Innocence Project Remembers Board Member John Kaneb

The Innocence Project mourns the loss of our long-time friend and board member, John Kaneb in Massachusetts on August 29. John was a widely admired leader of the business community in America as Chairman and CEO of HP Hood LLC and Gulf Oil. He was deeply committed to the work of the Innocence Project. He reached out to us almost 20 years ago, spontaneously, after watching an exoneration in New Orleans while on a business trip. From the start, John said he could help the Innocence Project in political and business circles across party lines by appealing to basic principles of justice, decency, and morality in ways we could never imagine. And he did. John was dedicated to the men and women we work to free and to using the lessons learned from their tragic experiences, and their personal strengths, as a catalyst for reform.

John worked hard to enact what he termed “Innocence 101” in every state and at the national level. He was deeply respectful of the staff and others on the board, always encouraging us to do more. We especially honor his almost 20-year commitment to eliminating sexual assault in prisons and jails as Vice-Chair of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. He will be sorely missed, but we will continue to keep him in our hearts. Deepest condolences to his wife Ginny and their family.