Tracy Wood Mendelsohn is President and CEO of the Black Public Relations Society of New York (BPRSNY), an organization that serves as a knowledge, resource, support, and opportunity network for African American practitioners of public relations and other communications disciplines. They provide advocacy and thought leadership on diversity and inclusion policy and programs to advance the dialogue to effect meaningful progress and change in systemic and cultural barriers to equity in opportunity.

William Oree was recently released from Attica Correctional Facility after serving for 12 years. He describes his time at Attica as a positive and transformational experience. He is joined by his friend and colleague Alexander Nelson, an artist with an educational background in the criminal justice system.

Youth Represent is dedicated to improving the lives and futures of young people affected by the criminal justice system. The organization was created from a recognition that young people need comprehensive representation to address their diverse and unique legal issues. What began as a single attorney working from a borrowed desk is now a citywide organization that provides free legal services to more than one thousand youth annually. Learn more at http://youthrepresent.org/

Evie never thought that someone like her could end up in prison, much two federal prisons. A frequently engaged speaker, she founded and serves as the Director of Witness to Mass Incarceration, a digital library of experiences of women and LGBTQIA individuals. They work to change the narrative from invisibility and victimization to empowerment through documentation, organizing and advocacy, as well as find alternatives to mass incarceration. Evie also created the Suitcase Project, which provides suitcases filled with basic necessities to help people newly released from prison get on their feet again. https://www.witnesstomassincarceration.org/

Healing Communities Network (HCN) was founded in 1979 by Father Stephen Chinlund under the combined direction of the New York State Commission of Correction and the New York State Department of Correction, now the Department of Correction and Community Supervision. The program was in 30 New York State Prisons and four New York City communities. The mission of Healing Communities Network (HCN) is to help reduce recidivism by working with people inside prison and after prison to direct their own rehabilitation in support groups that build self esteem and a sense of community. HCN was one of the earliest programs to address the trauma of incarceration and understand the importance of empowerment and difficulties faced upon returning to the community. HCN adopted its new name in 2011 to better reflect its mission. Currently, HCN is in six prisons and four New York City communities. It is a unique program because it is a bridge from inside prison to the community and involves families. http://www.healingcommunitiesnetwork.org/

Ms. Nolasco is a criminal justice reform advocate that focuses on furthering the advancement of women of color, reducing mass incarceration, ending gun violence, increasing youth empowerment, and creating safer, healthier, and more resilient communities. In both her personal and professional life, she has worked on coalition building, policy analysis, strategic planning, program implementation and evaluation in public and not-for profit sectors at federal and local levels. She is a public servant dedicated to advancing the ideals of integrity and social cohesion to increase public safety. www.nyc.gov/peacenyc

Sharon Richardson is an advocate, entrepreneur, and CEO/Founder of Reentry Rocks. RR's Mission is to spread awareness, create societal and institutional change, and support women coming home from incarceration through strengths-based, creative programming. We empower formerly incarcerated women with histories of domestic violence and trauma to become leaders and achieve their goals of obtaining employment and housing through mentorship and case management. We also support women in their journeys to heal from their past and rebuild their lives, rock by rock, through counseling focused on creative expression, storytelling, responsibility, remorse, and change.​ http://www.reentryrocks.org/index.html

Former NYS Parole Office Michael Murphy discusses his career and how he tried to help the people he oversaw.

PA is a non-profit membership organization, PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. Founded more than four decades ago, the PEN America Prison Writing Program amplifies the voices of incarcerated writers through providing resources, mentorship, and a publication platform through the Prison Writing Awards. Recently, PEN America launched the Writing For Justice Fellowship, which commissions writers to create written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration and catalyze public debate. With a membership of 7,200 and thousands more allies, PEN America brings strong relationships with the most socially engaged and well-known authors of our time, as well as direct access to hundreds of talented writers in prison. https://pen.org/

Kraven Weeks, advocate, recovery coach and speaker from Buffalo NY has a 18 year career in social work, helping criminal justice involved people and needy individuals in Western NY. Does recovery ever end? What is the role of the family when someone is fighting addiction? Kraven and Dr. Seward share their insights and experience.