Role:President and Chief Executive Officer: As President and CEO of Amity Foundation

Judge Songhai Armstead (Ret.) is the Director of the Los Angeles County Justice, Care and Opportunities Department. Her appointment to the position by the Board of Supervisors followed Judge Armstead’s tenure as Interim Director from November 1, 2022 through July 25, 2023. Judge Armstead joined the County family on September 28, 2020, as the executive director of the groundbreaking Alternatives to Incarceration Initiative in the Chief Executive Office. That appointment followed her more than 5-year tenure as a judge of the LA Superior Court, retiring September 25, 2020.

Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Judge Armstead has over 20 years of experience in the largest and possibly most complex justice system in the country. Always committed to a human centered approach, while a Superior Court Judge she had one of the best records for compliance and reducing recidivism. In her early career as a prosecutor in the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, her innovative programs to improve the lives of veterans, the unhoused, and individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders received state and national recognition.

A longtime advocate for the underserved and a justice system innovator, she has worked with a broad coalition of community, governmental, non-profit, and private sector groups to co-create programs that are both effective and enduring. Her programs have impacted tens of thousands of individuals, as well as organizations and governmental systems. To date, she has overseen the allocation of more than $450 million dollars for community investment, interventions, and alternatives to incarceration.

As a gifted educator on implicit bias, she has trained thousands of justice system participants, including the Justices of the California Appellate and Supreme Courts. Judge Songhai Armstead is a sought-after master teacher, keynote speaker, commentator, and expert in systems change. Her training and work experience also encompasses leadership development, conflict resolution, strategic planning, team building, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).

Paralleling her professional achievements is a personal journey that traveled from a turbulent past into a triumphant present. Her faith, and the support of too many people to name always provided hope. This journey grounds her work in empathy, authenticity, accountability and is the foundation for her commitment to creating support and opportunities for all members of society. She believes in her core that every person is on the planet to fulfill a unique purpose. “Only when each of us is empowered to discover and utilize our unique gifts and talents will we be able to address the ills of the world,” says Judge Armstead.

A graduate from UCLA School of Law, where she was the first African American female Student Bar Association president. Judge Armstead exemplifies not only a distinguished career, but also a profound testament to the capacity of one individual to shape systems, rewrite narratives, and catalyze sweeping change.

Judge Armstead is blessed and honored to be the mother of her two favorite people—her son Pharaoh and her daughter Phoenix. She is striving to achieve that elusive work-life balance so she can have more adventures with them. In her free time, she enjoys cultural exploration through international travel, musicals, concerts and having deep analytical discussions about superheroes with her children.