.S. criminal-legal system and supports the Fund’s educational initiatives to increase access to inclusive, well-resourced learning environments.

With extensive experience in justice reform, civil rights advocacy, and policy development, Bhatia is focused on advancing solutions at the intersection of public safety and education. He is dedicated to ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their identity. Before joining AIR, Bhatia served as senior manager for justice reform at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where he guided policy and programmatic strategies for a national coalition of civil and human rights organizations.

Earlier, Bhatia worked at The Pew Charitable Trusts, advancing evidence-based juvenile justice reforms, with a focus on addressing racial and ethnic disparities in both the criminal and juvenile justice systems. He has also held positions at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Advancement Project, where he worked on criminal-legal and education reform policies at the federal, state, and local levels.

Jaspal Bhatia

M.P.P., The University of Chicago; B.A., Spanish and Sociology, Emory University

+1.202.403.5000