Joel Jimenez

One of Rise Up’s proud co-founders, Joel was promoted to the position of Program Director at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison after serving for two and a half years as a Hudson Link Academic Coordinator, first at their Greene Correctional Facility site and later at their flagship site, Sing Sing Correctional Facility. While the Academic Coordinator at Sing Sing, Joel grew the site to a student body of over 200 pre-college and college students, as well as assisted in building critical funder relationships through participatory site visits. Now as Program Director Joel oversees academics and operations of Hudson Link’s six program sites as well as its Alumni Services. In 2022, Joel launched Hudson Link’s newest site at Green Haven Correctional Facility. Valedictorian of his Hudson Link class at Sing Sing, Joel graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from Mercy College and is currently pursuing his MBA, also at Mercy.

Sandra Brown

"Sandra Brown is an EdD student at California Coast University and a formerly incarcerated survivor. Despite barriers to higher education in prison, Brown was the first incarcerated woman in Illinois to earn an academic master’s degree and gain acceptance into an academic doctoral program. Brown earned the Davis-Putter Scholarship twice. Her poetry, Odyssey in Progress, depicts her lived experiences. Past publications are in Critical Storytelling from Behind Invisible Bars and TUPIT Magazine’s reSentencing. As a visiting scholar with The WJI, she prepared a policy paper recommending strategies to support degree programs in women’s prisons.
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Donald Washington, Jr.

Donald Washington, Jr is the co-creator and director of Inside Story, a video series designed to educate audiences inside and outside of prison walls. He holds a graduate degree from the New York Theological Seminary and a BS from Mercy College. Previously, Donald was the co-founding President of the Back-To-School Fund, a fundraising group supplementing the educational needs of children with incarcerated parents in New York State prisons. In 2015, Donald was presented with the Ossie Davis award for his excellence in community service by Hudson Link for Higher Education.

Dan Slepian

Dan Slepian is an award-winning investigative producer and an 18-year veteran of NBC’s venerable newsmagazine, Dateline -- where he has developed and produced dozens of episodes, complex hidden camera investigations, and breaking news segments.

Slepian’s investigations have helped solve cold cases, assisted in exonerating wrongfully convicted inmates, uncovered corruption, sparked changes in laws, and have led to the shutting down of illicit businesses. He also conceived and developed three separate recurring hour-long series: “Vegas Homicide,” “Vegas Undercover” and “Wild, Wild Web.”

Most notably, Slepian is known for his in-depth investigations into cases of wrongful convictions as seen in "Conviction", "In the Shadow of Justice", and “A Bronx Tale”.

Before joining NBC News, Slepian served as the Audience Coordinator for the Phil Donahue talk show.

Slepian graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he currently serves on the Journalism School’s professional advisory board.

Stanley Andrisse

Dr. Andrisse is a formerly incarcerated person with three felony convictions, sentenced to ten-years in prison. He was told by the prosecutor that he had no hope for change. He is now an endocrinologist scientist and faculty at Howard University College of Medicine, affiliate at Georgetown University Medical Center, and former faculty at Johns Hopkins Medicine. This prosecutor was wrong. Society is missing out on talent and new discoveries because of these fallacies.

Sandra Brown

"Sandra Brown is an EdD student at California Coast University and a formerly incarcerated survivor. Despite barriers to higher education in prison, Brown was the first incarcerated woman in Illinois to earn an academic master’s degree and gain acceptance into an academic doctoral program. Brown earned the Davis-Putter Scholarship twice. Her poetry, Odyssey in Progress, depicts her lived experiences. Past publications are in Critical Storytelling from Behind Invisible Bars and TUPIT Magazine’s reSentencing. As a visiting scholar with The WJI, she prepared a policy paper recommending strategies to support degree programs in women’s prisons.
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Dr. Sal Corbin

A returned citizen from over 30 years ago, Dr. Corbin worked for 15 years in academia as a Psychology Professor before transitioning to nonprofit work. He has done workforce development training and program management and now leads the Restorative Justice Committee with the DC Peace Team and is the Training Coordinator for the Maryland Harm Reduction Institute. His vision is to build and maintain healthy relationships with conflict transformation as the primary focus. His extensive background in leadership facilitation supports his efforts to keep showing up and sharing. He holds degree in Clinical (M.S.) and Educational (PhD) Psychology.

Jeffrey Deskovic

Lucas Alan Dietsche

"Lucas Alan Dietsche is a member of the Division of Convict Criminology researching Poetic Inquiry, zines, carceral feminism, and Marxist feminist abolition. Currently living in Minnesota, he is the Prisoner Liaison Editor of Transformative Justice Journal. He was Superior, WI's first Co-Poet Laureate.
His published works include “Word Out'', "Commies and Zombies”, “Since the Oregon Trail”,“ Moods are Like Wisconsin Weather”, "Elba Memoirs of an Ex-Capitalist"", and “Kapshida.” He has published poetry in Transformative Justice Journal, Ariel Anthology, and his blog "Pilot of Oumuamua.:

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Dr. Erik James Escareno

Dr. Erik James Escareño, DSW, LCSW is as a two-spirited Yavapai and Chiricahua Apache indigenous Los Angeleno fueled by social justice and perpetuating meaningful change. Holding a Doctorate of Social Work, they intend to pursue an MD in Psychiatry. Discrimination, poverty, cultural erasure, familial traumas, gang associations, disabilities, substance use, and homelessness are among the adversities they faced. Persistence and self-advocacy demonstrate their resolve to be their authentic self, achieve goals, and create healing.

General Parker

General Parker is a formerly incarcerated person of advanced age who has found a new lease on life and is currently pursuing his goal of attending law school to become a lawyer. He has been a strong advocate for the voiceless and has been a part of legislation like The First Step Act, The Steven Watkins Parental Visitation Act and a consultant on “The Big Lock Up” exhibit on Alcatraz Island. Formerly of Peoria, IL, he now resides in Orange County, CA and is a graduate of P2P and is a member of Time Done and Alliance for Safety and Justice.

Jeff Stein

Jeff Stein served a life sentence for mayhem before returning to the community. Since then he has earned a master's degree, taught classes at the university level, and volunteered extensively in communities. He presently serves as Project Rebound Cal State LA Outreach Coordinator.

Leonard Webb

Christopher Bradford

Avaion Barry

Avaion Barry is a Junior Psychology major, Afro-American Studies minor from Baltimore, studying at Howard University. She joined the research team as an intern through the P2P chapter at Howard University. She wanted to be involved in supporting and creating safe spaces for womxn, whose voices’ needed to be centered. She hopes to pursue a career in community psychology and provide mental health assistance to disadvantaged groups. Being involved in non-profit organizations similar to P2P has made her highly passionate about transformative justice and the rights of marginalized populations.

Ismael Diaz, Jr.

"My goal is to bring together all small business owners, and entrepreneurs including those who are in need of a true first chance. This is not a movie my family and I are creating a movement to help unify all cultures to learn how to work together and empower each other to start and maintain a sustainable business.
Free Time Laundry LLC
Brklynz Empanadas LLC
Dollar Foods LLC
Taco Deli Express LLC
Our newest company is in construction. Follow our journey.
RDI LLC (Real-estate Dreams Invisioned)
"

Bridie Johnson

Jason Kahler

Jason Kahler is a teacher, writer, and scholar from Southeast Michigan. Dr. Kahler writes about popular culture, the teaching of writing, and social justice. His creative work and scholarship have appeared in Film, Fashion & Consumption, Seneca Review, The Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, The Stonecoast Review, and Analog, among other places. His PhD in Composition and Rhetoric is from Wayne State University.

Armando Lizarraga

Tenaj Moody

Tenaj is a survivor of domestic violence who was raised by a formerly incarcerated parent. Her lived experiences fostered an unwavering commitment to shift the narrative around violence prevention education. She provides gender-specific, trauma-informed and culturally affirming programming to survivors and justice-impacted womxn through her consulting firm, Light To Life. She is a Licensed Behavior Specialist and has her Master's in Criminal Justice with a certification in Applied Behavioral Analysis. Tenaj is a best-selling Author to two books, and an experienced Advocate, Educator, and Speaker in domestic violence, sexual violence, criminal justice reform, and mental health/self-care.

Danny Murillo

Judith Negron

Judith Negron is a justice reform advocate with a Masters in Mental Health, and over 20 years experience as an educator, mentor, and counselor. As a formerly incarcerated individual, she has dedicated her freedom to advocate for those impacted by the justice system. Founder of The Freedom Glow, her mission is to guide them upon their reentry process; her passion is to give a voice to their children, who are often the silent victims of these circumstances. Judith is a Prison-to-Professionals mentor, Speaker’s Bureau member, JustLeadershipUSA Emerging Leader, Evolution Reentry member, The LOHM Pathways for Equity Fellow and Epic Ambassador.

Dario Pena

My name is Dario Peña, I was born and raised in Washington Heights, NYC. I was convicted for second-degree murder and incarcerated for 24 1/2 years. I experienced a personal awakening about ten years into my incarceration and decided to change my life for the better; in prison I decided to pursue a path to personal growth and development. This came in the form of Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA: theater) and academic education (Hudson Link). After a destructive youth I vowed to myself that I would serve society in any capacity. I continue to help build a better society by example, though I can never make amends for taking a life.

D'Quinta Uzzle

"D’Quinta Uzzle, a Washingtonian, was sentenced to double life in prison plus 40 years in the state of Maryland at 19 years old in 1997. While incarcerated, instead of giving up on life, he decided to educate himself. The personal transformation began with earning his 8th-grade certificate and then his G.E.D. certificate. In 2017, D’Quinta was fortunate enough to be a part of the Second Chance Pell Grant program where he became a student at the University of Baltimore. Since his release in 2022, D’Quinta is completing his college degree and is affiliated with The Houston Crusade."

Dieter Tejada

Dieter Tejada is the Executive Director of the Justice Impact Alliance (JIA), a national nonprofit working to advance the movement of justice impacted leaders and allies applying collaborative and transformative approaches that address long standing issues of inequity and injustice within the legal system and beyond. Concurrently, Dieter serves as the Founding President of the National Justice Impact Bar Association (NJIBA), the first justice impact-led legal organization. Dieter earned a BA in Political Science from University of Connecticut and his Juris Doctorate JD from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Selina Thomas

Diversity Director, American Bar Association (ABA)

Director of the Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice, ABA Center for Diversity and Inclusion

Miquel Willis

Innovator in Residence, Future of the Profession Initiative

Executive Director, Access to Justice Tech Fellows Program

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Jeremiah Bourgeois

Director, Beyond the Blindfold of Justice

Al Brooks

Al received his J.D. in May 2021 from NYU Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar. Al was also a New York State Pro Bono Scholar, through which he spent his final semester of law school working full-time with the Phillips Black Project to represent people fighting their capital convictions. In partnership with Phillips Black, Al co-teaches a course on Death Sentencing and Justice at Tuskegee University, where he is an Adjunct Professor of Law Practice. Al has also organized with BYP100, the Black Freedom Project of New York, and Unlock the Bar.

Daniel Bisuano

Daniel Bisuano is an actor, writer,poet, and advocate. He continues to pursue his dream and goals to pursue his creative goals well also empowering his community through his advocacy work. Daniel has been an advocate for seven years and has worked with and been a part of organizations like Homeboys Industries, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, California Justice leaders, and Inside out writers.

Angel Sanchez

Angel is a formerly incarcerated leader with extensive lived and professional experience. He self-educated in prison where he spent over 12 years after his last arrest at 16. After being released on supervision and homeless in 2011, he lived in a Salvation Army homeless shelter while attending Valencia Community College. In 2020, he earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law. Angel is currently a subject matter expert in the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance where he is a Visiting Fellow focused on increasing access to higher-ed for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students.

Eric Harris

Johnny Pippins

Johnny Pippins is a 52-year-old Black man who has been incarcerated since 1996 for charges in Iowa and Illinois. While incarcerated, he earned a BA in sociology from Adams State University and an MS in statistics from the University of Idaho. He has been accepted into a PhD program in sociology at the University of Iowa. He is advocating for changes in the parole and clemency processes, particularly in the 16 states like his home state of Illinois, where there is any good conduct parole.

Danny Murillo

Dieter Tejada

Dieter Tejada is the Executive Director of the Justice Impact Alliance (JIA), a national nonprofit working to advance the movement of justice impacted leaders and allies applying collaborative and transformative approaches that address long standing issues of inequity and injustice within the legal system and beyond. Concurrently, Dieter serves as the Founding President of the National Justice Impact Bar Association (NJIBA), the first justice impact-led legal organization. Dieter earned a BA in Political Science from University of Connecticut and his Juris Doctorate JD from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Tanaine Jenkins

"Tanaine Jenkins is a recidivism strategist, re-entry expert and author. After being the property of the Department of Corrections for 10 years, Tanaine founded Everything I Am LLC, an organization that helps returning citizens financially, mentally, and emotionally overcome the stigma placed on them by today’s society, to find success in their second chance.
In February of 2022 Tanaine was invited to speak at the Florida Capitol for National Advocacy Day to bring awareness to the policies hindering returning citizens. Tanaine serves on the Florida Restoration of Rights Coalition (FRRC) policy council and is a 2022 TEDx Jacksonville Speaker."

Christopher Clemente

Christopher Clemente, CPA, EA, MST, is an accounting and tax professional with over sixteen years of experience. Christopher spent close to 15 years in prison for drug and weapons charges. Less than two years after his release Christopher began working as a tax professional. He then obtained his BBA in Accounting and MS in Taxation from Baruch College. He became a Notary Public, I.R.S. Enrolled Agent and then after being initially denied was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York. Christopher is currently a Controller for a NFP, for children with cancer, and has his own accounting and tax business.

Dale Lendrum

Dr. Dale Lendrum Ed.D. is a formerly incarcerated two-striker and adjunct professor at East Los Angeles College where he teaches Argumentation and Debate to a cohort of justice involved students participating in a partnership program between the California Community College’s Rising Scholars Network, Homeboy Industries, and the Education Justice Rising Scholars. Celebrating his 11th year of continuous freedom, Dale has dedicated his life to giving back and paying it forward to a higher education system he credits with saving his life and giving him new purpose; paving pathways and planting trees others might find shade beneath.

Kathy Reyes

I am a public health practitioner guided by my personal experiences as someone who was incarcerated as a young person. I am resourced by those who have paved the way for generations before me, fighting for the rights of Black, Indigenous, disabled, immigrants, women, trans people, and other oppressed groups. I believe public health as a field has an important role and responsibility to support marginalized communities in our fight for dignity and liberation.

Maria Elena Greeman-Lynde

Maria Elena has used her personal experience with the criminal justice system to empower individuals from previously incarcerated and marginalized groups; by providing resources and giving sound to their voices. Through the power of education, she has been able to create sustainable change wherever her leadership and support has been needed. From co-founding the first formerly incarcerated student organization in San Diego, the Urban Scholars Union to sitting on the California State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, she continues to break through barriers through the power of her own personal experience.

Sean Pica

Sean Pica is the Executive Director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. Since taking over leadership of the organization in 2007, Hudson Link has grown from 60 students attending Mercy College at Sing Sing Correctional Facility to more than 500 students enrolled annually in college preparatory and college programs in 6 New York State Correctional Facilities. Recently, Mr. Pica founded and launched New Beginnings, a Hudson Link transitional housing initiative where Hudson Link students and alumni renovate abandoned properties and bring them back to life to create secure housing for returning students.

Jose DiLenola

Jose DiLenola was incarcerated at the age of 16 and served 26 years. While incarcerated he worked as a rehabilitation peer educator in relapse prevention, anger management, mental health, and mentored at-risk youth diversionary programs. Jose co-founded and served as President of the Lifer’s Organization and consulted several organizations. Carceral Consultation provides quality presentations, workshops and one-on-one consultations on matters on incarceration. As the RAPP Campaign Clemency Director he is dedicated to seeing parole and clemency reform in New York State.

Lisette Bamenga

Lisette is the Curriculum Director for the Racial Justice and Abolition Democracy project. Prior to joining Columbia, Lisette was a teacher for close to a decade in NYC public schools where she enjoyed having a positive impact on every student she encountered. She taught Kindergarten and 2nd Grade general and special education as well as French for 3rd graders in a dual language program. After an involvement with the legal system, Lisette found a new sense of purpose in being a voice for people who are still in carceral spaces. For this reason, Lisette became an Academic Coordinator at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, a non-profit organization that provides college programming and re-entry services to women and men who are incarcerated in New York State. In that role, she managed the college program in a women's correctional facility and assisted the students in continuing their education after their return to the community. Lisette also participated in and then led a women’s cohort with Ritual4Return, an organization that uses theater and restorative justice practices to heal the trauma and stigma of incarceration.

Lisette was a co-presenter at the National Higher Education in Prison conference where she shared the transformative power of collaborative partnerships, and she also presented at the Marymount Manhattan College Sustaining Connections Conference to discuss the way connections were maintained with students with the use of video conferencing equipment after COVID-19 forced all programs inside the correctional facilities to cease in-person delivery.

Advocating for social justice is also important to Lisette. She has appeared on panels with state Senators and Assembly Members to push for the re-enfranchisement of returning citizens (S830B/ A4448), the restoration of TAP awards for students who are incarcerated (S4464/ A2322), and the passage of the Clean Slate Act to end the perpetual punishment of conviction records (S1553/ A6399). Additionally, Lisette wrote an article published by the Marshall Project on the importance of using humanizing language when discussing people with legal system involvement. Lisette was the 2021 recipient of the Victor Hassine Memorial Scholarship from the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity, awarded for her commitment to advocating and raising awareness of the challenges that justice-impacted individuals face.

Lisette received a BA in Psychology and Spanish from Drew University, an MS in Early Childhood Education, Childhood Education, and Students with Disabilities from Mercy College, and is currently pursuing an Ed D in Learning and Teaching with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Hofstra University. She lives by this quote from Nelson Mandela: "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Tina McPhee

"She/Her" - University of New South Wales Tutor, formerly incarcerated anti-criminologist and abolitionist. I’m creating work that follows in the footsteps of decolonial, anti-carceral feminists.
I’m not 100% sure exactly what an abolitionist future will look like but in the meantime time I’m here for all the disrupting, all the resisting, and all the trailblazing ways we can transform justice and dismantle the PIC."

Morgan Godvin

Morgan Godvin is the engagement editor over the American Prison Newspapers collection at JSTOR Daily. She was able to leverage her incarceration as expertise and now works with other justice-impacted writers in hopes of creating career pathways.

Kelsie Becklin

Kelsie is finishing her PhD in genetic engineering, cancer, and stem cell biology at the University of Minnesota and plans to pursue a career in cell-based therapeutics. Fueled by her passion for helping other justice impacted people succeed in their pursuits of a higher education; Kelsie also works as a P2P Ambassador focusing on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Opportunity in Prison Settings program. Kelsie understands the barriers, challenges, and opportunity a career in STEM can offer someone who is justice impacted and she hopes that stories like hers become so common they are no longer stories.

Robert Hall

As a formerly incarcerated scholar, Robert aims to use his award-winning program, Liberated Intellects, to aid impacted students as they pursue further education. Robert is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, genetics with history double major, and aims to study proactive evolutionary theory. His initial transformative scientific experience was at community college, leading to publication. Moreover, during 2022, Robert was a Caltech Amgen Scholar, studying genetics. Today, his research at UW-Madison is in molecular ecology and conservation genetics. After a Ph.D., Robert aims to contribute to the creativity and productivity of other intellectuals.

Tarra Simmons

Tarra Simmons is the Director of the Civil Survival Project.  In 2020, Tarra was also elected to the Washington State Legislature. She represents the 23rd Legislative District and is excited about the opportunity to make a more significant impact while serving the community in this role.

Her commitment to this work stems from her own experiences as a survivor of multiple forms of violence, poverty, and substance use disorder. She believes those closest to the problem are closest to the solution and should have an integral role in leading the end of mass incarceration and healing its aftermath. It was this core belief that guided her career path in advocacy.

Prior to law school, Ms. Simmons was incarcerated for reasons related to her childhood trauma and substance use disorder. She graduated from Seattle University School of Law in May 2017, magna cum laude, with the Dean’s Medal and the Graduating Student Award, but was initially denied the right to take the bar exam because of her criminal history. It was national news when the Washington State Supreme Court ruled unanimously in her favor, allowing her to take the bar exam and become a member of the Washington State Bar Association.

Today, Ms. Simmons sits on numerous boards and commissions. Governor Inslee has appointed Ms. Simmons to both the Statewide Reentry Council and the Public Defense Advisory Board. Additionally, she currently serves on the Washington State Criminal Sentencing Task Force, the Legal Services Corporation Emerging Leaders Council, and the Board of Directors for the Economic Opportunity Institute.

She is a 2018 JustLeadership USA Fellow and was recently honored with the WACDL Champion of Justice, the YWCA Woman of Achievement award, and the US Senator Patty Murray Golden Tennis Shoe. She frequently speaks on issues relating to access to justice, criminal justice, sentencing, and prison reform.

Noel Vest

Noel Vest, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. As a formerly incarcerated scholar, Dr. Vest is an advocate for social justice issues and public policy concerning substance use disorder recovery and prison reentry. His research interests include mental health, substance use disorders, poverty, social justice, addiction recovery, and pain. He received his PhD and Master’s degrees in Experimental Psychology from Washington State University. He recently finished a postdoc in the Department of Pain Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Mahmud khabir Al-Matin

Tyrone Anderson

Stanley Andrisse

Dr. Andrisse is a formerly incarcerated person with three felony convictions, sentenced to ten-years in prison. He was told by the prosecutor that he had no hope for change. He is now an endocrinologist scientist and faculty at Howard University College of Medicine, affiliate at Georgetown University Medical Center, and former faculty at Johns Hopkins Medicine. This prosecutor was wrong. Society is missing out on talent and new discoveries because of these fallacies.

JD Barton

Greetings everyone, my name is JD JONES Barton. Since 2020 I have been relentless in pursuing a career path as a commercial electrician with SeaTac Electric. The criminal justice system has been fractured, and the current methods of handling those who are incarcerated, or those about to be released isn’t sufficient to ensure that they don’t reoffend via a viable and effective career pathway. I have created a robust reentry program called ORION WATCH COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS (OW:COP). Now, I finally have the opportunity to share it with the world and change the trajectory of so many lives reentering society and our community.

Summer Brantner

Summer Brantner is the Director for Project Rebound at Cal State LA (PRLA), where she supports this successful and meaningful reentry for students with the carceral experience. While earning her Masters of Sociology at Cal State LA, She became an original member of PR LA and is a current member at CSUB where she is pursuing the Ed.D. Summer is interested in student professional development, student-centered design and empowerment, post carceral identity, and growing a culture in the reentry and higher education communities that encourage holistic self-exploration and growth. An artist at heart, Summer blends the arts in her work at PRLA.

Nathaniel Jay

My name is Nathaniel Jay, and I am one of many that has been exposed to the criminal justice system. I have completed four separate court sentences, a total of 28 years and 30 days in the state of New York. Upon being released employment came first to maintain myself along with all the financial obligations of an adult. At present I am a fulltime CUNY college Psychology major, working part time with graduation expectations for this year. I want to work with youth of color. I feel they are endangered species dying at astronomical levels. I want to share my wealth of knowledge and give alternatives that weren't always readily available.

Khalil Rushdan

Marketta Sims

I am a formerly incarcerated leader that stands for something and falls for nothing. I am a person that gives back what was given to me.I do not want anyone not to be afforded opportunities because of incarceration.This is vital because I always remember it is easy to get into trouble and hard to get out of trouble.This formulates great decision making skills beyond recognition so now I will thrive to have greatness in my life. With great sacrifices come great accomplishments.