Speakers
Meet the 2023 NRWC Annual Conference Speakers. Additional information will be added over the coming weeks.
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Adam Haley Director of Policy and Strategy, Goodwill Industries of KY
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Alexis Devine Program Manager, Lifespan
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Amanda L. Nowak, PhD Senior Program Associate, Vera Institute of Justice
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Amy Lopez Executive Director, Hand2Heart DC
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Ana Hageage Chief of Staff, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
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Andre Bethea Senior Policy Advisor, Corrections, Reentry, and Justice Reform, U.S. Department of Justice
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Armando Torreblanca Reentry Program Director, Project Hope CA
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Ashley Furst Director of Marketing, Breakthrough
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Beth Hannon-Penny Director, Grant Operations & Administration, Goodwill Industries International
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Borden Barrows Director of Programs, Hand2HeartDC Inc
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Brandi Mandato Senior Director, Center for Justice and Economic Advancement, Jobs for the Future (JFF)
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Brent Parton Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
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Brent J. Cohen Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
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Brian Fabes Managing Director, Corporate Coalition | Sr. Fellow, NORC at the University of Chicago | Sr. Advisor, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
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Brianna Rogers Associate Initiative Officer, San Francisco Foundation
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Caitlin Dawkins Co-Director, National Reentry Resource Center | Principal Technical Assistance Consultant, American Institutes for Research
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Candice Sporhase-White Deputy Executive Director, Second Chance Center
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Carson Whitelemons Director of Criminal Justice, Arnold Ventures
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Cherri Harris Chief Executive Officer, Swint Logistics Group Incorporated (SLGI)
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Christopher Watler Executive Vice President, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
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David Gianfrancesco Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Safer Foundation
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Dennis Ritchie Senior Director of Reentry and Young Adult Services, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
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Derrick Watson, MBA Director, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, Denver Construction Career Program
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Ellen Sauter Workforce & Workplace Solutions Specialist, Cara Collective
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Guy Ross Business Development Manager, Fontenot Services, LLC
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Harris Rollinger Sr. Program Manager, Opportunity Talent, KeHE Distributors
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Helen “Skip” Skipper Executive Director, NYC Justice Peer Initiative
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Hope Cross Founder, Cultivating Hope Training and Consulting
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Jason Wardrip Business Manager, Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council
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Jason Whyte Founder, President & CEO, National Reentry Workforce Collaborative (NRWC)
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Jay Benitez Program Coordinator, Lifespan
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Jeffrey Abramowitz CEO, Petey Greene Program
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Jeffrey D. Korzenik Chief Investment Strategist, Fifth Third Bank, and Author, Untapped Talent
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Jennifer Kemp Director, Division of Youth Services, Employment & Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
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Joe McDonald CEO, New Freedom
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Joey Nuñez Estrada Jr., Ph.D
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John A. Fraundorfer Program Coordinator, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, Denver Construction Careers Program
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John Buckley Outreach Strategies Manager, Koch Industries
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John Jenks Economic Initiatives Director, Wyoming Business Council
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John Sawyer Senior Consultant, Health and Reentry Project
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John Wetzel Chief Executive Officer, Phronema Justice Strategies, LLC
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Josh Davies CEO, The Center for Work Ethic Development
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Judge Stephanie M Sawyer Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
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Justin Proulx Vocational Director, New Freedom
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Kelly Evans Executive Deputy Secretary for Community Corrections, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
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Ken Oliver Executive Director, Checkr.org
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Kenyatta Leal Executive Director, Next Chapter
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Khalil Halim Executive Director, Second Chance Center
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Kyle Harless Founder | Business Development Officer, New Freedom
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Leo Alirez Founder & Executive Director, Life-Line
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Liz Jones Corporate Partnerships Lead, Cara Collective
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Madeline Bunce Opportunity Employment Program Manager, MOD Pizza
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Mahlia Lindquist Executive Director, Ladies Empowerment & Action Program
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Malia K. Salaam Reentry Program Manager, SER Metro-Detroit & SERCO
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Manny Lamarre Senior Advisor for Workforce, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
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Matt Joyce Partner, Envoy
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Melissa Dickerson Chief of Staff, Honest Jobs
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Miguel Angel Cambray Vice President, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase
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Molly Bashay Policy Advisor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
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Monique Williams Sr. Planning /Program/Portfolio Manager of Social Justice, American Family Insurance
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Nan Gibson Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase PolicyCenter
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Nancy DeNike Director of the Reentry Hub for Women, Ladies Empowerment & Action Program (LEAP)
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Nyra Jordan Community and Social Impact Investment Director, American Family Insurance
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Patricia Gill Director, Workforce Development, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
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Patrick O. Peters Principal and Office Litigation Manager, Jackson Lewis P.C.- Cleveland Office
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Paul Taylor Executive Director of Community Relations, Hand2HeartDC Inc
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Rashawn Ray Vice President & Executive Director, American Institutes for Research (AIR) Equity Initiative
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Raulvin Coke Co Founder & CEO, Future Wise Group
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Remy DeMarco Executive Director, The Accountability Project
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Richard Paul Morales Deputy Executive Director, Latino Coalition for Community Leadership
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Richard Ramos Founder & Author, Parents on a Mission
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Rob Reed Director, Reentry, Trauma, and Reform Initiatives, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
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Ronald F. Day, Ph.D., MPA Vice President of Programs and Research, The Fortune Society
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Roohallah Mobarez Founder/CEO, Mobarez Solutions
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Ryan Bowman Program Manager, Workforce Recovery Program, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
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Salomao Monteiro, Jr. Training Coordinator, Lifespan
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Sara Wasserteil Managing Director, Cara Plus
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Sean Addie Director, Office of Correctional Education in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
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Shamia Lodge Director of Community Engagement, Aventiv Technologies
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Shawn Burch Director of Reintegration Services, Health Management Systems of America (HMSA)
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Shawn D. Bushway Ph.D. Senior Policy Researcher, Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department, RAND Corporation
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Shea Richburg Co Founder & CEO, Future Wise Group
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Shea Zwerver Workforce Development Manager, Flagger Force
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Tanaine Jenkins Recidivism Strategist and Reentry Expert, Everything I Am LLC
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Terah Lawyer-Harper Executive Director, CROP Organization
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William E. Arnold, Jr., Ed.D. Director, TN Office of Reentry, TN Department of Labor & Workplace
Adam Haley
Director of Policy and Strategy, Goodwill Industries of KY
Adam Haley is the Director of Policy and Strategy for Goodwill Industries of Kentucky and has experience in state and federal health care policy. Prior to this role he previously served as a lobbyist and the executive director for multiple Kentucky nonprofit associations. In that role, he developed relationships with policymakers, health care providers and public health professionals across Kentucky. He has worked with policymakers to pass legislation improving scope of practice for audiology, physician assistant practice, and establishing a Heart Attack System of Care in Kentucky. Over the course of his career, he has also led teams tasked with the creation of educational programming, which insured providers have the training necessary to meet the ever-changing needs of Kentucky’s workforce and to advocate for their patients.
Alexis Devine
Program Manager, Lifespan
Alexis Devine, Program Manager, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Bio-Community Health from Brown University. She brings 20+ years’ experience to creating opportunities for underserved and marginalized communities to access and sustain employment. Throughout her tenure, she has served over two thousand individuals and their families bringing fair chance hiring opportunities to Rhode Island’s largest employer by creating and implementing programs targeted to the specific needs of local underserved communities. Devine carries a background in public health, behavioral change intervention, and counseling. She is also Assistant Faculty at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University and serves on numerous state and city workforce investment and community agency boards.
Amanda L. Nowak, PhD
Senior Program Associate, Vera Institute of Justice
Amanda Nowak is a Senior Program Associate at the Vera Institute of Justice. Since joining the Unlocking Potential team in November 2022, her work has focused on improving reentry education and employment opportunities for people who are justice-impacted. Prior to joining Vera, Amanda served as the Director of the Prison Education Partnership for the University of Maine at Augusta. Here, she standardized and expanded college programming and educational opportunities in Maine’s six correctional facilities. She also developed and implemented initiatives to support reentering as well as formerly incarcerated students. Amanda earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, where she researched mechanisms that contributed to well-being and successful outcomes in at-risk youth. Her education has informed her use of best practices in various teaching and administrative positions supporting underrepresented students, including those who are justice-impacted.
Amy Lopez
Executive Director, Hand2Heart DC
Dr. Lopez has over 35 years of experience in public education, correctional education, and reentry services. An Obama-era appointee, Dr. Lopez was slated to design and implement a school district within the federal Bureau of Prisons. As the Deputy Director of College and Career Readiness for the DC Department of Corrections, she revolutionized education, workforce, and reentry programming, including the first-ever reentry workforce program for justice-involved individuals returning to the district from the DC DOC and FBOP. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Operations at Hand2HeartDC, providing education, workforce, and reentry services to justice-impacted citizens in the DC area.
Ana Hageage
Chief of Staff, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
Ana Hageage is the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA). In this role she helps lead an $11 Billion agency responsible for programs and operations that underpin the nation’s public workforce system, in service of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities. As Chief of Staff, she oversees the end-to-end experience of over 1,100 staff within ETA, as well as supporting the Administration’s key policy priorities. Under her leadership, the agency realized critical equity and youth efforts which led to the first cross-cutting departmental youth strategy in almost two decades, as well as the first-ever Diversity Officer hired in the department’s history.
Prior to her appointment, Ana served as the deputy lead for the Community College Growth Engine Fund, an innovative effort turning community colleges into bridges to work for over 6,000 American learners and workers.
Throughout her career Ana has developed a deep expertise in workforce development supporting economic mobility for under-served workers, in addition to leading national initiatives aimed at scaling industry partnerships and sector strategies. She also served as a policy advisor to the U.S. Department of Labor under the Obama Administration. Ana also has expertise in youth policy and advocacy and has worked on the ground to deliver adult basic education, job readiness training, sector-focused certifications, employment, and wrap-around services to opportunity youth.
Ana is the vice-chair of the LAYC-Career Academy Board, a young-adult public charter school providing industry training and certifications in Washington, D.C. She is a proud Mexican immigrant, hailing from Cuernavaca Morelos. She holds a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Maryland and resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two sons.
Andre Bethea
Senior Policy Advisor, Corrections, Reentry, and Justice Reform, U.S. Department of Justice
Andre Bethea is a Senior Policy Advisor for Corrections and Reentry at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. Through the Second Chance Act funding, he manages the behavioral health, education, employment, housing, and transitional services portfolios as well as leads innovative projects across the criminal justice pipeline. Previously, Mr. Bethea served as the director for program operations and policy at the New York City Department of Correction (NYCDOC) where he managed external relationships with community-based organizations and research institutions, as well as developed policy/curriculum, identified best practices, and supervised programmatic initiatives for adolescents and young adults in custody.
Armando Torreblanca
Reentry Program Director, Project Hope CA
Armando Torreblanca is a nonprofit professional with more than 9 years of experience in the field of community violence intervention (CVI). He is a founding member of Project Hope CA, a Los Angeles County-based nonprofit, where he currently serves as the Reentry Program Director.
Born and raised in Pacoima, a city about 20 miles from Los Angeles, Armando grew up in an environment where gangs, drugs, violence, and incarceration were prevalent. This background ignited his passion for CVI work, leading him to embark on this journey in 2014.
Throughout his career, Armando has dedicated himself to supporting individuals impacted by gangs, violence, and the criminal legal system. He has served in various capacities, including as case manager, program manager, and program director, in a range of programs such as school-based, hospital-based intervention, and reentry initiatives.
He also co-established and serves as the coordinator of the Pomona Community Action for Peace (Pomona CAP) in partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention. The Pomona CAP is a coalition committed to implementing evidence-based violence prevention strategies and championing community healing within the City of Pomona.
Armando holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. Outside of work, he enjoys nature walks, keeping up with the Lakers, and spending time with his loved ones.
Ashley Furst
Director of Marketing, Breakthrough
Ashley is the Director of Marketing for Breakthrough, a 501c3 organization based in Denver, CO that prides itself in transforming the lives of people with criminal histories and the community’s perception of the incarcerated population. Their holistic approach includes an in-facility career education program, community engagement, reentry support, a fair opportunity hiring program, and criminal justice advocacy initiatives.
Prior to this role, she was the Senior Program Manager for Employment Opportunities at the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ). She worked on the award-winning Unlock Potential hiring program, bringing in businesses to support hiring from the Opportunity Youth population, as well as Second Chance Hiring. During her time at RBIJ, she also published a “roadmap” designed to drive the adoption of Second Chance Hiring within businesses entitled “Hiring Justice-Involved Talent; Practical Steps to Becoming a Second Chance Employer.”
As an individual who justice-involved, Ashley believes in creating meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for other justice-involved individuals, and programs in prison that help shift the cultural perspective on individuals who are, or have been, incarcerated.
She has spent over 10 years in the Marketing & Communications world working for non-profits in a variety of industries. Ashley also holds an MS in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University and a BS in English from Towson University.
Beth Hannon-Penny
Director, Grant Operations & Administration, Goodwill Industries International
Beth developed a strong sense of devotion for the nonprofit sector as a beneficiary of multiple mentors who were executives of social justice and educational leadership nonprofits nearly 25 years ago. Experiences teaching in Title 1 schools, helping youth learn to read, and in conversations with clients transitioning into homes, into the U.S. or out of incarceration gave her a deep appreciation for how nonprofits, especially Goodwills, seek to improve the quality of life for communities, one program at a time.
She received a BA in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University, a M.Ed. in Out-of-School Time Learning from Lesley University, and holds a professional grant writing certificate from the American Grant Writers Association. Beth enjoys spending time with her family and dear friends, hiking, yoga, traveling, eating chocolate and jumping on trampolines. She views work as a calling and an opportunity to make love more visible in the world.
Borden Barrows
Director of Programs, Hand2HeartDC Inc
Borden Barrows is a returning citizen determined to help others coming home to the DC area from the DC DOC and FBOP. His very diverse career culminated in working in the DC Department of Corrections as a Program Specialist in the Department of College and Career Readiness. Specializing in providing substance use recovery and support services and teaching reentry technology skills, Borden currently serves as the Director of Programs for Hand2HeartDC.
Brandi Mandato
Senior Director, Center for Justice and Economic Advancement, Jobs for the Future (JFF)
Brandi Mandato is a senior director in the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement at JFF. She leads the center’s policy and systems change work, championing efforts to normalize opportunity for people with records at both the state and federal levels.
Her skills and areas of expertise include:- Economic and workforce justice
- Workforce development
- Career training
- Policy and advocacy activation
- Collaboration and communities of practice
- Coursework in criminal justice and psychology, University of New Haven
- Certificate in organizational leadership and management, Golden Gate University, San Francisco
Brent Parton
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
Brent Parton is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, and served as the Acting Assistant Secretary, of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA). In this role he helps oversee many of the Department’s workforce development, employment, and unemployment insurance programs, and works to ensure those programs’ investments advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s workforce and equity priorities.
An expert on workforce, labor, and career and technical education policies, Brent was the deputy director of the Center on Education & Labor at New America, a policy and research institution based in Washington, D.C. At New America, Brent led national research and technical assistance efforts and worked closely with state and local leaders, as well as with philanthropy, business, and labor to develop and implement strategies and investments that deliver more equitable labor market and education outcomes for workers, students, and communities. His 2017 research on youth apprenticeship led to the establishment of the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship, a national initiative to support states and cities across the U.S. to connect high school students to apprenticeship opportunities.
Prior to New America, Brent served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Obama Administration, and has held roles at the National Governors Association, and in the education sector of the World Bank. Brent has a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in international education policy, both from Vanderbilt University; he is from Santa Rosa, California.
Brent J. Cohen
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
Brent J. Cohen was designated by Attorney General Merrick Garland to serve as the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs in May 2023. He helps set policy and programmatic priorities for the Department of Justice’s largest grantmaking component, shaping $5 billion in funding to support state, local and tribal efforts to advance community safety, reform the criminal and juvenile justice systems, and assist those impacted by crime. Prior to this designation, Brent served as OJP’s Chief of Staff beginning in November 2021.
This is Brent’s second time serving at DOJ. During the Obama Administration, he served as a Senior Advisor to OJP’s Assistant Attorney General. Previously, Brent was the Vice President for Youth Engagement at the Center for American Progress and the Vice President and Interim CEO of JustLeadershipUSA.
Before coming to DC, Brent was the Director of Legislative and Government Affairs for the New York City Department of Probation. There, he helped lead efforts to reduce the number of young people in secure care and realign those services from the state to the city, and he helped lead implementation of the Neighborhood Opportunity Network, which transformed the community supervision model in New York City into one that was community-focused and responsive to the needs of people on probation.
Brent began his career as a teacher in South Los Angeles.
Brian Fabes
Managing Director, Corporate Coalition | Sr. Fellow, NORC at the University of Chicago | Sr. Advisor, Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
As Managing Director of the Corporate Coalition, Brian is leading a collaborative of more than 30 Chicago companies committed to using their assets, capabilities, and employee enthusiasm to address economic and racial inequities in the region. Among other initiatives, participants in the Coalition are changing business practices to hire Chicagoans with criminal records, developing new ways to invest equity capital in the South and West sides of Chicago, and connecting local developers of color with potential business partners and technical supports.
Brian is also Sr. Fellow at NORC at the University of Chicago, where works with NORC colleagues who are supporting efforts to reduce gun violence in Chicago.
For the previous fifteen years, Brian served as chief executive officer of Civic Consulting Alliance, where he forged city-wide collaborations with public, private, non-profit, community, and philanthropic leaders with the goal of making Chicago a great city for everyone to live in and work. During Brian’s tenure, CCA and its partners played a central role in many of the most significant public and civic efforts in the Chicago region.
Before joining CCA, Brian was sr. vice president at National Louis University, associate principal at McKinsey & Company, and associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Arizona.
Brianna Rogers
Associate Initiative Officer, San Francisco Foundation
Brianna Rogers, a native to Berkeley, California is a proximate leader who brings incredible energy, insights, and experience to her systems change work. She’s able to connect with and engage people from all backgrounds. She grew up in Berkeley, attended Berkeley High School, Berkeley City College, UC Berkeley, and finished her academic career at Georgetown University having earned her master’s in public policy management. Earlier this year, she joined the Rework the Bay team at The San Francisco Foundation where she leads projects aimed at building worker power through workforce development and improving job quality for direct service providers and low wage workers of color. Brianna is a force who uses her personal lived experience as a tool to disrupt racist and inequitable systems. Building generational wealth and increasing access to sustainable jobs in the Bay Area is a growing opportunity; the dismantling of oppressive systems and structures remain a priority for her.
Caitlin Dawkins
Co-Director, National Reentry Resource Center | Principal Technical Assistance Consultant, American Institutes for Research
Caitlin Dawkins, M.B.A., is a Principal Technical Assistance Consultant at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) where she serves as the Co-Director for the National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC). Mrs. Dawkins provides leadership and oversight for the technical assistance and data, helpline, local reentry community of practice and field engagement strategies of the NRRC. Mrs. Dawkins was also on the founding steering committee for the National Reentry Workforce Collaborative.
Prior to her time at AIR, Mrs. Dawkins spent over 17 years advancing equity for people and families impacted by the justice system. She has served in multiple capacities within the justice field- from direct service- advocacy- to intermediary roles and was most recently FHI 360’s Director of Justice Programs where she oversaw the strategic direction of the justice practice. Mrs. Dawkins is an expert in the intricacies of the American justice system and how it relates to economic mobility as her expertise sits at the intersection of education, workforce, and justice. Caitlin is an author, speaker, facilitator, and advocate for second chances and programs that support all people and communities impacted by the justice system.
Mrs. Dawkins holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Strayer University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Winston-Salem State University.
Candice Sporhase-White
Deputy Executive Director, Second Chance Center
Candice Sporhase-White has over 20 years of senior leadership experience. She is passionate about leveraging this experience and her professional network to help change the landscape around fair chance hiring and remove barriers to employment for justice-involved individuals. She believes that providing a pathway to a mortgage-paying career is a cornerstone of reducing recidivism rates and breaking cycles of incarceration.
Candice has served on multiple non-profit boards and mentored youth for over two decades. A Colorado native, Candice has worked in the areas of banking and finance, supply chain logistics, and workforce development. When Candice isn’t working you will find her at a sporting event, with family and friends, or traveling.
Carson Whitelemons
Director of Criminal Justice, Arnold Ventures
Carson Whitelemons has been with Arnold Ventures since 2019 and helps identify and manage philanthropic opportunities and strategies for the Criminal Justice team. She currently focuses her efforts on the reintegration portfolio, which aims to reduce legal and structural barriers that prevent people with criminal records from engaging in society as full citizens. In this role, Carson has supported research, litigation, and policy efforts to reduce barriers, with a focus on employment and housing. She is also supporting the foundation’s emerging work promoting successful reentry. Previously, Carson managed grants across a range of criminal justice issues at Arnold Ventures, including fines and fees and community supervision.
Prior to joining Arnold Ventures, Carson worked as a consultant for the Fines and Fees Justice Center analyzing the impact of driver’s license suspensions for nonpayment of fees and fines. As a Criminal Justice Fellow at the Policy Advocacy Clinic at Berkeley Law, she co-authored a fiscal analysis on fees and fines in California, as well as performing quantitative research on the implementation of juvenile fee reform.
Previously, Carson worked at the Brennan Center for Justice, first as a research associate/senior research associate on the voting rights team, and then as a grants manager for the entire organization. Her work focused on voting rights restoration and voter ID laws.
Carson received a master’s in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley and a bachelor’s in government from Smith College.
Cherri Harris
Chief Executive Officer, Swint Logistics Group Incorporated (SLGI)
Cherri Harris is a Graduate of Davenport University, Kennesaw State University and Nu-Way Truck Driving Training Center. She has over 15 years of experience driving locally, regionally, and over the road as a HazMat Tanker driver, a Boiler Operator, a Cryogenic Specialist, Vactor Truck Operator, CIPP Installer Certified, and CCTV Operator and Cutter. In 2015, she established her own trucking company, Swint Logistics Group, which umbrellas over two general contracting and infrastructure solutions firms. SLGI is certified, 100% Woman Owned and Operated and located in the City of Detroit. Swint has domestic authority to operate in 48 states and Canada, and was recently awarded three major development contracts: Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, Johnson Controls Inc., and Detroit Housing Commission. Some or her past and present clients include Amazon, Ajax Paving, C.A. Hull, and the Wayne County Airport Authority. Ms. Harris is committed to providing opportunities to individuals directly impacted by the justice system and is developing a training program to attract more women and persons of color to the transportation and logistics sector.
Christopher Watler
Executive Vice President, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
Christopher Watler is the Executive Vice President at the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). In this role, Mr. Watler is responsible for overseeing CEO’s national fund development operations, communications initiatives, and various special projects dedicated to advancing CEO’s mission. He previously served as Executive Director of CEO’s New York State program overseeing CEO’s flagship New York City program and Upstate New York Offices. Prior to joining CEO, Chris worked for the Center for Court Innovation in several key roles. Chris holds a BS in political science from the State University of New York at Purchase and an MPA from John Jay College.
David Gianfrancesco
Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Safer Foundation
After over 14 years of international experience in government and business development in public health and medical recruitment, David became Director of Workforce Development at Safer Foundation (Safer), in 2008, one of the nation’s largest non-profit providers of holistic workforce services exclusively targeting people with arrest and conviction records. In this role he oversaw development of employer partnerships. In 2014 he was named Associate Vice President of Model Development, where he was responsible for research, design, and implementation of new model programs such as Safer’s Demand Skills Collaborative, a demand driven employment initiative. In 2021, he was promoted to Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, a new role responsible for advancing innovative ideas and business practices designed to reshape reentry. In this role, David leads Safer’s technology-related business integration, quality and technical assistance, and continues his model program development work.
David has presented nationally on emerging workforce issues, has an undergraduate degree in Science, a Master’s in Business Administration, both from Curtin University, Australia, has a Certificate of Executive Leadership from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and is a Marano Fellow of Aspen Institute’s Sector Skills Academy.
Dennis Ritchie
Senior Director of Reentry and Young Adult Services, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Dennis Ritchie is the Senior Director of Reentry and Young Adult Services for Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. Previously, he has served as the Director of Reentry Services, Interim Director of Career Services and as the Career Services Manager for LifeLaunch, a DOL grant funded program for adults reentering society. By providing holistic and meaningful support services, along with employment services, the goal in reentry services is to reduce recidivism and increase job retention, creating a positive effect on the individual, their family and the community. Reentry has been part of Dennis’ personal, family and professional life and his passion stems from his unique ability to provide perspective from all viewpoints regarding the subject, ultimately being a bridge for reentering citizens and the community. His ability to create community partnerships and collaborations has expanded Goodwill’s brand and enhanced programming. In 2019, under Dennis’ leadership, Goodwill was awarded the Lucille Hurt Rhobuck Commitment To Corrections Award for its efforts in the reentry field. He developed Goodwill’s two-week job readiness boot camp training, RISE, and has implemented and formed the Young Adult Opportunity Campus (The SPOT), which combines 8 different grants and programs to serve young adults in Kentucky. He has been involved in the community as a member of the Greater Louisville Reentry Coalition, Louisville Family Justice Advocates, Equity/Reentry Task Force of Urban Strategies, Recovery Housing Coalition, and serves as the Chair for the Opportunity Network. He graduated from Bradley University 1994 B.S. finance, University of Kentucky College of Law 1997 J.D. law, and before joining Goodwill was a partner in the law firm of Dillingham & Ritchie 1999 -2006, and a sole practitioner, Dennis M. Ritchie attorney at law, specializing in criminal defense 2006-2012.
Derrick Watson, MBA
Director, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, Denver Construction Career Program
Derrick K. Watson currently serves as Director for the City & County of Denver: Denver Construction Career Program (DCCP). Prior to him accepting this position, he served as a Program Manager for Denver Workforce Services as Contractor Liaison for DCCP. Before his career in DCCP, he spent over 35 years working as an administrator at CU Boulder.
Derrick has made numerous State and national presentations on Workforce Development, most recently on improving the pipeline line for diverse workers in the construction industry at LCPtracker’s National Conference in San Diego, California.
One capstone of Derrick’s career was the development and execution of one the nation’s first Higher Education Public/Private Partnership. The execution of a $70million dollar housing development was one of the first of its kind and has now become a national model for new student housing development. His construction portfolio includes over well over $600million in vertical and horizontal construction projects.
Ellen Sauter
Workforce & Workplace Solutions Specialist, Cara Collective
Ellen Sauter serves as the Workforce and Workplace Solutions Specialist at Cara Collective, a workforce development nonprofit social enterprise that has provided more than 13,500 jobs since 1991. In her role, Ellen connects with other workforce development organizations and social enterprises to share Cara Collective’s service delivery model and build a national workforce development best practices network. Ellen has three years of direct service work as a Job Developer and earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Chicago. Her work on The AdvoKit: A Toolkit to Create Strong Employer Partnerships and Push for Inclusive Change touches both her deep passion for improving workforce development systems and eradicating poverty.
Guy Ross
Business Development Manager, Fontenot Services, LLC
Guy Ross is the Business Development Manager for Fontenot Services, LLC, a commercial landscaping company with government and private contracts located in Detroit, MI. He holds a Bachelor’s in Clinical Laboratory Science from Michigan State University and has worked for Fontenot for seven and a half years. Helping returning citizens acquire employment and the necessary resources to prevent them from recidivism is a passion of his. His company is partnered with Detroit At Work, SERCO, and other workforce development and community-based organizations to assist with job readiness training and employment for returning citizens. Since 2018, Mr. Ross has participated in at least three of SERCO’s transitional employment programs which placed 150 participants at various work sites and Fontenot is in the top 5 business partners with the best permanent hiring rate post-transitional placement.
Harris Rollinger
Sr. Program Manager, Opportunity Talent, KeHE Distributors
Harris Rollinger is a Sr. Program Manager for Hidden Talent at KeHe Distributors, an organic food distributor with locations across the United States. He is the former Co-Founder and Director of the Colorado Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, a unique partnership between the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the Colorado Department of Corrections, and the Latino Coalition for Community Leadership with a mission to reduce recidivism and improve public safety through employment. Harris has also served as the Executive Director of Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Colorado, a consultant for Centura Health and UnifyAmerica, and prior moving to Denver he worked for Combined Jewish Philanthropies, one of Boston’s largest non-profits, overseeing their community innovation and entrepreneurship strategy. He lives in Arvada with his partner, Kristin and their dogs Beaumont & Gordon. A graduate of Clark University, Harris has also performed stand-up comedy (opening for John Oliver in college) and rode a 1950’s Amtrak train across the country with social entrepreneurs from around the world!
Helen “Skip” Skipper
Executive Director, NYC Justice Peer Initiative
Skip as she prefers to be called has been working in peer support since her final release from years of multiple incarcerations and systems involvement in 2007. In her professional persona – she transitioned out of the Senior Manager of Peer Services position at the New York City Criminal Justice Agency where she was intentional in creating space for individuals with lived experiences to her new journey as Executive Director of the NYC Justice Peer Initiative in March 2022. Skip is also a Consultant at Urban Institute where she sits on several research initiatives representing community voices and lived experiences. A Beyond-the Bars 20/21 Fellow – she is also a Columbia University Justice-in-Education scholar while also maintaining a 3.5 GPA @ St. Francis College – where she is the first Justice Initiatives program participant to be invited to join the Honor classes, a former Student Representative, and a graduating Senior majoring in Criminal Justice moving on to Grad School and a terminal Ph.D. as a Criminologist. The inaugural Executive Chair of the NYC Peer Workforce Coalition and an executive leadership team member of the NYC Justice Peer Initiative – Skip was also the first Peer Supervisor employed by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in her role in the groundbreaking – media acclaimed Friendship Benches NYC. In 2022 Skip and CASES – in a joint application was one of the 10 final winners of the SAMHSA Recovery Innovation Challenge and she also became the recipient of College and Community Fellowships’ Rising Star award, Color Magazine’s Wellness Innovator Award and Alternatives 2022 Cookie Gant and Bill Compton LGBTQIA+ Leadership Awards. Skip is also a board member and participant of College and Community Fellowship who works with justice-involved women through community support, access to higher education, and eliminating systemic opportunity barriers and a NYAPRS Board Member/NYC Regional Coordinator She lives by her mantra – “I’ve been around the block a time or two on my tricycle and use those lived experiences to color my world while assisting, supporting, advocating, and navigating for those still caught up in the oppressive and broken Criminal Justice System!”
Hope Cross
Founder, Cultivating Hope Training and Consulting
Hope Cross is a multi-dimensional, innovative leader who started working with at-risk youth and families in the most under-served and poverty-stricken communities in Florida in 2001. Her creative and “hope” driven approach to serving others has led her to take on seemingly “impossible” tasks and walk through on the other side of those tasks with success in her trail. Her years of service has taken her through the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice as a Case Manager and Educator, Healthy Families Florida as a Social Worker, Henkels & McCoy as a Career Navigator, and Eckerd Connects as the Community Engagement Manager for Central and South Florida. Throughout her service she has consistently served clients as well as managed teams who served clients with the highest risk factors, court-involvement, and in need of work readiness and job placement. Her innovative approaches helped her be a part of the Eckerd Connects team that was awarded the Youth Program of the Year Award at NAWDP for 2021 as well as the Service Excellence Award for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in 2022. She served as a Plenary Speaker and Workshop Presenter for the ACT Workforce Conference in New Orleans in 2022 and will also be presenting workshops for the SETA Workforce Conference in March 2023. In addition to her work with staff and leadership, Hope also works with the Desoto County School Board to provide training and development to students on a career and leadership track as well as church organizations and other non-profit organizations to provide training and development to youth in the areas of Trauma and Resiliency, Leadership Development, Choice Impact, and Motivational Interviewing. Hope embodies her creative innovation in all she does, including her development and training of Motivational Interviewing and Trauma Informed Care for Organizations throughout the United States. She believes success is possible and every person has exactly what it takes to find success for themselves, those they serve, and their organization if they know how to tap into their most powerful resources – their empathy, compassion, and determination.
Jason Wardrip
Business Manager, Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council
I am a native of Colorado growing up in a small town in Northeast Colorado, moving to Denver in the 1980’s with my brother and mother. Where we attended parochial and public schools. Began working as
a machinist/welder at a job shop in the Commerce City area while starting a family. But I knew I wanted to be in the outdoors moving and building things. I left the lower paying shop to get into an apprenticeship I did not know what I wanted to do so I investigated all of them in construction that I
could find. Having a background in machining, welding and sheet metal fabrication, knowing that I need to work with my hands I joined and completed my apprenticeship with the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local
#9 becoming a journeyman in 2000 all the while being paid a good living and benefit package. I worked for a single union contractor though my apprenticeship. After my apprenticeship I continued as journeyman, foreman in a few different companies. I was given the opportunity to support the folks that helped me learn a trade and was asked to run an election to become a Business Agent for the Sheet
Metal Workers. I won my election and was sworn in as one of the Business Representative’s for the union in August of 2007, proudly serving the members of the Sheet Metal Workers Local #9. In August
2017 I won another election of my piers to become the Business Manager of the Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council representing 24 Construction Unions in 14 different crafts across the State of Colorado. Where I continue to support quality apprenticeship programs helping apprentices become journeypersons in their chosen crafts.
Jason Whyte
Founder, President & CEO, National Reentry Workforce Collaborative (NRWC)
Jason Whyte is the Founder, President & CEO of the National Reentry Workforce Collaborative (NRWC), a network of organizations that spans across 173 cities in 40 states. He is responsible for casting the vision and guiding the collaborative’s strategic direction, leading the creation of innovative resources to close gaps in the reentry workforce field, and driving value to stakeholders that engage in NRWC. Jason served as the Director of Partnership Strategy at the Latino Coalition for Community Leadership (LCCL). In this role, he develops strategies and builds relationships to expand the organization’s work in Fair Chance Hiring. Before joining the LCCL, Jason led operations and strategy for the OIC of America national network, where he secured over $30M in federal and foundation funding; replicated national initiatives, programs and projects that support the organization’s ambitions of breaking the cycle of poverty; and expanded a national reentry program from one to ten cities. Jason served on a committee that provided expert advice to the Office of America Innovation at the White House. Jason holds a BS in Business Administration from Biola University and an MBA in Economic Development from Eastern University.
Jay Benitez
Program Coordinator, Lifespan
Jay Benitez, Program Coordinator, has over 10 years of experience working in different areas of the country in the field of community and workforce development. Over the past two years, he has narrowed his focus to providing meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities to individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. Jay holds a Master’s degree in Human Services Administration from Antioch University and has been involved in several initiatives to bring awareness to the challenges and nuances associated with reentry. Having been directly impacted by justice involvement, he has first-hand knowledge of the barriers facing those seeking to reintegrate into mainstream society and is passionate about learning from and sharing knowledge and resources with his community.
Jeffrey Abramowitz
CEO, Petey Greene Program
Jeffrey Abramowitz, J.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of the Petey Greene Program and past Executive Director of Justice Partnerships and Executive Director Reentry Services for JEVS Human Services and the founder and Program Director of Looking Forward Philadelphia Reentry Program. Jeff previously served on the Executive Board of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education, COABE, where he served as Secretary, and currently co-chairs the State Advocates for Adult Education Fellowship Program. Jeff was appointed to the Pennsylvania Reentry Council and serves as Chairman of the Employment Committee and Co-chairs the Reentry Committee for the PA Workforce Development Board and serves as the Chair of the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition.
Jeff is a subject matter expert for the US Department of Education, is the Moderator for US Department of Education LINCS Community of Practice on Correctional & Reentry Education and works on the IET in Corrections project for OCTAE. Jeff sits on several organizational boards and centers his work in the intersection of adult education, workforce development, and justice.
Jeff is the producer and host of the award-winning weekly radio/television show “Looking Forward” on Philly Cam Radio WPPM 106.5FM and PhillyCam TV (Live Streaming; Xfinity 66/966; Fios TV 29/30; Roku; Apple TV), and Co-Host/Producer of the Behind Every Employer Podcast.
Jeffrey D. Korzenik
Chief Investment Strategist, Fifth Third Bank, and Author, Untapped Talent
Jeff Korzenik is Chief Investment Strategist for one of the nation’s largest banks, where he is responsible for the investment strategy and the allocation of over $40 billion in assets. A regular guest on CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg TV, his perspective on the economy, markets, manufacturing, and the workforce are frequently cited in the financial and business press. Jeff is the author of the groundbreaking book, “Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community” (HarperCollins Leadership, April 2021), which shares the business case and best practices for hiring people with criminal records. In recognition of his work on the interaction of the criminal justice system and the labor markets, Jeff was elected to membership in the Council of Criminal Justice. Jeff is a graduate of Princeton University, with an A.B. in Economics and a Certificate of Proficiency in Near Eastern Studies.
Jennifer Kemp
Director, Division of Youth Services, Employment & Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
Jennifer Kemp directs the Division of Youth Services at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration. Her team is responsible for the day-to-day operations, technical assistance, performance, and policies of several youth development and employment programs. She also leads the agency’s justice reentry programs for youth and adults. The largest of her portfolio programs include: the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth formula program; the YouthBuild program; and the Reentry Employment Opportunity program. Jennifer has also led the Youth Policy Team for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. Past work experience includes leading national, state and local grant programs; staff on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee; and Special Assistant to the Chairman of the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She began her Federal career through a Workforce Recruitment Program internship at the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition, Jennifer has worked in the non-profit, university, and corporate worlds. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a graduate degree from Vanderbilt University. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, two sons, and family dog.
Joe McDonald
CEO, New Freedom
Joe McDonald is a visionary and the driving force behind New Freedom, the largest re-entry facility in the nation; he also heads the largest 12-step meeting in Arizona, which is broadcasted into prisons and reaches a global audience. As the CEO of New Freedom, Joe creates the culture while overseeing the InReach mentorship program, playing a crucial role in its establishment. A recovered addict himself, Joe is passionate about supporting others on their journey to recovery and personal growth.
Joey Nuñez Estrada Jr., Ph.D
Dr. Estrada serves as the California Director of Innovation and Impact for the Latino Coalition for Community Leadership, an intermediary organization that finds, funds, forms, and features nonprofit organizations in marginalized communities that are supporting individuals and families that have been impacted by the carceral system. Dr. Estrada also serves as Director and Associate Professor of the School Counseling Program in the Department of Counseling and School Psychology at San Diego State University. Dr. Estrada earned his Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Southern California and his research interests include street culture, holistic school and community partnerships, relationship-centered and transformative healing practices. His scholarship focuses on working to uplift brave environments by challenging systemic inequities and eradicating school and community barriers to student success, specifically for carceral system impacted youth and families. Dr. Estrada uses a holistic socio-ecological systems framework to support compassionate care advocates that focus on identifying the strengths and transformational agency of youth experiencing system-induced trauma so they thrive at home, in school, and within their communities.
John A. Fraundorfer
Program Coordinator, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, Denver Construction Careers Program
John Fraundorfer has worked for the City and County of Denver for over five years, previously as a Continuous Quality Assurance Analyst and Data & Quality Senior Analyst. Before working for the City, he has both worked and consulted in the private sector for over 35 years in various capacities including Marketing Management, Project Management, New Business Development, Market Research, New Product Development, Quality Systems Management, and Data Management Systems. With the Denver Construction Careers Program, John has spearheaded the creation and development of data gathering, analysis, and reporting systems for use by both internal agencies and prime contractors and subs on city-funded construction projects. He is also leading the charge in working with city partners in the bolstering of apprenticeship readiness programs for the construction industry.
John Buckley
Outreach Strategies Manager, Koch Industries
John Buckley is Outreach Strategies Manager for Koch Industries. He is a 30+ year Army veteran, career coach and mentor, author, and an expert in the field of military-to-civilian career transition. Currently assists Koch companies implement Military Veteran as well as Second Chance recruiting and retention strategies and programs.
John Jenks
Economic Initiatives Director, Wyoming Business Council
John is currently Economic Initiatives Director at the Wyoming Business Council (WBC) which is the state’s economic development agency. He joined the WBC in August of 2022. In his capacity, John identifies, leads and executes strategies to maximize opportunities to achieve sustained and vibrant economic growth for the State of Wyoming. Prior to this role, he was Director of Public Policy at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. At the Chamber, he oversaw the Chamber’s advocacy work in the Kansas and Missouri Legislatures. He also founded and led the Chamber’s Workforce Opportunities for Returning Citizens Initiative that reemploys and reintegrates justice involved individuals. John grew up in the Kansas City area and graduated from the University of Mississippi’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and Trent Lott Public Policy Leadership School with a degree in Public Policy Leadership and Economics and a Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications.
John Sawyer
Senior Consultant, Health and Reentry Project
John Sawyer is a Senior Consultant with the Health and Reentry Project, a cross-sector initiative to improve the health of people returning to communities after leaving jails and prisons.
John is also a Senior Advisor at Waxman Strategies, a mission-driven consulting firm based in Washington, DC, founded by former Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA). John brings more than twenty years of policy experience at both the federal and local level, having served in a variety of government positions and as a leader in the nonprofit sector. Most recently, John spent nearly ten years as Director of Federal Affairs at the National Association of Community Health Centers. John also led the policy efforts of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services in Pennsylvania through ongoing service integration initiatives and the block-granting of state funding. John served on the legislative staff of two members of Congress – then-Representative (now-Senator) Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT). John holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a certification in Professional Coaching.
John Wetzel
Chief Executive Officer, Phronema Justice Strategies, LLC
John Wetzel, the former Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections, began his career in corrections in 1989 as an officer at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility. He transferred to the Berks County Prison, where he was a correctional officer, treatment counselor, supervisor of treatment services, and training academic director. From there, he became warden of the Franklin County Jail in 2002. Wetzel was appointed as the state Board of Pardons’ corrections expert in June 2007 and confirmed as Secretary of Corrections in 2011. He retired in 2021 as the longest serving Secretary of Corrections in the history of PA. Wetzel is currently the CEO of Phronema Justice Strategies, LLC. He is also the Founding Director of the Keystone Restituere Justice Center, a Non Profit focusing on PA county criminal justice programs and national reform work, set to launch this year. John is the father of four daughters and a graduate of Bloomsburg University.
Josh Davies
CEO, The Center for Work Ethic Development
Josh Davies is passionate about helping others make a difference in their lives, jobs, and community. Through his work as a speaker and trainer, he has engaged and encouraged professionals across North America, the Middle East, and Asia. His engaging and connecting speaking style combined with relevant content make him an in-demand speaker, consistently giving more than 60 keynote presentations and workshops to education, workforce, and corporate events annually. Mr. Davies was awarded the 2022 H.G. Weisman Award by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals for his exceptional service to workforce development nationwide. He was also named by Education 2.0 as one of 2022’s Outstanding Leaders, and by the Global Forum for Education and Learning as one of 2021’s Top 100 Visionaries in Education in recognition for his contributions to education globally. Davies is currently the CEO of The Center for Work Ethic Development, an organization committed to developing workplace skills in the global workforce. Partnering with organizations in all 50 states and 7 countries, they equip trainers and teachers to build the workforce of the 21st Century.
Judge Stephanie M Sawyer
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
Although Stephanie M. Sawyer was born in Queens, New York, her home city is the City of Philadelphia where she was raised and has continuously lived since she was a little girl. She is a product of the Philadelphia public school system attending J.R. Masterman, Philadelphia High School for Girls and she went on to earn her undergraduate and law degrees from Temple University. Judge Sawyer is a single parent of two children who was raised by a single parent where she learned her commitment to the community and understanding that hard work is the key to success.
Judge Sawyer is currently a Court of Common Pleas Judge in the Trial Division and a former Municipal Court Judge in Philadelphia County, having her judicial nomination confirmed by the state senate on June 30, 2014, she was then sworn in on July 16, 2014. Prior to this appointment, Judge Sawyer was the sole practitioner of her own Center City based law office which she maintained for almost two decades. Judge Sawyer prides herself in providing fairness upon which every Philadelphian who comes before her can rely.
Justin Proulx
Vocational Director, New Freedom
Justin Proulx is a peer who has spent 10.5 years in incarceration, coming on with an entrepreneurial mindset as the vocational director at New Freedom. He has built a comprehensive vocational department, offering employer-based partnership training in electrical work, tile installation, painting, welding, CDL, culinary arts, and peer certification, focused on closing the gap between trainers and employers. Through his efforts, Justin has helped numerous companies hire skilled employees and has created a robust hiring pool for the program.
Kelly Evans
Executive Deputy Secretary for Community Corrections, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
Kelly J. Evans is the newly appointed Executive Deputy Secretary for Community Corrections, Reentry and Parole Field Services for the PA Department of Corrections. In her new role she will be responsible for the oversight of reentry and community supervision, to include treatment services, education, reentry, institutional parole, Bureau of Community Supervision and Parole Field Services. Ms. Evans’ 33-year criminal justice career began in 1990 as a Probation Officer for Dauphin County Adult Probation, she promoted through the ranks and eventually supervised the Intensive Drug Supervision Unit and the Harrisburg City Street Crimes Unit. Ms. Evans also spent 14 years assigned to the US Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. In 2012, she was hired as the Central Regional Director for Parole Field Services. In 2018, she was appointed to her most recent role as the Deputy Secretary for Reentry where she played an integral role with the merger of the Department of Corrections and the Board of Probation and Parole. Ms. Evans recognizes the importance of relationship building, collaboration and staff wellness and plans to continue those efforts in her new role as the Executive Deputy Secretary.
Ms. Evans has devoted her career to assisting individuals involved in the criminal justice system to successfully reenter society while keeping our communities safe. Her personal and professional experiences have facilitated her being understanding and empathetic to the needs of parolees, inmates, and their families. Additionally, her experiences have honed her skills in creating and supervising diverse and dynamic teams who also seek to assist and support justice involved individuals throughout their involvement with the Department.
Ken Oliver
Executive Director, Checkr.org
Ken Oliver is the Executive Director of Checkr.org, the corporate social responsibility and arm of Checkr, Inc. Checkr.org was created to redefine the narrative around arrest and conviction histories and to build a fairer future of work through Fair Chance skill development, employment, and policy change. Ken and his team’s work centers on galvanizing businesses, policy makers, and community stakeholders and being a catalyst for the creation of pathways for opportunity, livable wage employment and economic mobility for all individuals impacted by the criminal justice system – transforming lives, healing communities, and driving economic growth. Ken’s own remarkable journey started in 1996 when he was incarcerated and sentenced to 52 years to life in prison under California’s three-strikes law for “joyriding” as a passenger in a stolen car. He spent close to 24 years in prison, more than 8 of them in solitary confinement, for reading a book by former Black Panther George Jackson. With the help of Stanford University and Corporate law firm Mayer Brown, Ken won a civil rights lawsuit against the state resulting in a monetary settlement and his release from prison in 2019. Shortly after his release, Ken became a paralegal at a public interest law firm and shortly thereafter a state policy director. In 2020, Ken became a cofounder and the Executive Director of a nonprofit reentry organization created to providing justice impacted people with housing and reskilling in the technology and knowledge based economy, where he secured a historic investment of $28.5M from the State of California to build the first of its kind residentially based campus and tech career training center for justice impacted people in the country.
Kenyatta Leal
Executive Director, Next Chapter
Chrisfino Kenyatta Leal is a founding member of The Last Mile program at San Quentin. Upon his release in 2013, Kenyatta served as an evangelist and Board Member at The Last Mile while holding Management and Sales positions with the San Francisco based technology campus RocketSpace. In 2018 Kenyatta joined The Last Mile full time as a Business Development Specialist and Reentry Manager for Next Chapter, an apprenticeship program at Slack that’s helping formerly incarcerated individuals find work and succeed in tech. In 2021 Kenyatta took on the role of Executive Director at Next Chapter. Kenyatta is also a featured speaker at numerous conferences and corporate events.
Khalil Halim
Executive Director, Second Chance Center
Khalil A.Halim is an ex Army veteran who has dedicated his life to service. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Systems Management, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Khalil was Deputy Director at It Takes a Village before coming to SCC. His tenure at It Takes a Village lasted for 12 years.
During these years, Khalil served on the Mayor’s Office of HIV Resources Planning Council (Denver), served as Chair of Priorities Setting and Allocation Committee, was appointed by the Governor to Colorado HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (CHAPP) Grant Review Committee, implemented and oversaw one of Aurora’s Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Project (HPRP) as well provided one on one counseling and group level intervention counseling at It Takes a Village.
Khalil, who also sat as a founding member on Second Chance Center’s Board of Directors for 7 years, has stepped into the role as Second Chance Center’s Executive Director. Somehow he still finds the time to earn an iconic urban name in the DJ game.
What most wouldn’t know about is the critically important mentorship and guidance he provided to a man desperately looking for the transitional answers to some troubling lifelong questions. Listening intently, and watching his example, was key to SCC’s Founder getting his own second chance at life.
Kyle Harless
Founder | Business Development Officer, New Freedom
Kyle Harless, a founding partner of New Freedom, heads up business development. Kyle brings his data-driven operations mindset to the organization, allowing us to be ahead of the curve. His ability to forecast needs and limit waste has led to new projects, including a vocational school, multi-family housing projects, and a new women’s facility. His expertise and dedication contribute to New Freedom’s mission’s ongoing success and expansion.
Leo Alirez
Founder & Executive Director, Life-Line
Leo Alvirez is a native of Denver Colorado. He earned a Ph.D. from the Denver Institute of Urban Studies and Adult College and is a Certified Addiction Specialist with an equivalency BA in Addictions with a Minor of High-Risk Youth from Metropolitan State College of Denver and Odyssey Training Center. Additionally, he is dually certified with National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC) in Advanced Gang Identification and Advanced Gang Counseling Techniques.
In August 2006, Leo designed a Gang-Disengagement program called Life-Line. Life-Line has now matured into a 501-C3 non-profit organization and has collaborated with Probation and Parole (Juvenile/Adult), Denver Police Department (Gang-Unit), Gang Reduction Initiative of Denver (GRID), Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC), Latino Coalition (LCCL) and other organizations through the Metro State of Denver Colorado. This important and unique approach is geared to meet all three structures of gangs (Militant, Independent, and Hybrid). It addresses grief and loss and substance abuse issues associated with gang life, provides case-management, school and job placement, tattoo removal, clothing exchange, and immediate crisis intervention housing if case meets criteria.
Leo was motivated to begin his work after a visit from his mother while in lock-up. That moment led to sobriety and a realization that his life would look different upon release. With a wife and a young family at home, he knew it was up to him to stop the generational curse. He is now fully gang-disengaged, in sobriety for over 19 years, and committed to change and save lives daily. In Leo’s own words, “Although the work has been hard and I’ve seen progress, there is more that can be done. This work is near and dear to my heart, as I know firsthand the results of negative and positive reactions to societal issues and realities. This is the reason why I made the choice to obtain education and pursue opportunities to assist youth and adults in gang-disengagement and recovery while becoming a productive member within their family and the communities.”
Liz Jones
Corporate Partnerships Lead, Cara Collective
Liz Jones serves as Corporate Partnerships Lead at Cara Collective, where she cultivates multifaceted relationships with a portfolio of employers from a variety of industries. In her role, Liz helps employers access great-fit talent, advocates for inclusive hiring practices, and directly supports job seekers in all aspects of job search. Prior to Cara, Liz worked at One Million Degrees, where she supported the implementation of an apprenticeship program for community college students in the business sector. Liz is originally from Cleveland, OH and has a Bachelor’s in Cognitive Science from Yale University.
Madeline Bunce
Opportunity Employment Program Manager, MOD Pizza
Madeline Bunce is Opportunity Employment Program Manager at MOD Pizza, leading the company’s opportunity employment initiatives for the 530+ location fast-casual pizza brand. In her role, Madeline is responsible for supporting MOD’s commitment to be the leading employer providing employment opportunity to individuals with barriers including those with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and justice involvement. Madeline has more than six years of experience in corporate social impact and previously served as Program Officer of the Allstate Foundation’s $5M relationship abuse grant portfolio, which focused on ending relationship abuse through financial empowerment for survivors and prevention.
Mahlia Lindquist
Executive Director, Ladies Empowerment & Action Program
Mahlia Lindquist, Executive Director of Ladies Empowerment and Action Program (LEAP) brings her advocacy skills from years of practicing law to fight on behalf of the marginalized women she serves through LEAP. As a former prosecutor in Miami-Dade, she saw first hand how the justice system is stacked against vulnerable women and vowed to foster change and bring hope to justice-involved women. Under Ms. Lindquist’s leadership, LEAP has evolved from a small non-profit providing services to women in prison, to being recognized as a leader in the women’s re-entry space. Since taking the helm at LEAP 5 years ago, her vision of providing housing, wraparound services, trauma-informed therapy, even a retail business to provide jobs and job training have all been realized. She will continue to advocate for women by scaling up LEAP’s success and extending its programming into more state and even federal prisons. An accomplished speaker, Mahlia loves to share her passion for changing a system geared against justice-involved women.
Malia K. Salaam
Reentry Program Manager, SER Metro-Detroit & SERCO
Malia Salaam has over a decade of experience supporting returning citizens in workforce development and currently serves as a Reentry Career Center Manager for the City of Detroit’s workforce development system, Detroit at Work. From 2015-2018, she led the service provider team for a $4M U.S. Department of Labor Demonstration Pilot for Adult Returning Citizens, which served 1,157 State of Michigan prisoners inside of two correctional facilities and individuals on parole in the community. Since then, she has managed four other programs that provided barrier removal, job readiness training, and job placement services to hundreds more people on probation and parole. The alumna of Howard University (BFA) and Trinity-Washington University (MS) is a 2023 Detroit Workforce Leadership Academy Fellow with Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and the Aspen Institute. Her SERCO reentry career services team, in partnership with The City of Detroit, two workforce development agencies, and the Wayne County Sherriff’s Office was awarded the $4M US DOL Pathway Home 4 grant in July 2023, which begins implementation in early 2024.
Manny Lamarre
Senior Advisor for Workforce, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
Manny has vast experience at the intersection of workforce and education policy, research, and practice across federal, state, and local levels. He’s served as a Governor and now Political appointee leading on key workforce policies and strategies such as sector-based initiatives, registered apprenticeships, postsecondary pathways, industry engagement, and others. From 2015-2019, Manny led the implementation of Nevada’s workforce vision, with the passage of critical workforce legislation while serving as the Founding Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation. He also managed and served as the Governor’s Designee on the State’s 33-member Workforce Board and led the revamping of the State’s Registered Apprenticeship system that saw a 45% increase in apprentices and expansion into 14 new occupations. Manny has represented the U.S. in Geneva at the International Labor Conference setting international standards on apprenticeships.
Manny holds a B.A. in Political Science with honors from Wittenberg University, and a Master’s in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Manny began his career as a classroom teacher and has led technical assistance efforts at organizations such as WestEd. He has authored several reports, studied, and presented on workforce nationally and internationally.
Matt Joyce
Partner, Envoy
Matt Joyce is a partner at Envoy Advisory, a social impact consulting firm with a focus on implementation strategy. Envoy’s Fair Chance employment practice partners with employers and associations to develop inclusive hiring practices to recruit and retain candidates with past convictions. Envoy supports clients including individual companies, employer cohorts, workforce systems and industry leaders to build and grow Fair Chance strategies. In addition, their team works with nonprofits and foundations on strategy, operations, and grantmaking. Previous to Envoy, Matt served as Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Employment Opportunities and the Executive Director of the GreenLight Fund in Philadelphia. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Melissa Dickerson
Chief of Staff, Honest Jobs
In 2019, Melissa was newly sober, facing pending felony drug charges, and could not find an employer willing to give her a chance. After becoming homeless due to a lack of job opportunities, she stumbled across an article about Honest Jobs, a job search site built specifically to help justice-involved job seekers find felony-friendly employment. She reached out and was immediately hired. Since then, she has worked her way up to Chief of Staff at Honest Jobs. Through her work in fair-chance employment, she has rebuilt her own life and helped build the Honest Jobs network to over 1,400 fair-chance employers and nearly 100,000 job seekers nationwide.
Miguel Angel Cambray
Vice President, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase
Miguel serves as Vice President, Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase. In this role, he focuses on the firm’s workforce efforts, helping to create and advance equitable growth strategies aimed at addressing skills and career pathway gaps for students and workers from underrepresented communities. Miguel brings over 20 years of experience to JPMorgan Chase, with an extensive background in program implementation and grants management for high-impact economic and educational initiatives. Most recently, he worked as Senior Program Officer at Heartland Alliance in Chicago. He also served as Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at READI Chicago, Director of TRIO-Economic Opportunity Center at National Louis University, Director of Community & Economic Development at Enlace Chicago and Director of Multicultural Student Service at Lewis University. Miguel is earning his PhD at National Louis University, and earned his Master’s degree at Northeastern Illinois University and Bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois Chicago. He currently lives in the Chicagoland area with his family.
Molly Bashay
Policy Advisor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
Molly Bashay is a policy advisor in the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) within the U.S. Department of Labor. Her portfolio ranges from infrastructure and unemployment insurance to climate and youth policy. Molly is a staunch advocate for economic justice and the policies and programs that deliver tangible results–namely, long-term careers, high wages, economic security, and peace of mind–to workers and their families. Prior to joining ETA, she worked with nonprofits large and small, leading initiatives on digital equity, the future of work, community and economic development, eliminating student debt, and embedding equity throughout the education-to-workforce pipeline. Molly received her master’s degree in European Union social and economic public policy and a bachelor’s degree in government and environmental policy.
Monique Williams
Sr. Planning /Program/Portfolio Manager of Social Justice, American Family Insurance
Monique Williams is the Sr. Planning /Program/Portfolio Manager of Social Justice at American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact Monique utilizes evidence-based practices to provide opportunities to underserved populations. With 15+ years in federal regulations, policies, and procedures that are necessary for managing programs and funding that serve several special population groups including veterans, the historically unemployed or underemployed, justice impacted individuals (including those reentering communities from incarceration), incumbent workers, and low-skilled or low-wage workers. A Texas native, Monique holds a Masters in Counseling from Prairie View A&M University. Monique is also a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the State of Texas.
Nan Gibson
Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase PolicyCenter
Nan Gibson is Executive Director at the JPMorgan Chase PolicyCenter. In this role, she leads the Second Chance, Careers & Skills, and Economic Security Net issue portfolios and works to develop and advance evidence-based policy solutions to drive inclusive economic growth by bringing together global expertise, data, research, and philanthropic investments.
Nan works with policy, community, and business leaders to drive effective public policy solutions at all levels of government. She provides policy expertise across a broad range of economic issues and conducts outreach to key stakeholders to build unique partnerships for initiatives related to economic security and workforce development. She works closely with criminal justice reform leaders to advance policies that lower barriers to employment and create greater economic opportunity for individuals involved in the justice system. Nan developed the strategic framework and co-leads the corporate recruitment and programmatic work of the Second Chance Business Coalition, a group of nearly 50 large companies committed to implementing second chance employment practices and advancement strategies. She also develops best practices for serving the financial services needs of older consumers and combating elder financial exploitation.
She previously served as Chief of Staff and Executive Director for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama Administration and as Executive Director of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. Prior to public service, Nan was a senior leader and communications strategist at the Economic Policy Institute, a leading think tank that conducts research on American living standards. She began her career covering Congress, politics, and presidential elections for The New Yorker magazine’s Washington columnist and for C-SPAN.
Nancy DeNike
Director of the Reentry Hub for Women, Ladies Empowerment & Action Program (LEAP)
Nancy DeNike served as manager of LEAP’s social enterprise and workforce training program for over 3 years and currently is the Director of LEAP’s Reentry Hub. She discovered her life’s purpose – empowering justice-involved women – while serving a 5-year prison sentence. Nancy graduated from the LEAP program and since then has helped women navigate the reentry process, and advocated on their behalf. Under her management LEAP’s social enterprise has increased revenue by 50%. In her “spare time,” Nancy also launched a small business, which she developed as part of LEAP’s entrepreneurship class.
Nyra Jordan
Community and Social Impact Investment Director, American Family Insurance
Nyra Jordan is an impact investor and social justice activist that is dedicated to elevating the voices of community changemakers. Nyra is one of the founding directors of the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, a Madison, WI based innovation hub founded in 2018 that leverages venture capital investment and transformative public and private partnerships to address major challenges facing the US. As community and social impact investment director, Nyra invests in high impact social entrepreneurs, startups, and strategic partnerships. In addition, she oversees efforts to form collaborations that increase access to opportunity, social equity, and financial mobility including support for individuals impacted by the criminal and civil legal system. She is co-creating a coalition with partners across the country to bring funding to underrepresented founders by convening entrepreneurs and investors within the justice tech sector. Nyra is a TED speaker and her efforts to support fair chance employment and capital access to underrepresented founders have been featured in major publications.
Patricia Gill
Director, Workforce Development, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
Patricia D. Gill serves as the Director of Workforce Development at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). As such, Patricia helps lead NRAEF’s strategy, investment, and implementation of programs developed to prepare disengaged populations for entry, reentry, and advancement in the workforce. This work includes two Department of Labor grants to increase access and opportunity for justice-involved adults and young adults, to credentials, a living wage, and career pathways in the restaurant, food service, and hospitality industry, as well as the Restaurant Ready Work-Readiness Network that helps individuals prepare to enter or reenter the workforce.
Patricia has over 30 years’ experience in federal grant administration, youth program management, and technical assistance and has written over $45 million in successful federal, municipal, and foundation grant proposals. Her experience includes directing workforce development, after-school, juvenile reentry, and mentoring programs in the United States; developing cross-sector youth workforce programs in Ohio, Alaska, and Ontario, Canada; and the opportunity to conduct site visits, youth focus groups, and program standards development in Haiti. Her areas of expertise include: multi-site grant implementation, juvenile reentry, mentoring, youth development, disability, college preparation, career development, positive discipline, training facilitation, and community youth mapping.
Patricia holds a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from the University of Maryland at College Park. She is certified as a Master Facilitator of the Advancing Youth Development Curriculum for Training Youth Workers and helped develop the Youth Service Professionals’ Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Training Modules. She is also the proud foster to adopt mother of an amazing daughter, smart puppy, and spunky rabbit. She previously served on her condo board and co-facilitated PRIDE training for prospective foster families.
Patrick O. Peters
Principal and Office Litigation Manager, Jackson Lewis P.C.- Cleveland Office
Patrick O. Peters is a principal and office litigation manager in the Cleveland, Ohio, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He maintains an active, diverse, management-side employment law practice covering the full spectrum of the employment relationship.
Pat counsels clients in the power management, manufacturing, insurance, contingent staffing, financial services, transportation and logistics, building materials, construction, technology, and retail industries, among others. He advises clients on hiring, promotion, discipline, and termination decisions; negotiates executive employment agreements; drafts and reviews employee policy manuals for compliance with state and federal law; and manages multi-state employment law compliance projects. Pat defends employers before state and federal administrative agencies and in courts throughout the United States in claims involving breach of contract, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and state and federal wage and hour and leave of absence laws. His litigation practice also includes representing employers in actions to enforce mandatory alternative dispute resolution agreements and related proceedings, prosecuting and defending trade secret and non-compete matters, and representing employer-sponsored benefit plans and their fiduciaries in ERISA litigation.
In addition to his first chair trial work and counseling practice, Pat leverages his years of management-side employment law experience into a growing specialty practice focused on helping national employers who rank among the largest companies in the world. He works to build programs and processes to create a smooth flow of litigation and project management, and prides himself on finding creative compliance, traditional labor, and employment law solutions to meet important business needs.
Paul Taylor
Executive Director of Community Relations, Hand2HeartDC Inc
Paul Taylor was incarcerated during much of his formative years in the DC DOC and FBOP. He earned workforce certifications during his confinement, and upon returning to DC, he eventually worked for the DC Dept of Parks and Rec and ultimately joined Dr. Lopez’s team at the DC DOC, teaching cognitive behavior intervention and managing community workforce placement and counseling to incarcerated students and returning citizens. He now serves as the Executive Director of Community Relations for Hand2HeartDC.
Rashawn Ray
Vice President & Executive Director, American Institutes for Research (AIR) Equity Initiative
Rashawn Ray is an AIR vice president and the executive director of the AIR Equity Initiative. Launched in 2021, the AIR Equity Initiative is a five-year, $100M+ investment in behavioral and social science research and technical assistance to address the underlying causes of systemic inequities and to increase opportunities for people and communities. The initiative’s work is done collaboratively with other organizations and communities, and focuses on developing approaches to moderate or mitigate the harmful effects on individuals living in communities segregated by race and place, with a particular emphasis on education, workforce, creating safer communities, and advancing health equity.
As Professor at the University of Maryland and Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution, Ray’s research addresses the mechanisms that manufacture and maintain racial and social inequity. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, Arnold Foundation, and Ford Foundation. His academic articles have appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, Science Advances, Social Science Research, American Education Research Journal, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Du Bois Review, and the Annual Review of Public Health. Ray’s books include Systemic Racism in America: Sociological Theory, Education Inequality, and Social Change (with Hoda Mahmoudi), How Families Matter: Simply Complicated Intersections of Race, Gender, and Work (with Pamela Braboy Jackson) and Race and Ethnic Relations in the 21st Century: History, Theory, Institutions, and Policy, which has been adopted over 40 times in college courses.
Ray has published over 50 books, articles, and book chapters, and over 50 op-eds. He has written for the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, POLITICO, Business Insider, Newsweek, NBC News, The Guardian, The Hill, Huffington Post, and The Conversation. Ray has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, CBS, ABC, C-Span, PBS, NPR, and Al Jazeera. As the Executive Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR), Ray helped develop a virtual reality training program for law enforcement and led implicit bias trainings with thousands of police officers, military personnel, and employees at companies and organizations. He regularly testifies at the federal and state levels on racial equity, policing and criminal justice reform, health policy, wealth disparities, and family policy.
Ray obtained his Ph.D. and master’s degree in sociology from Indiana University, and his bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Memphis. Ray serves on boards with Meta and the Greater Washington Community Foundation. He also serves on the Legacy Renovation Scholars Committee with the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and as a consultant for the 400 Years of African American History Commission, which operates as an entity of the Executive Branch of the federal government. Formerly, Ray was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and member of the National Advisory Committee for the RWJF Health Policy Research Scholars Program. Previously, Ray served on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington Planning Committee and the Commission on Racial Justice with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. From 2018-2022, Ray served as one of the co-editors of Contexts Magazine: Sociology for the Public where the magazine garnered over one million website views and downloads each year.
Ray has been awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science, the Public Understanding of Sociology Award from the American Sociological Association, the Morris Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Sociological Achievement from the DC Sociological Society, and the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from Indiana University. He was recently awarded an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship.
Raulvin Coke
Co Founder & CEO, Future Wise Group
Raulvin Coke, a captivating and visionary futurist, extraordinary entrepreneur, and beacon of inspiration, radiates an infectious sense of optimism that ignites inspiration wherever he goes. With an unparalleled consulting career, advising industry giants like Fidelity Investments, Oracle, Eli Lilly, Truist, NBC Universal Comcast, and Standard Industries, Raulvin has firmly established himself as a trusted advisor, guiding organizations through the ever-evolving business landscape.
As the Founder & CEO of Future Wise Group (FWG), a trailblazing and influential training and consulting powerhouse, Raulvin leads the charge in equipping organizations to skillfully navigate the disruptive forces in the age of artificial intelligence. FWG’s expertise spans an array of transformative domains, including business agility methodologies, organizational change management, cybersecurity, AI implementation, data science, and emerging technology. Their mission is to empower businesses across diverse sectors to conquer the challenges of tomorrow with unwavering confidence.
FWG collaborates closely with clients ranging from esteemed educational institutions and dynamic small businesses to visionary government agencies in both the public and private sectors. Through strategic partnerships, they unlock the full potential of their clients’ endeavors, revolutionizing the way they operate.
Beyond his entrepreneurial prowess, Raulvin is a staunch advocate for responsible technological advancements and their profound societal impact. Possessing an astute understanding of emerging technologies, he stands at the forefront of innovation, continuously pushing boundaries and charting new frontiers.
Raulvin’s commitment to lifelong learning is evident through his certifications from esteemed institutions such as Yale University, the University of London, and MIT. His expertise spans cybersecurity tools and cyber attacks, deploying AI in enterprises, AI foundations for business specialization, data science, and machine learning using Viya from the SAS Institute. These certifications underscore his mastery in these transformative fields, further fueling his passion to revolutionize the future.
In recognition of his exceptional contributions, Raulvin has been bestowed with the prestigious Beya Inaugural Black Leaders Powering the Metaverse Award of 2023, an accolade that solidifies his status as a trailblazer in his field. His unwavering dedication to driving positive change and reshaping the world is undeniable.
Raulvin’s passion for innovation and education extends to his active involvement as an inaugural Design Thinking Advisory Board member at Rutgers University Center for Innovation Education. Additionally, he holds membership in the Blockchain Council, where he is certified as a Metaverse Expert, enhancing his comprehensive knowledge of emerging technologies and propelling him to the forefront of groundbreaking advancements.
A prominent figure on the global stage, Raulvin has graced distinguished events such as the World Higher Education Summit in Dubai, the Global Genius STEM Summit (GSS), Informa Connect: Metaverse for Business Summit, GatherVerse Summit, and Evenness De:Centralized Web 3.0 Series. These platforms solidify his reputation as a transformative thought leader, poised to shape the trajectory of our collective future.
Raulvin Coke: A captivating visionary, revered futurist, and rising international star, dedicated to empowering organizations and individuals to flourish in the transformative landscape of the future. He is driven by a mission to minimize the impact of what Yuval Noah Harari refers to as the “Useless Class,” inspiring a world where everyone can thrive in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.
Remy DeMarco
Executive Director, The Accountability Project
Remy DeMarco began working on criminal justice reform programming in 2018 as an intern working on the PREATS (Prisoner Reentry Enhanced Accountability System), the predecessor to The Accountability Project. Remy received their BSN in Nursing from the University of Scranton in 2014. While in the nursing program, Remy became interested in the intersection of healthcare access and incarceration. After college, Remy began working as a nurse in the Emergency Room at CentraState Medical Center, where they are still employed. They are also the founder and chair of CentraState’s LGBTQ+ Committee. Remy earned their Masters of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government in 2018.
Richard Paul Morales
Deputy Executive Director, Latino Coalition for Community Leadership
Richard Paul Morales, serves as the Deputy Executive Director of the Latino Coalition for Community Leadership (LCCL). The LCCL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides funding, technical assistance and capacity building to leverage the strengths of small, local non-profit organizations serving communities of color. This is accomplished by providing robust organizational fiscal and data infrastructure, individualized organizational development, collaboration, and effective advocacy. The LCCL has been the subject of various evaluations and case studies highlighting its model and approach that leads to strong performance and outcomes. In addition to performance, strong fiscal accounting practices ensure good stewardship and return on investment. Richard has a strong belief in the ability of communities to create solutions to local issues when resources, expertise, collaboration and accountability are present. Richard holds a master’s degree in management and a B.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences with minors in philosophy and history.
Richard Ramos
Founder & Author, Parents on a Mission
Overcoming the obstacles of barrio youth gangs, drugs and violence, Richard R. Ramos has devoted his career to serving high-risk Latino youth & families. Ramos has authored three books: “Got Gangs?” (2006), “Gang Prevention and Schools, (2008), and “From The Margins To The Mainstream – Preparing Latino Youth For Leadership In The 21st Century”, (2013).
Ramos is founder of “Parents on a Mission”, helping parents build healthy relationships with their children. POM has been adopted by school districts, nonprofits, the Colorado Department of Corrections and most recently by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of their strategy for violence prevention in Guatemala.
Ramos has served as a Juvenile Hall instructor, at-risk high school counselor; a co-founding director of a gang intervention/prevention community coalition; Director of a Latino youth and family teen center and a founding director of the Interfaith Initiative of Santa Barbara County.
For his thirty years of community service and his work in the field of human rights, he has received numerous accolades and awards including recognition by the White House Administration, The United States Congress, The California State Assembly, and has been inducted into the Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapels Board.
Rob Reed
Director, Reentry, Trauma, and Reform Initiatives, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Rob has been a career public servant working for more than 40 years in federal and state governments. Rob has served as an Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Washington D.C. (1982-1987) and more recently in the (Eastern District of Pennsylvania (EDPA) (1989-2017). As a federal prosecutor, Rob served as a trial and appellate attorney, the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and investigated, prosecuted, and supervised a wide range of cases from violent crime, gang violence, civil rights, white-collar crime, and corruption. In 2010, Rob was appointed the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney and was responsible for expanding the office’s vision of criminal justice and creating an unprecedented focus on violence prevention, prisoner reentry, and community outreach, including working with numerous underserved communities. Rob was instrumental in supporting the trauma-informed care training of criminal justice professionals in a number of jurisdictions in the EDPA, across the country, as well as officials in the U.S. Department of Justice. Rob also helped expand the USAO’s nationally recognized Prisoner Reentry Program and obtain funding to produce the film “Pull of Gravity,” that speaks to the crushing challenges impacting people returning home from prison.
In March 2017, Rob was appointed an Executive Deputy Attorney General in the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and now oversees the Special Initiatives section. Rob speaks across Pennsylvania on a variety of subjects including addiction and the opioid epidemic, violence prevention, prisoner reentry, school safety, and trauma. In 2017, he spearheaded the creation of the Pennsylvania Reentry Council, which he chairs, that for the first time brings together reentry stakeholders around the Commonwealth to assist reentrants to make a successful return to their families and communities and to reduce recidivism. Beginning in 2017, Rob also initiated an effort to make Pennsylvania a trauma-informed state. In 2020, Rob was selected to work with then Governor Tom Wolf’s Office of Advocacy and Reform (OAR) to create a Trauma-Informed Pennsylvania. In July 2020, OAR issued a report that establishes the foundations to create a trauma-informed Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2020, the initiative was renamed Heal PA and Rob was appointed to co-chair the HEAL PA Criminal Justice Action Team (CJAT) to enhance criminal justice outcomes and to create a trauma-informed criminal justice system. In November 2022, the CJAT issued a 198-page report containing more than 150 recommendations to achieve these goals. One of the recommendations includes expanding the Handle with Care Program to all jurisdictions across Pennsylvania. In 2022, Rob was elected to be a member of the HEAL PA Executive Steering Committee that oversees HEAL PA. Working with the Municipal Police Office Training and Education Commission (MPOETC), Rob has co-written the curriculum now used by MPOETC to train law enforcement in Pennsylvania on trauma and trauma-informed policing. Rob has also trained judges, correctional officials, probation officers, and educators about trauma and has been consulting with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) in their initiative to create a trauma-informed DOC.
Recently, Rob was appointed as an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Temple University Medical School and is teaching about the impact of trauma on our health, history, legal system, and society. Rob has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and a J.D. from Boston College Law School and is married with three children.
Ronald F. Day, Ph.D., MPA
Vice President of Programs and Research, The Fortune Society
Dr. Ronald Day is the Vice President of Programs and Research at the Fortune Society. Ronald is passionate about reentry, promoting desistance, dismantling mass incarceration, and addressing the stigma of incarceration. He provides oversight for Fortune’s Education and Employment Services, and for Individualized Correction Achievement Network (ICAN), a New York City Department of Correction (NYCDOC) initiative that provides pre and post release services to people incarcerated in NYC jails. Ronald formerly served as the AVP of Fortune’s David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy, which advocates to reduce reliance on incarceration, promote model programing for the incarcerated population, change laws and policies that create barriers for successful reintegration, and foster a just and equitable criminal justice system. Ronald has been the recipient of several awards, including the Citizen’s Against Recidivism Bridge Builder Award and the Justice Research Fellowship. He is the former host of Fortune’s original show Both Sides of the Bars on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. He is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Evaluating Success among People Released from Prison (a division of the Committee on Law and Justice), and a co-PI on Pathways Home: Desistance from Crime in the Context of Parole (a research project funded by Arnold Ventures and Trinity Wall Street). Ronald has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the CUNY Graduate Center/John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College (CUNY). Ronald is also formerly incarcerated.
Roohallah Mobarez
Founder/CEO, Mobarez Solutions
As a formerly incarcerated individual himself, Roohallah Mobarez brings a unique perspective to his work, informed by his personal experiences from the challenges he faced when transitioning back into society. Since his release, he spearheaded the development of Colorado’s only certified recovery residence for individuals with a sex offense conviction, utilizing a trauma-informed and restorative practices approach. Prior to founding Mobarez Solutions, Roohallah spent his career as a leader within the non-profit sector, helping organizations develop innovative ideas, manage projects & improve marketing strategies. This dedication to the betterment of the community is further exemplified through his work at Mobarez Solutions, where he actively challenges the stigma surrounding individuals with sex offenses, seeking to promote a more positive and restorative future. His exceptional journey of redemption is a testament to the transformative power of redemption and serves as an inspiration to others.
Ryan Bowman
Program Manager, Workforce Recovery Program, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Ryan Bowman is the Program Manager of the Workforce Recovery Program at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He works with the business community to help show how being a transformational employer can mutually benefit everyone involved. Ryan is a combat veteran, serving two tours in Iraq. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Morehead State and his MPA from Murray State University. Ryan is excited to have a hand in sculpting the business landscape of Kentucky through his continued efforts to reduce the stigma of addiction, address criminal justice reform, and assist employers and organizations in those areas through programs offered by the Kentucky Chamber Foundation.
Salomao Monteiro, Jr.
Training Coordinator, Lifespan
Salomao Monteiro, Jr., spent over 12 years incarcerated at the Adult Correctional Institution in Rhode Island. He is now the Program Training Coordinator, in the Workforce Development department at Lifespan, the largest employer in the state of Rhode Island. In his role, he develops curriculum and facilitates work readiness trainings for program participants, who are from underserved communities and face numerous barriers to accessing employment. Before joining the Lifespan team, Sal worked as a Nonviolence Facilitator at the Nonviolence Institute in Providence, RI, in which he has worked for over 17 years.
Sal was first introduced to the Principles of Nonviolence during his time in prison. After returning home, he became an Outreach worker at the Institute, helping in-risk youth to end cycles of violence and trauma, mentally, spiritually and systematically, in Rhode Island. He has since facilitated Nonviolence training and education around the globe, and across the United States in such places as Belfast, Ireland, California, Chicago, Baltimore, St. Louis/Ferguson, Selma, Alabama and others. Sal returned to the prison as a Nonviolence educator and taught courses at Providence College and the 5th grade at Moses Brown School in Providence, RI. He has been practicing the principles and steps of Nonviolence philosophy in his own life for over 30 years and is a proud member of the Cape Verdean community.
Sal is also a graduate of College Unbound with his bachelors degree and a proud father to his 18 year old daughter, Jazelle Simone Monteiro.
Sara Wasserteil
Managing Director, Cara Plus
Sara leads Cara Collective’s national expansion arm, Cara Plus, where she drives growth, strategic partnerships, and impact to help businesses and non-profits drive more inclusive employment pathways in Chicago and around the country. Prior to Cara Collective, Sara spent 12 years managing, measuring, and scaling programs across the social sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia, and as a social impact strategy and measurement consultant for organizations like the Canadian Federal Government, City of Chicago, Google.org, TD Bank, and YouTube. Sara serves on the Executive Board of Fast Company Magazine, and holds a BA from Boston University and an MPP from the University of Chicago.
Sean Addie
Director, Office of Correctional Education in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
Sean Addie is the Director of the Office of Correctional Education in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education (ED). His work at ED includes serving as an agency expert on correctional and reentry education, administering adult and juvenile correctional and reentry education programs, and coordinating inter- and intra-agency efforts pertaining to correctional and reentry education. Sean previously worked at the Vera Institute of Justice and the National Center for Juvenile Justice. Sean has a B.A. in History from Washington and Jefferson College and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Shamia Lodge
Director of Community Engagement, Aventiv Technologies
Shamia Lodge, a human resource leader with MassMutual, is currently a Fellow with CEO Action for Racial Equity (CEOARE), where she serves as the Economic Empowerment platform lead. For the past 2 years, Shamia has led the corporate engagement strategy to mobilize untapped talent by destigmatizing reentry and advocating for fair chance hiring through the fellowship.
Shawn Burch
Director of Reintegration Services, Health Management Systems of America (HMSA)
Shawn is an experienced leader in helping returning citizens thrive in their communities. She oversees HMSA’s reintegration services and directs a multifaceted team of Healthcare Navigators, Workforce Development professionals and Residential Housing coordinators that creates a full continuum of reintegration services. Shawn has electrified a robust network of community partnerships to cohesively serve as a lifeline to HMSA’s formerly incarcerated members in need. The programs for which she is responsible benefit over 1,000 people annually through the Michigan Department of Corrections Offender Success Program and community partnerships. This mission is accomplished by targeting service provisions to meet the needs of justice-involved persons, thereby reducing their risk of recidivism, and enhancing their opportunities.
Prior to joining HMSA in 2019, Shawn worked over 10 years in workforce development and served as a divisional manager leading a team of 300 employees for Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Shawn holds a Masters of Human Resources Administration degree from Central Michigan University.
Shawn D. Bushway Ph.D.
Senior Policy Researcher, Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department, RAND Corporation
Shawn D. Bushway is an adjunct policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the University at Albany (SUNY), where he received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship. Bushway has a Ph.D. in public policy and economics from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, which recently recognized him as a distinguished alumnus.
He has spent most of his career in the field of criminology, where he has been recognized as a distinguished scholar for the Division of Corrections and Sentencing, and a fellow of the American Society of Criminology. His body of work has evolved to focus on intersections between criminal history records and employment, building on extensive research on the process of desistance. His work on RAND’s Reset Project leverages that scholarship in an effort to better inform policy discussions on the appropriate role of criminal history records in employment decisions.
Bushway has provided testimony to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Maryland Public Service Commission, and served as founding member of the New York State Permanent Commission on Sentencing Reform. He was one of the cofounders of what has become the NBER summer workshop on Economics of Crime, the largest annual conference in the growing subfield of economics and crime.
Shea Richburg
Co Founder & CEO, Future Wise Group
Shea Richburg is a globally recognized Metaverse visionary, futurist, & XR child safety thought-leader. She works with celebrities, Crypto, the government & Web 3.0 start-ups companies to provide educational training, marketing & strategy to help extend their brands and train their staff in future forward trends such as the Metaverse and AI adaption.
Shea is the Co-Founder & CEO of Future Wise Group, a Metaverse/Ai -focused consultancy agency.
She has previously worked & partnered with corporations including Warner Bros, Roku, Babies’R US, Boxed Water, T Mobile, Microsoft, Home Depot & Liberty Science Center. Richburg was the recipient of the 2021 Women’s Empowerment Award, received a full-page showcase in CEO Mom Magazine, was featured as a guest on Dr. Oz Show, and interviewed by numerous news media outlets, including CBS News.
Shea’s passionate, inspirational & her innovative perspective on the future of the Metaverse/Ai has led her to become one of the fastest-growing rising stars in the Metaverse speaking arena globally. Richburg is also the co-creator of the Metaverse-IQ. This Metaverse behavioral intelligence framework establishes universal safety guidelines & provides an overall better experience for human connection while in virtual environments.
Shea is currently a member of the Blockchain Council and is a Certified Metaverse Expert. She also serves as a member of the Maternal Justice Subcommittee of New Jersey as a branch under First Lady Tammy Murphy. Previously, Shea served on the board of viBE Theater Experience, a non-profit performing the arts in underserved communities. Richburg is also an Executive Producer of two podcasts that feature entrepreneurs & thought leaders in the Web 3.0 space to help demystify the Metaverse ecosystem & economy for the non-technical. FeedSpot.com featured both shows in their list of the Best 25 Metaverse Podcasts of 2022.
Shea Zwerver
Workforce Development Manager, Flagger Force
Shea Zwerver is the Workforce Development Coordinator at Flagger Force. Previously, she worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where she conceptualized and spearheaded a vocational training program for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Department of Corrections. She enjoys working cross-functionally and finding solutions to support justice-impacted individuals. Shea lives in south central Pennsylvania.
Tanaine Jenkins
Recidivism Strategist and Reentry Expert, Everything I Am LLC
After giving 10 years of her life to the Florida Department of Corrections, Tanaine Jenkins has dedicated her voice to shining a light on the Second Sentence that Returning Citizens face once they are released from confinement. Tanaine is the best-selling author of From Prison to President: 7 Ways to Succeed in Your Second Chance, the President of Everything I Am LLC, the CEO of The Loc’d Line, and a 2022 TEDx Jacksonville speaker. She has also been featured in Forbes, on the CW Channel, PBS and is Florida Restoration and Rights Coalition’s “One to Watch” for 2023. Through her company, Everything I Am, Tanaine has helped hundreds of returning citizens and justice involved individuals find their ‘Why’ and learn the power of self-forgiveness.
Terah Lawyer-Harper
Executive Director, CROP Organization
Terah Lawyer-Harper is the Executive Director of CROP. In this role, she oversees the strategic vision and implementation of CROP’s $28.5 million investment from the State of California to launch the organization’s Ready 4 Life reentry workforce and housing program. Terah’s lived experiences as a queer, woman of color who is formerly incarcerated informs her leadership style and approach to rehabilitation and reentry. Terah brings extensive program development experience, reentry housing expertise and a passion for investing in people. She is the former associate director of Impact Justice’s groundbreaking reentry program, The Homecoming Project, a $3.5M housing innovation that matches eligible returning citizens with rooms for rent with compatible hosts. During her 15 year incarceration from ages 18 to 33, she became a certified peer health educator and a drug and alcohol counselor, and earned two associate degrees. She developed the Offender Responsibility program which is still offered at Central California Women’s Facility. Terah also designed the program curriculum to launch a nonprofit, CORE (Criminal Offense Reform Establishment), which provides rehabilitative correspondent courses nationwide to people incarcerated in prison and has served 2,500 students since 2012. From 2012-2013, she was the elected chairperson of the Beyond Incarceration Panel and during her tenure 20 members gained certifications as Congressionally Recognized Youth Diversion Specialists. After returning home in 2017, Terah dedicated her life to her community. She is a spokeswoman for the Drop the Life Without the Possibility of Parole campaign and has been featured in A New Way of Life testimonial series. Her work has been profiled in major media outlets such as NPR, CNN Great Big Story, The New York Times, The Atlantic and Mother Jones. Terah is a member of ReWork the Bay’s cross-sectoral Equity at Work Council, where she is focused on advocating and promoting nonprofit work cultures that invest in the health, well-being and living wages of its employees. Terah is a graduate of San Francisco University and lives with her wife in Richmond.
William E. Arnold, Jr., Ed.D.
Director, TN Office of Reentry, TN Department of Labor & Workplace
William E. Arnold, Jr., Ed. D., has more than 20 years of experience in public service, higher education and community engagement. In 2013, he was wrongfully convicted of crimes that he did not commit. After serving nearly 7 years in the state penitentiary, his conviction was unanimously overturned by a Tennessee Appellate Court in 2020. Today, Dr. Arnold uses his professional training and recent life experiences to create and maintain a platform that assists justice involved individuals overcome barriers to employment and to reduce recidivism. Dr. Arnold does this as the director of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s TN Office of Reentry (OOR). Since 2021, this office has stood out as the nation’s first state funded, comprehensive, non-Department of Corrections related office of reentry. In this role, he has led numerous discussions, programs and trainings on the value of justice involved individuals in the workforce and its effects on the economy and public safety via more substantive reentry efforts. These talks have led him to have DEI conversations with See Change Institute, Tennessee Corrections Institute, Jobs for the Future, University of Cincinnati, and the National Skills Coalition. A servant leader and Ted Talk Alum, Dr. Arnold is a Tennessee native who seeks to improve the lives of all Tennesseans through his work.
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