Director of Advocacy
Economic Mobility Pathways
A.J. Lucky is a former educator, and award-winning community organizer renowned for his unwavering dedication to serving marginalized communities. He has made significant contributions in the education and youth justice advocacy realm across Indiana. He partnered with local schools to craft campaigns to close opportunity gaps, organized for education champions to be elected to Indianapolis’s school board,
and fought for youth justice reform at Indiana’s Statehouse. His work with the Youth Justice Coalition, headed by CPLI, led to the passing of SEA 368. This bill created automatic expungement for some non violent juvenile records, a standard competency to stand trial procedure and the prohibition of minors being held in adult facilities pretrial.
As of 2024, A.J. Lucky is the founder and CEO of BLQ Medium, a social impact organization dedicated to using strategic storytelling/advocacy for change. He also serves as the Director of Advocacy at Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath). EMPath is a 200-year-old nonprofit organization that helps facilitate mobility pathways for those experiencing deep poverty. EMPath’s unique model allows direct shelter service participants to inform state and national advocacy efforts. In 2023, A.J. spent a brief stint at Educators for Excellence as a National Organizing Manager - supporting and advising advocacy teams across Minnesota, California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and Massachusetts. He also served as the Vice President of Programs at Social Venture Partners leading innovative programmatic experiences for emerging and established venture philanthropists.
He is an alum of the Victory Institute, an org dedicated to equipping folx with the knowledge and tools to support the election of LGBTQ+ politicians throughout the country. A.J. is also a 2024 fellow in the New Leaders Council development program. In his free time, he serves as Program Director for the Young Democrats of America and runs a podcast (Black + Love + Queer) that platforms LGBTQ+ BIPOC.
Lastly, A.J. Lucky attended Purdue University in West Lafayette where he studied English Literature and African American Studies. He currently is working to complete an MBA from Indiana University.
