John Koufos leads Cottage Four, LLC, and helps companies optimize second-chance hiring and mitigate risk. Before starting Cottage Four, LLC, John served as Executive Director of Safe Streets & Second Chances; National Director of Reentry Initiatives at Right On Crime; and Executive Director of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation. John was Certified as a Criminal Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court and has lived experience in the New Jersey state prison system after a successful career as a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer.
His leadership in the business community was recognized in 2016 when NJBIZ named him one of New Jersey’s Top 40 Under 40. He is a regular speaker on criminal justice, healthcare, social determinants, and workforce development, and helps cities, states, and the federal government to optimize reentry systems. John has been interviewed by a wide array of outlets including C-SPAN, Washington Journal, the New York Times, New Jersey Monthly, TIME Magazine, and dozens of radio outlets. His commentaries have been published in the New York Post, Governing Magazine, on Fox News, and in regional media around the nation.