Nadine Graves

Nadine Graves is a Minnesota native and a graduate of Delaware State University, where she earned a BA in Sociology and Criminal Justice, and Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she focused on public interest areas of law. In law school, Nadine was actively involved in the Black Law Students Association, Christian Legal Society, and Criminal Law Society. Throughout her educational career, she has demonstrated exemplary leadership skills: as student director of the Child Protection Clinic, she excelled in court hearings and fostered strong client relationships, earning high marks from judges. Nadine was an editor of the Journal of Public Policy and Practice and also found time for several community activities, including the Open Doors to Federal Courts program, where she educated urban students about Thurgood Marshall. Nadine is a managing attorney with the Hennepin County Public Defenders’ Office and was formerly the Director of Community Legal Services at the Legal Rights Center. Nadine is also a Bush Fellow, an adjunct professor for Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and a Commissioner with the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission.

Nadine has a long history of working with and advocating for people in need. A significant amount of her experience is in human services working assisting underprivileged and underrepresented people of diverse social, ethnic, and economic backgrounds predominately in Minneapolis. Nadine works primarily with people struggling with barriers caused by criminal backgrounds and dependence upon public assistance; through individual advocacy, she helps people overcome those barriers and receive opportunities to self-sufficiency through education, employment, and training. 

Nadine’s advocacy isn’t limited to direct service. She is a voice for racial equity and meaningful justice reform at the Capitol, too. She has testified at Minnesota’s Second Chance Day on the Hill in support of Ban the Box, expungement reform, and voters’ rights restoration.

Check out her podcast: The Waiting Room with Nadine Graves. In The Waiting Room, Nadine provides a mic for the unheard, exposing the invisible impact of the US criminal legal system through the stories of those waiting for justice, waiting for freedom, and the professionals helping those in the wait.

Nadine is a mother of two boys and is actively involved in her local church.