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September 30, 2015

United Way Houston50 Waugh Drive | Houston, TX 77007

8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Expanding knowledge Breaking barriers

www.reentrysummit.wordpress.comwww.thewomenshome.org

Expanding knowledge Breaking barriers

7:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. Welcome ProgramChau Nguyen, Manager of Community Involvement, The Women’s HomePaula Paust, Executive Director, The Women’s HomeWendy Burgower, Board of Trustees, Texas Bar Foundation

9:00 a.m. Keynote—Mary D. Looman, Ph.D. & John D. Carl, Ph.D. 10:30 a.m. Break

10:45 a.m. Morning Breakout Sessions

11:45 a.m. Break

12:00 p.m. Lunch

Emcee, Fran Fawcett Peterson 12:30 p.m. Keynote —The Honorable John Whitmire, Texas State Senator for District 15 1:00 p.m. Keynote—Andrea M. Leverentz, PhD.

2:15 p.m. Break

2:30 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions

3:30 p.m. Keynote — Representative Senfronia Thompson, Texas House Representative for District 141

3:50 p.m. Closing RemarksMarcia Tapp, Development Director, The Women’s Home

WELCOME

Morning Breakout Sessions10:45 am - 11:45 am

A Country Called Prison: Directions in Public Policy Mary D. Looman, Ph.D. & John D. Carl, Ph.D. Auditorium IJK

Drs. Looman and Carl will review their eleven proposals for transformational change and engage the audience in a discussion of implementation processes.

The Lived Experience Natasha Jones & Andrea M. Leverentz, Ph.D. Auditorium A

While much of our attention in policies and research on prisoner reentry is on structural barriers, such as employment and housing, it is also important to consider the lived experience of incar-ceration and reentry. This includes daily life, interpersonal relationships, personal perspectives, and how people experience those structural barriers. In this breakout session, we will discuss these personal and interpersonal aspects of reentry.

Behavioral Health Jeff Berry, Tina Carr & Paula Paust Auditorium B

Our panel will be discussing residential and out-patient treatment, as well as giving a personal account of mental and behavioral health in the criminal justice system.

Diversion and Initiatives in the Criminal Justice System The Honorable Denise Bradley, Teresa May, Crystal Okokafor & Anna Rabe Auditorium C

Panelists will present their own personal work and experiences with the criminal justice system, including the STAR Drug Court Program, Harris County Probation Department, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. They will discuss how are we are evolving in our assessment of those involved in the criminal justice system.

Community-Based Solutions Maureen O’Connell, Regina Walker & Alycia Welch Auditorium D

O’Connell, Walker, and Welch will describe the work being done in the community to assist women re-entering society.

Real Time, Real Jobs Robert Coleman & Barbara Irving Auditorium A

Coleman and Irving will look at the barriers that women face when searching for employment after incarceration. Employment is crucial for successful re-entry and recovery. Our panel will discuss how previously incarcerated women can find and maintain jobs.

Housing Solutions Mandy Chapman-Semple & Eva Thibaudeau Auditorium B

Chapman Semple and Thibaudeau will concentrate on housing the chronically homeless. Often times the population that revolves in and out of prison is the same population that struggles to find housing.

Human Trafficking and Prostitution: Judicial and Medical Perspectives The Honorable Angela Ellis & Andrea Link M.D. Auditorium C

The Honorable Judge Ellis and Dr. Link will be discussing the issue of prostitution and trafficking in women who are caught in the revolving door of incarceration. They will be discussing the impact of trauma and other risk factors that lead girls and women into “the life” and present both judicially-focused solutions (the GIRL’s Court) and health-oriented solutions (The Healthy and Whole program).

Those Left Behind Jenifer Butler, Marilyn Gambrell & The Honorable Vanessa D. Gilmore Auditorium D

Our panel will address the stresses that the caretakers, family, and children of women face during and after incarceration.

Soul Sisters: Secrets of Flourishing and Re:Entry Matt Russell Auditorium E

Russell will consider how women, emerging from pasts of abuse, drug use, and incarceration cre-ate very different futures. His research explores how women construct narratives of redemption in contrast to the ways that men do, and the cultural implications of these narratives.

Community-Centered Legal Services Leslie Schweinle Ginzel Auditorium F

Ginzel will discuss how providing legal services can aid women re-entering society find access to safe and affordable housing, access to income and employment, economic justice, and consumer rights.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Keynote Speakers:

Mary D. Looman, PhD, MAJ, is a psychologist at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Reception Center and an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she regu-larly teaches courses for the Masters in Criminal Justice Program. Looman has worked in the field of corrections for over twenty-five years, in both juvenile and adult settings, as well as with at-risk families in mental health settings.

Dr. Andrea M. Leverentz is the director of the Master’s program in Applied Sociology and the Criminal Justice program at the College of Liberal Arts and an associate professor of Sociol-ogy. Her areas of expertise include Communities and Crime, Prisoner Reentry, Gender and Crime, Urban and Community Sociology, and Qualitative Research Methods.

Mary D. Looman, Ph.D., MAJ

Dr. Andrea M. Leverentz

John D. Carl, Ph.D., MSW is an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma where he regularly teaches a variety of courses including criminology and criminal justice. His social work experience includes prison and a variety of medical settings. He is the author of THINK Sociology, THINK Social Problems, and A Short Introduction to the U.S. Census.

John D. Carl, Ph.D., MSWAssistant Professor, University of Okalahoma

Psychologist, Oklahoma Department of Corrections Reception CenterAdjunct Professor, University of Oklahoma

Director, Master’s Program in Applied Sociology and the Criminal Justice at the College of Liberal Arts

The Honorable John Whitmire Texas State Senator for District 15Senator John Whitmire represents the 15th Senatorial District in Texas, which includes North Houston and parts of Harris County. Elected in 1982, Senator Whitmire is the senior most member of the Texas Senate and is the “Dean of the Texas Senate”. He serves as the Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee and works to bring about needed changes to the adult and juvenile justice systems. He also chairs the School Discipline Consensus Project, where leaders nationwide work together developing strategies to minimize the over-use of suspension and expulsion in public schools, improve students’ academic outcomes, reduce the referral to the juvenile justice system, and promote safe and productive learning environ-ments.

Representative Senfronia Thompson is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Rep-resentatives, representing the 141st District since 1972. Dean of women legislators, Rep. Thompson has served longer in the Legislature than any other woman or African-American in Texas history. A Houston attorney, Ms. Thompson is currently serving her 20th term in the Texas House of Representatives. Due to a recent initiative backed by Rep. Thompson, Texas is the 45th state to make food stamps available for ex-drug offenders.

Representative Senfronia ThompsonTexas House Representative for District 141

Breakout Panelists:

The Honorable Denise BradleyJudge, Harris County Criminal Justice Center

Jeff BerryDirector of Alternative Programs, Career and Recovery Resources

Jenifer ButlerDirector of Houston Enrollment & Special Projects, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Jeff Berry began his career with Career and Recovery Services 33 years ago and in 2000 became the Director of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program. Mr. Berry is responsible for all clinical and operational activities in the agency’s Licensed, Outpa-tient, Adult Chemical Dependency Program. Prior to his work at Career and Recovery Resources, Mr. Berry served briefly as a police officer and spent four years in the United States Army in Germany, where he was a mental health technician working with soldiers and their families. He holds a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from Southampton College and a M asters of Education in Counseling from Boston University. Mr. Berry is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor in Texas.

The Honorable Denise Bradley currently serves as the Judge of the Texas 262nd Criminal District Court. She presides over one of the Harris County Success Through Addiction Recover (STAR) courts, which work with non-violent offenders struggling with addiction, providing them support services, including treatment, housing, and job train-ing in an effort to keep them from returning to the criminal justice system. A South Texas College of Law graduate, before her election, Judge Bradley worked in the Trial Bureau and served as the Chief of the 177th and 185th District Courts. She also worked as the gang prosecutor assigned to the Major Offenders Division, where she worked closely with the cold case squads of various law enforcement agencies.

Jenifer Butler first worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters in 1998 after pursuing a degree in Administration of Justice. She joined the organization in Kansas where she helped run a program that focused on recruiting law enforcement personnel as mentors for at-risk children. That experience sparked her desire to focus on the preventative side of crimi-nal justice. She spent some time working as a court advocate for victims of domestic vi-olence, but eventually landed in Texas and started working with Big Brothers Big Sisters again in 2004. Her current role is Director of Houston Enrollment and Special Projects. During her time with BBBS, she has focused her career on safety screening and match/program development. She has worked closely throughout the years with clients who have been in the Justice System and with children who come from homes impacted by incarceration.

Tina CarrThe Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, Adult ForensicsFrom living a life of self medicating and homelessness, which also led to repeated in-carcerations, Tina Carr is now living a life of recovery. Being told that her actions did not define her person was instrumental in Tina’s recovery . She now shares this as part of her experience, strength, and hope in her work within the Harris County Jail.

Robert ColemanChief Executive Officer, Second Chance Program, San DiegoRobert is the President and CEO of Second Chance, a San Diego nonprofit that provides job readiness and life skills training, job placement services, mental health services and affordable housing for chronically unemployed adults and at-risk youth. Prior to joining Second Chance in 2010, Robert served as president and CEO of the YMCA Riverside City & County, overseeing more than 2,500 staff members and volunteers. He also served as senior group vice president at the YMCA of Orange County, and chief executive at the YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, YMCA Lambeth and YMCA Portsmouth in En-gland. Throughout his YMCA career, he was an active trainer and consultant throughout Europe, in particular leading training in Hungary, Bulgaria, Armenia and Georgia. Robert, a native of England, earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Coventry University, and both a post-graduate diploma in management studies and a master’s in business from the University of Portsmouth.

The Honorable Vanessa D. GilmoreUnited States District Judge, Southern District of TexasThe Honorable Vanessa D. Gilmore was the youngest sitting federal judge in the nation when she was first sworn in in 1994. The University of Houston Law Center graduate specialized in civil litigation during her 13 year tenure with Vickery Killbride, Gillmore and Vickery Law firm. Judge Gillmore has served on several boards including a term as pres-ident of the YWCA of Houston and was the first African American person to serve on the Texas Department of Commerce Policy Board. Judge Gilmore is the co- author of “A Boy Named Rocky”, a book for the children of incarcerated parents and is a frequent speaker on issues related to these children and their families. She has worked on initiatives to help these families with access to resources for their children, including the development of a legal clinic at Texas Southern University.

The Honorable Angela EllisAssociate Judge/Master of the 315th District CourtThe Honorable Angela Ellis is an associate judge of the 315th District Court. She is a juvenile court judge who hears child welfare, juvenile justice cases, and requests for special immigrant juvenile status for undocumented children. She is also involved in the Growing Independence Restoring Lives (GIRLs) Court, a human trafficking treatment court for minors who have been victims of domestic minor sex trafficking. Before becoming an associate judge in 2009, Judge Ellis served as a lawyer after earning her law degree at South Texas College of Law.

Marilyn GambrellFounder, No More VictimsMarilyn K. Gambrell is a graduate of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology and Corrections and is a Cer-tified Anger Resolution Therapist. She was a State Parole Officer for ten years for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and an administrator of two correctional facilities for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Gambrell is the founder and CEO of the No More Victims program, which began in January of 2000 at M. B. Smiley High School, North Forest ISD. Ms. Gambrell and the students make presentations around the country regarding this most at risk population, raising awareness regarding addressing the needs and issues of children experiencing the trauma of parental incarceration. Ms. Gambrell teaches the children that ....because YOU exist makes YOU priceless...

Andrea Link M.D.Program Director, Healthcare for the Homeless Houston/Angela HouseDr. Andrea Link did her medical training and residency in pediatrics at Stanford Univer-sity School of Medicine. After several years as a pediatrician with Texas Children’s Hos-pital, she had a shift in her clinical interests and spent three years working with incar-cerated women at Harris County Jail as part of Healthcare for the Homeless Houston’s Jail Inreach Program. From her experiences working with these women, she developed “Healthy and Whole”, a program collaboration between Healthcare for the Homeless Houston and Angela House, that helps women recovering from prostitution and human trafficking. Dr. Link also researches the psychosocial and medical issues involved in street-level prostitution, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Barbara IrvingDirector of Veteran and Housing Services, Career and Recovery ResourcesBarbara Irving currently serves as the Director of Veteran and Housing Services with Career and Recovery Resources, Inc. in Houston, TX. She is responsible for the overall management of the Supportive Services for Veterans and their Families Program and the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. Both programs provide supportive ser-vices to very low income veteran families, including reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment. Ms. Irving has over 25 years of experience focusing on effective transitions from jail to the community, youth in the justice system, faith based re-entry programs, and effective re-entry case management planning. She believes that the key outcome in an effective re-entry continuum is a successful citizen contrib-uting in meaningful ways to the community to which they return.

Leslie E. Schweinle GinzelAttorney at Law, Program Director of Beacon Law at The BeaconLeslie E. Schweinle Ginzel is an attorney and the Program Director for Beacon Law since 2014. A 2008 graduate of South Texas College of Law, Leslie began working at Beacon Law as an attorney. She is active in the judicial community of Harris County through the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the Houston Coalition for the Home-less and other area social service organizations. Leslie has presented on areas of expertise at numerous conferences supporting legal aid and services to low income families, through the Houston Bar Associations CLE program as well as the ABA Com-mission on Homelessness and Poverty. Leslie holds an honors degree in Philosophy and Public Health from the University of Houston, as well as a Doctorate of Jurispru-dence from South Texas College of Law.

Natasha JonesApartment ManagerFrom the time she was just 13 years old, Natasha Jones struggled with drug and alco-hol addiction. Growing up, she describes her life as troubled and stormy. In 2010, the prospect of serving a six month sentence prompted Natasha to seek real change. She was given two options: head to prison or turn her life around. That’s when she was introduced to The Women’s Home. For nine months, the staff and the other women at The Women’s Home inspired and encouraged Natasha in ways she had never expe-rienced. For the first time in Natasha’s life, she learned how to truly cope with life’s challenges. She learned to become a confident woman, how to have healthy relation-ships, and how to become a better mother to her three children. She incorporated The Women’s Home’s WholeLife program wholeheartedly. Natasha is currently a proud homeowner.

Teresa MayDirector, Harris Country Community Supervision and Corrections DepartmentDr. May has been the Director of the Harris County CSCD since February of 2013. She has eighteen years of experience in criminal justice and has worked extensively in the development, operation, implementation of two comprehensive assessment centers and a number of evidence-based programs (EBP) in criminal justice. Dr. May is a licensed psychologist and serves as an expert trainer in evidence based practices both nationally and across the State of Texas. She led the statewide initiative to vali-date and norm the new Texas Risk Assessment System (T-RAS) that is currently being implemented across the State of Texas. She serves on numerous local and statewide committees and provides testimony regarding policy and funding issues related to criminal justice programs to the Texas State Legislature. Dr. May received her Ph.D. from Southern Methodist University and served as an adjunct professor at the Uni-versity for over ten years, teaching Forensic Psychology, Personality Psychology, and Behavioral Action of Drugs.

Maureen O’ConnellExecutive Director, Angela HouseMaureen O’Connell, OP is Executive Director and Founder of Angela House, an inno-vative transitional housing program that serves women upon their immediate release from incarceration. Before opening Angela House in 2001, Sister Maureen served as a teacher, a police officer and Chaplain for the Chicago Police Department, a psychother-apist, trainer, and manager of community service agencies. A Certified Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and approved Social Work and Marriage and Family Therapy supervisor in the State of Texas, she is a clinical member of the American Group Psychotherapy Society, a clinical member and approved su-pervisor of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and an adjunct faculty member at four Houston Universities. A vowed member of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, she holds a BA Degree from DePaul University and an M.S.W. Degree from the University of Houston.

Crystal OkoraforDistrict Attorney, SAFE Program in Misdemeanor CourtCrystal Okorafor is an Assistant District Attorney at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Currently, she is assigned to the SAFE Court, a judicially monitored program of treatment and intensive community supervision within the Harris County Criminal Justice System. SAFE Court offers clients between the ages of 17 – 25, arrested in Har-ris County and charged with prostitution, a pretrial intervention program. Crystal earned her Bachelor of Arts at The University of Texas, Austin and graduated magna cum laude from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University. In law school, Crys-tal was a member of the editorial board of The Gender, Race and Justice Law Journal. She interned with both the Thirteenth Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Paula Paust, MSWExecutive Director, The Women’s HomePaula Paust is the Executive Director of The Women’s Home in Houston, TX. Since her appointment in 1992, she has guided the agency through two major capital campaigns that expanded its bed capacity from 37 to 144 and added a second campus in Spring Branch. She also developed The Home’s trademarked WholeLife® treatment model. Through her vision, The Women’s Home is currently conducting a $27 million capital campaign to add 84 units of permanent supportive housing for families and a WholeLife Service Center to its campus in Spring Branch. Before coming to The Home, Paula served as a founding member and Executive Director of The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center (now Houston Hospice). Paula received her Masters Degree in Social Work from the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston.

Mandy Chapman SempleSpecial Assistant to the Mayor for Homeless InitiativeThe City of Houston Mayor’s OfficeMandy Chapman Semple was appointed the first Special Assistant to the Mayor for Homeless Initiatives in Houston by Mayor Annise Parker in 2013. Mandy is responsible for designing and supporting the implementation of the region’s plan to end home-lessness in partnership with the Continuum of Care.

Mandy holds a Master of Science degree in Public Health from Tulane School of Pub-lic Health and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Kansas State University. Prior to her appointment at the City of Houston, Mandy was a Senior Program Manager at CSH in the national Consulting and Training Divi-sion providing HUD technical assistance and other consulting services throughout Texas. She moved to Houston in 2010 from Kansas, where she was Executive Direc-tor of the Manhattan Emergency Shelter, Inc. During her tenure, she transformed the single shelter system into a comprehensive homeless response system that included diversion, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing as well as served as an active member of the Kansas Balance of State Continuum of Care.

Matt RussellSenior Associate Pastor/Faith FormationSt. Paul’s United Methodist ChurchMatt is a pastor, activist and educator. He is currently an associate pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist church and directs an educational non-profit called projectCURATE. He holds a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University and a post-doctoral fellow at Cambridge University. His research explores how women construct narratives of redemption from histories of abuse, addiction and trauma.

Anna RabeAccount Manager and Recruiter, Express Employment ProfessionalsAnna Rabe is an Account Manager and Recruiter for Express Employment Professionals, a private staffing firm specializing in candidate placements. Prior to joining Express, she was an active participate in both Harris County’s STAR Drug Court and The Women’s Home. Her experiences as a STAR client have developed her into the person that she is today and have afforded her opportunities in life that have surpassed her expectations. She is very family-oriented and enjoys volunteering for The Council on Recovery and being ac-tive in her local YMCA.

Eva ThibaudeauDirector of Programs, Coalition for The Homeless

Eva Thibaudeau-Graczyk is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked with youth/young adults and homelessness since 1996. She currently serves as Director of Programs with the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. Her career has ranged from direct client services to program design and management to systems level leadership.

Alycia WelchAssociate Director, Angela HouseAlycia Welch is the Associate Director at Angela House, a residential facility in Hous-ton whose mission is to successfully transition women into society after incarceration. Alycia earned a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs and a Master’s of Science in Social Work Degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Alycia has extensive experi-ence promoting criminal and juvenile justice reform through her work with numerous organizations, including the Texas Civil Rights Project, the Prison Justice League, the Prison Creative Arts Project, the Michigan Women’s Justice & Clemency Project, the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, and Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers. She also served as Legislative Aide for Texas State Representative Elliott Naishtat, Vice Chair of the Committee on Public Health, advancing mental health and criminal justice policy reform through several bills that were signed into law by the governor.

Regina WalkerProgram Director, Brigid’s HopeMrs. Regina Walker, MSW, LMSW- IP, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Texas Southern University and received her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the Uni-versity of Houston. She has over 18 years of experience working in direct practice in the health care industry, as well as mental health. Currently, she is the program manager for the Brigid’s Hope at The Beacon program, working with women transitioning back to self sufficiency from prison or jail. Prior to her position at The Beacon, she worked for Har-ris County Hospital District as Clinic Coordinator for women and adolescents diagnosed with HIV/AIDS; and also worked for Texas Department of Health and Human Services for several years. Mrs. Walker also serves as a field professor supervising interns from three Houston universities and teaches as an Adjunct professor at Texas Southern University.

AVAILABLE ALL DAY

When a Parent is in Prison ExhibitionPlease visit the lobby to view the transformative When a Parent is in Prison exhibition. This documentary project of Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and Mennonite Central Committee explores the situation of children who have a parent in prison through their portraits and words.

Book Sales A Country Called Prison and The Ex-Prisoner’s Dilemma: How Women Negotiate Competing Narratives

of Reentry and Desistance will be available for sale in the lobby all day.

Haley SparksSummit Coordinator, The Women’s HomeThe Women’s Home would like to thank Haley Sparks for her assistance in organizing today’s event. Through the gracious support of The Texas Bar Foundation, Haley was awarded a stipend to serve as an intern with The Women’s Home. She has been an indispensable member of our team!

About The Women’s Home

The mission of The Women’s Home is to help women in crisis regain their self-esteem and dignity, empowering them to return to society as productive, self-sufficient individuals. We envision a world in which every woman embraces her unique value and potential for a life filled with love, dignity and purpose.

Since 1957, The Women’s Home has provided housing and individually tai-lored support services to help prevent and end homelessness in the Houston area. Our programs specifically target women who are homeless or vulnerable to homelessness - many have histories of addiction, mental illness, or both. Through our transitional housing program in Montrose and our permanent supportive housing program in Spring Branch, our clients cultivate the skills and self-esteem necessary to overcome life-long cycles of homelessness and move forward to live a healthy, productive life.

607 Westheimer RoadHouston, Texas 77006-3915

T: (713) 521-3150 | www.thewomenshome.org