Meet The
Our Team
Angel Alejandro
Senior Development Manager, Grants
Angel AlejandroSenior Development Manager, Grants
Angel Alejandro joined the CFSY in February of 2020 and serves as Senior Development Manager for Grants on the Development team. In this role, Angel works closely with the Development team to help educate diverse stakeholders on issues related to extreme sentencing.Angel was incarcerated at the age of 18 for a crime he committed when he was 15, and he was not released from prison until the age of 39. He spent his time incarcerated educating himself and came home with two degrees and several certifications, including one in Business Entrepreneurship. During his studies, Angel served as a tutor for other students as well as a facilitator in the mentoring programs "Alternative to Violence (AVP)" and "Victim Impact" to help people who have committed harm understand how their choices affect others. He is also a member of the Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network (ICAN), an initiative of the CFSY which amplifies the voices and leadership of formerly incarcerated youth.
Outside of work, Angel relishes his role as an uncle to his ever-expanding family and rediscovering his hometown of NYC. He also loves to work on strategy as an avid chess player.
Eric Alexander
Senior Advocate
Eric AlexanderSenior Advocate
Eric joined the CFSY team in 2017. He speaks to groups throughout the country in support of our public education and advocacy efforts. He is also a founding member of ICAN (Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network) and works with formerly incarcerated youth to help engage them deeply and strategically in the movement for the fair sentencing and treatment of all children.At 17 years of age, Eric was arrested and subsequently charged with especially aggravated robbery and first-degree murder. Aware that the court was seeking a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, he pled guilty in order to receive two 25 year sentences (with a chance for parole) to be served concurrently in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. He was later paroled in 2004.
After his release, he began to volunteer in Alternative Schools for students with behavioral issues. He joined AmeriCorps Community Health Corps and assisted in establishing full-service medical clinics inside of local high-schools that provided health care to poor and underserved students and families. Eric became an independent vendor for the public school system. He facilitated trainings for school staff and campus security that offered strategies in identifying gang members and providing intervention for them and their families. He partnered with the Juvenile Detention Center and local organizations to provide services for students with trauma-related issues. The goal of this coalition of providers was to keep youth out of the juvenile justice system. As a Program Director for the YMCA of Middle TN, Eric operated a 3-point program that addressed the socio-emotional development in students with behavioral and academic performance issues.
In his downtime, Eric enjoys spending time with family and cycling. He finds time for a ‘flea market flip’ every now and then.
Amna Ali
Executive & Operations Assistant
Amna AliExecutive & Operations Assistant
Amna graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in 2021. As an Atlanta native, she formed her personal and political convictions through Black feminist frameworks, Palestine organizing, and Reproductive Justice work.She joined the CFSY team in November 2023, drawn to the organization’s collective belief that incarcerated & formerly incarcerated peoples provide a necessary perspective, and are deserving of dignity and freedom. In her role as the Executive & Operations Assistant, she provides a variety of strategic and logistical support to the CFSY team. She knows that internal organization builds the foundation for capacity and success.
In her downtime, you can find Amna logging her latest watch on Letterboxd, cooking with friends, and hanging out with her cat.
Tamala Allen
Program & Research Associate
Tamala AllenProgram & Research Associate
Tamala joined the CFSY in March 2020. Prior to joining the CFSY, Tamala was a manager for a large corporation in the Chicago area. She also volunteered for Restore Justice, where she helped organize advocacy training sessions and assisted in lobbying efforts to build awareness of extreme sentencing options in Illinois. In addition, Tamala volunteered with the Illinois Prison Project, where she helped incarcerated people experiencing mental health challenges and incarcerated veterans who had served over twenty years in prison.Tamala is married to a formerly incarcerated youth, a union she credits with sparking much of her involvement in criminal legal reform advocacy efforts. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, riding bikes, gardening, watching movies, and spending time with family and friends.
Jose Burgos
Michigan Campaign Coordinator
Jose BurgosMichigan Campaign Coordinator
Jose Burgos joined the CFSY team in October 2023. Before joining CFSY, Jose was a Reentry specialist assisting those coming home after decades of incarceration with Project Reentry at Michigan's State Appellate Defenders Office (SADO). As a former life-sentenced child and long-standing member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN), Jose has been an avid champion of youth justice reform in the State of Michigan.Jose was sentenced to life without parole for an act committed at 16 years old. Having dropped out of school in the 7th grade, Jose began educating himself while incarcerated, which led him to earn his G.E.D. and a certificate in Custodial Maintenance Technology. Jose played an instrumental role in creating two youth mentoring programs, which are still up and running today. He trained service dogs, created a book club, mentored other prisoners, and got involved in as many programs as possible. After 27 years of incarceration with no hope of freedom, Jose’s sentence was reduced, earning him his release.
In 2020, Jose was appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice and became a non-attorney member of the State Bar of Michigan Prisons & Corrections Section. His expertise in youth justice reform has already been instrumental in changing the landscape for life-sentenced children in the state of Michigan.
When Jose isn’t on the phone with a formerly life-sentenced child or picking someone up from prison on their release date, you can find him enjoying the company of his loving grandmother who raised him, stood by his side during those 27 years and sat in the courtroom the day his life without parole sentence was reduced to a term of years.
Crystal Carpenter
Chief Program & Strategy Officer
Crystal CarpenterChief Program & Strategy Officer
Crystal Carpenter joined the CFSY in April 2019. She bridges the work of several departments working to understand the experiences of individuals post-release, while developing a range of supports and resources to help them thrive. Crystal brings to this role a passion for criminal justice reform that she unearthed more than twenty years ago.In this role, Crystal works with directly impacted individuals, their families, and communities to ensure multi-directional sharing of data, information, and experiences. Her proximity to the issue provides a unique perspective as she works to educate and train diverse stakeholders on issues related to the harsh realities faced by formerly incarcerated individuals and families. When not at work, Crystal enjoys reading, and watching movies with her family, and cheering her hometown Washington Redskins or UNC Tarheels (alma mater) on!
Alicia Contreras
Donor Engagement & Communications Associate
Alicia ContrerasDonor Engagement & Communications Associate
Alicia Contreras graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Legal Studies in May of 2021 and joined the CFSY in August 2021. As an undergraduate, she received an opportunity to intern for Speaker Pelosi in her San Francisco office, where she worked with Speaker Pelosi's staff on constituent casework involving Section 8 housing and immigration services. Alicia also served as an Alternative Breaks leader, a program where students spend their spring break volunteering and servicing historically underserved communities throughout California.At the beginning of 2020, she participated in the University of California Washington Center (UCDC) program, and was a legislative intern for Senator Sanders on Capitol Hill, and spent time on legislative research projects regarding the Senator's proposed Medicare for All legislation. In her senior year, she worked on a semester-long research project on the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, examining the Center's work in restorative justice alternatives and the impact it has had on the Oakland community. Alicia's late father's history of incarceration meant witnessing firsthand the challenges that formerly incarcerated folks face when reentering into society and the long-lasting impacts of the carceral system on them and their families. His subsequent career as a drug and alcohol counselor and passion for community activism inspire her work to this day.
Outside of work, Alicia can be found exploring D.C. on electric scooters and thrift shopping.
Donnell Drinks
Leadership Development & Engagement Coordinator
Donnell DrinksLeadership Development & Engagement Coordinator
Donnell Drinks joined the CFSY in March 2021 and serves as the Leadership Development & Engagement Coordinator.Donnell was arrested at the age of 17 and was subsequently sentenced to the death penalty, which was later reduced to a life sentence. He served over 27 years and was released in July 2018. During his incarceration, he spent his time educating himself by obtaining his GED, accumulating multiple college credits, becoming a Certified Peer Specialist, and obtaining his certification in Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD). He was extensively involved in charitable work through various inmate organizations and served as President of multiple organizations. The organizations included Lifers Inc., the NAACP, the Latin American Cultural Exchange Organization (LACEO), and Journey for Change, which have all afforded him diverse experiences and skills. Since his release, he has employed these skills in his Philadelphia community as a mentor and re-entry specialist for Gaining Respect Over Our Worst Nights (GROWN) and as an anti-violence advocate. Donnell is a member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN) an initiative of the CFSY which amplifies the voices and leadership of formerly incarcerated youth.
Outside of work, Donnell enjoys creative writing, sketching, and photography.
Eddie Ellis
Co-Director of Outreach & Member Services
Eddie EllisCo-Director of Outreach & Member Services
Eddie Ellis joined the CFSY team in early 2018. He works with ICAN members across the country, connecting them to each other and with local resources. He also works with other directly impacted communities, including the family members of juvenile lifers.Eddie, a native Washingtonian, was arrested and charged with murder at the age of 16 -- he was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years and finished the rest of his time on parole.
Eddie came home in 2006 and since that time he has worked on a variety of issues, including reentry, solitary confinement, and on behalf of people with disabilities who are in the system and coming home. He has served on the board of directors of a national legal organization, and helped with client center training for lawyers, probation officers and social workers. He is an advocate for those in the system, a mentor, and a motivational speaker. His lived experience as a formerly incarcerated person provides invaluable insight and depth into his work that allows him to connect with and engage the community he serves.
Karmah Elmusa
Managing Director, Talent & Operations
Karmah ElmusaManaging Director, Talent & Operations
Karmah sits on the CFSY's Executive Leadership Team as Managing Director, Talent & Operations. In her role, she offers internal management support and oversees staff learning & development, and guides the organization's external affairs and communications work. She joined the CFSY team in April 2017 as Communications Director and held that position for over five years.Karmah is a native of Washington, DC and earlier in her career worked as a journalist at The NewsHour on PBS, The Washington Post Express, Mother Jones, and California Lawyer Magazine. Immediately prior to joining the CFSY she was a Communications Manager at the Institute for Middle East Understanding, where she advocated for increased coverage of Palestinian human rights in American media.
Karmah holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and a Master's degree from UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. She relishes time with family and friends, and loves to read fiction, run to good music, and cook.
Matthew Gritzmacher
Managing Director, Finance & Compliance
Matthew GritzmacherManaging Director, Finance & Compliance
Matt Gritzmacher (he/him) has been with the CFSY since 2015 and currently serves as Managing Director, Finance & Compliance.Matt’s behind-the-scenes role helps keep the organization running smoothly, from payroll and budget development to benefits administration, tracking relevant labor laws for our growing team, and working on operational and logistics challenges when they crop up.
Outside of his home office in Hawaii, Matt is a voracious crossword solver and spends much of his free time walking, biking, cooking, and doting on his pets; cats Zelda and Angus and dogs Franklin and Remy. He sings in the choir at church and is always happy to evangelize his hometown of Buffalo, including as an avid fan of the University at Buffalo Bulls sports teams.
Cat Hoffmann
Finance & Benefits Manager
Cat HoffmannFinance & Benefits Manager
Cat Hoffmann joined the CFSY in May 2024 as the Finance & Benefits Manager. Cat was raised in North Carolina and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2013, receiving a degree in Global Studies and a minor in Women's and Gender Studies. Her devotion to justice is rooted in her study of intersectional feminism and social barriers to public health, which include criminalization and incarceration. Most recently, Cat worked for several years on the finance team at the National Network of Abortion Funds, where alongside other responsibilities, she processed grants to local funds helping individuals exercise autonomy over their bodies and reproductive choices. Outside of work, she spends her time listening to music, playing video games, and trying to eat all of Chicago's best food.
Adam Hollies
Movement Building Program Associate
Adam HolliesMovement Building Program Associate
Adam Hollies (he/him) joined the CFSY in June 2022 as the Movement Building Program Associate. In spring 2021, he interned with the CFSY and jumped at the opportunity to return to the organization.Throughout his time at the University of Rochester, Adam took several deeply impactful classes on criminal justice, abolition, and political organizing. Wanting to apply this learning into supporting substantive change, Adam volunteered with the Rochester Education Justice Initiative (REJI) and Turning Points Resource Center. With these organizations, he supported incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones and fought for criminal justice reform in New York State. Returning to DC to work at the CFSY, Adam intends to continue these efforts towards justice and champion transformative and healing practices for children.
Outside of work, Adam enjoys reading, playing music, commiserating about DC sports, and listening to his records.
Catherine Jones
Co-Director of Outreach & Partnership Development
Catherine JonesCo-Director of Outreach & Partnership Development
Catherine Jones joined the CFSY team in January 2020 and serves as the Co-Director of Outreach & Partnership Development. In this role, she holds leadership positions in both the Movement Building and Strategic Partnerships departments, responsible for helping bridge these areas of work. Catherine develops and implements a range of projects and initiatives, aimed at ensuring those returning from prison, particularly members of the Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network (ICAN), have meaningful opportunities to prosper and thrive. This includes fair chance hiring, systems change, and collecting and distributing concrete resources to CFSY’s network of directly impacted and formerly incarcerated individuals. Catherine also conceived of and oversees “Heart to Heart,” a program and support group for female-identified ICAN members to create and experience mentorship, crisis response, and peer support.Catherine is a seasoned and sought out public speaker and content expert on criminal justice reform. She presents nationally to diverse audiences, and her story and expertise has been highlighted in numerous articles, podcasts and documentaries.
Catherine herself is a formerly incarcerated youth and proud ICAN member. Incarcerated at the age of 13 for murder, she was released in 2015 at the age of 30. Her experiences as a child within the penal system sparked her passion to be a voice for those she left behind and for the ones who will come after her.
When not wearing her advocacy cape, Catherine relishes her role as Mommy to her two beautiful children.
Adam Kemerer
Director of Communications
Adam KemererDirector of Communications
Adam joined the CFSY in March 2019. As a member of the Communications team, Adam works to amplify the messages of formerly incarcerated people and promote advocacy efforts reforming youth sentencing practices nationwide through both traditional and social media.As an undergraduate at Brown University, Adam studied criminal justice policy and volunteered at the Rhode Island Public Defender, OpenDoors Rhode Island, and the ACLU. After leading a campaign to address police misconduct in Providence, Adam moved to Washington, DC in 2015 where he worked to reform law enforcement practices across the country at the Police Executive Research Forum.
In his spare time, Adam enjoys running, board games, and traveling.
Jody Kent Lavy
Senior Fellow
Jody Kent LavySenior Fellow
Jody Kent Lavy is a senior fellow at the CFSY, and was the first staff person hired upon the organization’s founding in 2009.Jody’s interest in social justice policy began during her undergraduate years at Boston College, when volunteer work and a semester in South Africa deepened her awareness of the ways in which race and class determine economic, social, and educational opportunity. She then spent a service year in Los Angeles through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps working with low-income and homeless men and women, and volunteered in a juvenile hall on the weekends. Getting to know the children facing decades in adult prison at the juvenile hall, and coming to understand the systemic issues facing them and the low-income individuals with whom she worked, affirmed that she would pursue a career in advocacy.
When her service year was over, Jody went on to work for the ACLU of Southern California; while there, she spent three years monitoring conditions of confinement in the LA County jails. She then moved on to the National Prison Project of the ACLU in Washington, DC, as the public policy coordinator, until she was tapped to head the CFSY.
Under Jody’s leadership, the CFSY has staff has grown significantly, and it serves as a national leader and convener and provides strategic guidance on communications, litigation, and advocacy to attorneys, advocates, and others working at the state and federal levels. Jody has also ensured that people directly impacted by this issue are increasingly at the helm of the movement.
Jody is married, and is the mother of three children. She is also an avid sports fans – in particular, she suggests you don’t mess with the UNC Tarheels and any and all of the teams from her native New England.
Callie King-Guffey
Senior Communications & Advocacy Manager
Callie King-GuffeySenior Communications & Advocacy Manager
Callie joined the CFSY team in January 2023. She seeks narrative and political change for and with children who experience systems of excessive punishment.Before joining CFSY, Callie worked at the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for over six years, where she enjoyed managing various advocacy initiatives that brought millions of children’s voices into decision-making processes and helped establish new norms around child and youth participation. She has also worked on ending the school-to-prison pipeline in California, implementing alternatives to incarceration in Oregon, improving reentry in New York, and advancing sentencing reform in Louisiana.
In 2022, Callie received her Master’s in Public Policy at Harvard. There, she collaborated with the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth on her capstone with Human Rights Watch which measured how US states fail to meet global standards for children and their rights, including the internationally adopted standard that no child should be sentenced to life without parole.
You can find Callie with a heavily caffeinated beverage at all hours of the day. To unwind and decaffeinate, Callie enjoys fresh air.
Abd'Allah Lateef
Deputy Director
Abd'Allah LateefDeputy Director
Abd’Allah Wali Lateef is Deputy Director with the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.In spite of being condemned to life without possibility of parole at 17-years-old—and without hope or expectation of ever being released from prison— Abd’Allah devoted himself to personal and collective transformation. Abd’Allah served as a mentor, religious advisor, faith leader, and reform advocate. He also studied legal jurisprudence and worked as a paralegal at Paraprofessional Law Clinic, Inc.
Since his release, Abd’Allah has continued his advocacy efforts. Today, along with serving as Deputy Director for the CFSY, Abd’Allah is also an member of the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition, a member of the University of Pennsylvania Goldring Reentry Initiatives advisory board, a board member at the Center for Employment Opportunities, a board member at New Leash on Life, and lead fellow for the Media Justice Fellowship sponsored by Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the Philadelphia Reentry Think Tank.
Some of Abd’Allah’s work is reflected in the following links:
None of Us Are Free, Until All of Us Are Free
The Appeal: Justice in America Episode 13: Juvenile Justice
Colorlines: Former Juvenile Lifers Need a Pressure Valve
Video: Abd'Allah Lateef in Conversation with Clint Smith
Video: Abd'Allah Lateef talks Ubuntu Philadelphia and Healing
JLC: Thoughts From a Formerly Condemned Man-Child: Reflections on Miller and Montgomery Rulings
WITF: After 49 years behind bars, juvenile lifer found society wasn’t prepared for his release
MDSJ: University of Scranton Hosts Retreat for Formerly Incarcerated Children
La Salle: La Salle Welcomes Two Presenters Who Spoke from Experience about the Juvenile Justice System and Reform
Xavier McElrath-Bey
Executive Director
Xavier McElrath-BeyExecutive Director
Xavier McElrath-Bey serves as Executive Director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) and is a co-founder of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN).During his many years at the CFSY, Xavier has fought to abolish life without parole for children in America, and has played a role in ending this practice in several states including Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota. At age 13, after accumulating 19 arrests and seven convictions, Xavier was arrested, charged with a gang-related murder, and sentenced to 25 years in prison.While growing up in prison, Xavier became increasingly remorseful for his past actions and decided to change for the better. Hopeful of someday living a “normal life,” Xavier prepared himself by earning an Associate’s degree in Arts and an Associate’s in General Education from Carl Sandburg College, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Roosevelt University, and a certificate in Computer Technology. Xavier was also inducted into the Franklin Honor Society for outstanding scholarship. He began to envision a better life where he would be able to put his remorse into action -- what he has referred to as his "eternal apology" to the victim in his case, Pedro Martinez, and his family.
In 2002, Xavier was released at age 26 after serving 13 years.
While volunteering as a YMCA youth boxing coach, Xavier landed his first job as a Starbucks barista and decided to pursue a Master’s degree from Roosevelt University’s Counseling and Human Services Program. He graduated with honors in 2006, and since then, he has worked in various fields including violence prevention, youth counseling, clinical research, youth advocacy, and sentencing reform. Prior to his current employment at the CFSY, Xavier worked for Northwestern University’s Health Disparities & Public Policy program, where he conducted over 800 clinical research interviews with formerly incarcerated youth. In 2016, he met Pedro’s family in a restorative justice healing circle. That day, they forgave him and forged a relationship that continues to this day.
In addition to leading the CFSY, Xavier currently serves as a Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) Advisory Council Member at MacArthur Foundation, an Advisory Council Member at Eighth Amendment Project, an Ambassador Alumni with Represent Justice, and an Advisory Council Member at Fair Chance Institute (FCI). He’s also served as a board member at the Community Justice for Youth Institute (CJYI) and as a member of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force (PATF) working group on community & police relations.
Outlets including the New York Times, People Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Teen Vogue, PBS NewsHour, The Guardian, The Marshall Project, and others have shared Xavier’s story and advocacy efforts, and in recent years, he received the Justice Roundtable Excellence Award, the JustLeadershipUSA Leading with Conviction Award, the Bright Promises Foundation Champion for Children Award, and the 2023 Juvenile Law Center Leadership Prize in recognition of his visionary leadership and groundbreaking advocacy efforts at the CFSY.In his powerful TEDx Talk titled “No Child is Born Bad,” Xavier reminds all of us that no child should ever receive a “death in prison” sentence and that all children, including those who have made horrible mistakes, have the capacity for positive change.
Nikola Nable-Juris
National Legal & Policy Director
Nikola Nable-JurisNational Legal & Policy Director
Nikola Nable-Juris (she/her) is thrilled to return to CFSY in May 2024. From 2014 to 2019, she advocated for JLWOP bans around the country alongside local ICAN members, families, and coalitions. She is especially proud of the role she played in advancing change in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Virginia. She is honored that CFSY has welcomed her back and looks forward to reconnecting with everyone!After majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Virginia, Nikola worked with pregnant and parenting youth in Juneau, Alaska, and at a domestic violence shelter in Virginia. She attended law school at the University of Maryland, where she fell in love with the reproductive justice framework, community organizing, and policy advocacy. Before joining CFSY, Nikola clerked for federal magistrate judges in Maryland and D.C. She taught classes and supervised law students doing education policy work as the inaugural teaching fellow at Georgetown Law’s Racial Equity in Education Law and Policy Clinic. She cares deeply about fighting intersectional oppression, especially those occurring at the intersection of race, gender, and reproductive justice. She previously worked at First Shift Justice Project as the organization’s first paid family leave benefits attorney and as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow researching issues affecting marginalized girls.
On any day, you might find her chasing her three kids, doing a crossword puzzle with her husband, volunteering with her neighborhood school’s bilingual parent-teacher association and using her (slowly) improving Spanish skills, biking around D.C., or planning an adventure!
Christina Oliver
Senior Development Manager, Major Gifts
Christina OliverSenior Development Manager, Major Gifts
Christina joined the CFSY team in April 2020 and currently serves as Senior Development Manager, Major Gifts. In her role, Christina stewards relationships with CFSY’s donor base and works in close collaboration with the CFSY team to engage our community through events.During her time as a student at Duke University, Christina studied Public Policy, where she focused her studies on criminal legal reform and education. After graduation, she moved to DC and began working in education at EAB, where she cultivated partnerships with regional colleges to promote student success. She’s thrilled to now be a part of the CFSY team, addressing the urgent justice issues that sparked her passion for public policy years ago.
Outside of the office, Christina spends her time reading novels, exploring DC, and spending time with her family in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Preston Shipp
Associate Policy Director
Preston ShippAssociate Policy Director
Preston Shipp joined the CFSY in May 2019 and serves as Associate Policy Director. In this role, Preston provide strategic guidance, support, and leadership to states that are working to eliminate life without parole and other extreme sentences for children. He works directly with state-level advocates and legislators.For several years, Preston served as an appellate prosecutor in the Tennessee Attorney General’s office. While serving as a volunteer and teaching college classes in Tennessee prisons, he became good friends with many people who were incarcerated, one of whom he had actually prosecuted. These relationships caused Preston to wake up to the many injustices that are present in the American system of mass incarceration. Unable to reconcile this conflict, Preston left his career as a prosecutor in 2008. Since then, he has taught in universities and churches, lectured at conferences, and written about the urgent needs for criminal justice reform, a shift in how we regard imprisoned people, and a new vision of justice that seeks healing, transformation, and reconciliation. Preston lives in Nashville with his wife Sherisse and their three children, Lila Joy, Ruby Faith, and Levi.
Kempis 'Ghani' Songster
Transformative Healing & Restorative Justice Manager
Kempis 'Ghani' SongsterTransformative Healing & Restorative Justice Manager
Kempis Songster, also known as Ghani, joined the CFSY in March 2024 as CFSY's first Transformative Healing & Restorative Justice Manager. In this role, he is helping CFSY to advance transformative and healing justice models across the nation. He is a founding member of Right to Redemption, the Redemption Project, and the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI), as well as a co-founder and director of Ubuntu Philadelphia. Since his release in 2017 after thirty years in prison - starting when he was 15 years old - Ghani has emerged as an outspoken voice and visionary in Philadelphia's movement to end mass human caging and to create transformative and restorative responses to harm and violence. During his first three years out, he worked as the Healing Justice Organizer for the Amistad Law Project (ALP), during which time he co-created and hosted ALP’s "Move It Forward" podcast. Ghani spent another three years at the Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project (YASP) as leader of Philadelphia's first Restorative Justice Diversion program for youth called Healing Futures.
Rebecca Turner
Associate Legal Director
Rebecca TurnerAssociate Legal Director
Rebecca Turner joined the CFSY team in July 2016. Rebecca tracks the results of resentencings taking place around the country as a result of the Supreme Court decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana. She also coordinates pro bono representation and serves as a resource for attorneys litigating Miller and Montgomery issues.Studying social sciences as an undergrad, Rebecca focused on structural inequality and its causes and manifestations. Wanting to continue that work as applied to the criminal justice system, she went to law school, where she spent her summers working with organizations that represent death row clients.
After law school, Rebecca worked at the Prisoners’ Project of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, where she advocated for the humane treatment of prisoners in federal and state prisons. In this role, she worked on litigation and advocacy to ensure proper access to medical and mental health care, establish policies that are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, and improve conditions of confinement. She later worked at the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, where she worked to implement Prison Rape Elimination Act policies and coordinate rape crisis center services for Maryland prisoners.
Outside of the office, Rebecca spends much of her free time with her nose in a book. She also enjoys trying out new recipes and taking naps.
Board of Directors
Shakur Abdullah
Joy Alferness
Marshan Allen
Ralph Brazel, Jr.
George Clarke
Anita Colón (Board Chair)
Bernardine Dohrn
Bessie Hatchett Nazeem
Lucy Helm
Damon Hewitt
Christopher Hill
Deborah LaBelle
Bart Lubow
Rashida MacMurray-Abdullah
Shema Mbyirukira
Alison Parker
Joshua Toll
Angela Vigil (Counsel to the board, non-voting)
Linda White
Join Us
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