Dream.Org Names Civil Rights Lawyer Janos Marton CEO, Launching New Chapter Focused on AI Accountability

Marton will build on Dream.Org’s criminal justice work while putting working people and directly impacted communities at the center of the national debate over AI

Oakland, California — September 29th, 2026 — Dream.Org today announced Janos Marton as its new Chief Executive Officer, opening a new chapter for the national organization founded by Van Jones. Under Marton’s leadership, Dream.org will build on its criminal justice work while bringing a sharper focus to one of the defining challenges of the coming decade: holding the AI industry accountable and ensuring working people have a meaningful voice in shaping the policies that govern the technology. 

Marton’s vision is to put working people and communities with the most at stake at the center of AI policymaking — including people living under surveillance in prisons or on probation and parole, workers confronting increasingly intrusive monitoring, and communities experiencing the economic and environmental consequences of the massive infrastructure being built to power AI. 

“AI is moving from a distant policy debate into people’s jobs, neighborhoods and daily lives,” said Marton. “The people who stand to be most affected should have a real voice in writing the rules. Dream.Org has always believed that lasting change comes from putting directly impacted people in the lead and building coalitions across differences. That’s the approach we’re bringing to AI: protecting people’s freedom and economic dignity while making sure the benefits of this technology are broadly shared.”

Marton’s path to Dream.org runs from Occupy Wall Street to the campaign to close Rikers Island to advising Zohran Mamdani’s transition on criminal justice. He worked at the ACLU and has spent the past five years running advocacy at Dream.Org, where he has helped build coalitions and advance criminal justice legislation across ideological and geographic lines. 

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney, who ran against Marton in the 2021 Democratic primary for Manhattan DA and remains the borough’s elected district attorney, said: 

“You really get to know fellow candidates on the campaign trail, and I’ve always appreciated the passion and values Janos brings to the criminal justice movement, and the counsel he’s offered me in the years since as we strive to make New York a safer and fairer place. I wish him and Dream.Org success with today’s announcement.”

Zephyr Teachout, Professor of Law at Fordham Law School, who worked alongside Marton during Occupy Wall Street and whose scholarship focuses in part on corporate and political power, said:

“Ever since meeting Janos as a young lawyer in the aftermath of Citizens United and working with him during Occupy Wall Street, I have known him to be someone who stands up to powerful interests and corruption, regardless of who is in power. In this moment, we need organizations like Dream.Org to stand up for regular people against the unchecked power of big tech companies, and with Janos as CEO, they’ll be in the hands of a strategic visionary, someone who is open-minded and willing to work across divides to get things done.”

Jessica Jackson, CEO of REFORM Alliance and founder of Dream.Org’s justice program when it was known as #cut50, said:

“I've worked alongside Janos for many years on criminal justice reform, and I've always been inspired by his ability to tackle tough challenges head-on and deliver real breakthroughs. He has the courage to stand by his core values while understanding that working across the aisle and building diverse coalitions is how we achieve lasting change. Dream.Org has an extraordinary legacy of changing lives. Janos has the experience and vision to build on that legacy and lead with the urgency this moment demands.” 

Dream.org is already putting its emerging AI agenda into practice. In Memphis, the organization has partnered with KeShaun Pearson and Memphis Community Against Pollution around concerns about pollution from xAI’s data center. Dream.Org has also co-authored recommendations with ConservAmerica on responsible data-center development and is developing a broader program intended to give currently and formerly incarcerated people a direct role in shaping policies around AI surveillance, digital monitoring, employment and reentry. 

That work will build on Dream.Org’s model of organizing led by people directly affected by the policies it seeks to change. Its developing AI program calls for currently and formerly incarcerated people to help set priorities, select targets and shape policy responses to emerging uses of artificial intelligence.

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From City & State New York's Heard Around Town feature:

ABOUT DREAM.ORG

Dream.Org is the leading national nonprofit bringing people together across racial, social, and partisan lines to create a future with freedom, dignity and opportunity for all. We use a common ground approach to find solutions for America’s toughest problems and make the American dream a reality for everyone. Learn more at Dream.Org.

 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

KeShaun Pearson, Executive Director, Memphis Community Against Pollution

“Great leadership is fortified by trial and learning, it requires the ground and grit and a savvy acumen for navigating complex issues. Janos Marton’s leadership is steeped in decades of sacrificial learning, and he leads in a way that elevates others. I’m excited to see how Dream.Org will fortify a path to justice rooted in serving people with Janos at the helm. Congratulations, Dream.Org!”

Danielle Franz, CEO, American Conservation Coalition

“Durable solutions require cross partisan collaboration. At ACC, we’ve been proud to work with Dream.Org to facilitate good-faith, productive conversations on policy areas like permitting reform and data center development. We look forward to continuing this important work in partnership with Janos as CEO.”

Jeremiah Mosteller, Vice President, Americans for Prosperity

“Dream.Org could not have selected a more deserving individual to serve as its next CEO. Janos has always been a valuable partner in our shared pursuit of a world that equally embraces the rule of law, dignity, and equal rights. He truly embraces the ethos of 'unite with anybody to do right' while never sacrificing his principles or the mission of Dream.Org.”

Insha Rahman, President and Director, Vera Institute of Justice

“From partnering to close Rikers Island or stopping harmful tough-on-crime legislation in Congress, I have seen Janos in action over the years. He is strategic, quick-thinking and, unfailingly, leads with his values — including putting the people most impacted by the criminal justice system at the center.”

Lis Smith, Political Strategist

“As someone who has known Janos since he was a college activist, I admire the way he has become a leader in the national criminal justice conversation, from his work on closing Rikers to the way he works across the aisle to win bipartisan legislation across the country.”