Elijah Mercer

Elijah Mercer is originally from was and born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He moved to the West Coast for the first time in 2019 and currently lives in San Francisco, California. He has a passion for social and juvenile justice. He is most passionate about using data analytics & research to drive results across multiple industries and for many stakeholders. 

Elijah got his start in data and research as a research assistant intern for the Investigative Reporting Workshop, where he worked on issues related to the Digital Divide. After undergrad, he spent two years teaching in Baltimore as part of Teach for America. In both positions, he utilized research and data to help drive tangible outcomes for marginalized populations. Throughout the next couple of years, he worked across government, nonprofit and tech using data, research, and communications efforts to help communities in need. From working in a white collar crime field as a research associate to working for both the New York Police Department and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office as a crime analyst, he loves using data to help decrease crime and violence while advocating for marginalized groups.  Elijah also runs his own consulting business, Data For JustUS, a nonprofit and government consulting business that uses data to drive results for marginalized communities and groups. He is still working within the criminal justice system presently in community violence intervention with Instituto Familiar de la Raza as Roadmap to Peace's Program Manager.

He holds a degree in Criminology with a minor in communication studies from American University in Washington, D.C. He recently received a Master’s of Information and Data Science from the University of California in Berkeley.