Meet The
Our Team
Angel Alejandro
Grants Officer
Angel AlejandroGrants Officer
Angel Alejandro joined the CFSY in February of 2020 and serves as Grants Officer on the Development team. In this role, Angel works closely with the Director of Strategic Planning 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.
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.
Crystal Carpenter
Chief Advocacy & Engagement Manager
Crystal CarpenterChief Advocacy & Engagement Manager
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!
Grace Cutting
Operations & Program Assistant
Grace CuttingOperations & Program Assistant
Immediately following her March 2021 graduation from UCLA, Grace Cutting joined the CFSY team as an Operations & Program Assistant. She interned remotely for the organization in 2020 and felt so strongly about its mission that she decided to come back as a full-time staff member!Grace developed a special interest in criminal justice when her father was sentenced to federal prison in 2018. She has seen firsthand the ineffectual and detrimental nature of a carceral environment, in addition to the harm it causes inmates’ loved ones on the outside. In her junior year at UCLA, she participated in the university’s “Quarter in Washington” program, during which she held a Policy Analysis internship with the Council for Court Excellence and conducted a research project examining how incarceration in the U.S. impacts the quality of life and reentry processes of criminal offenders compared to the Nordic model of criminal justice and corrections.
Shortly after her quarter in DC, Grace became a Board Advisor for DC Project Connect (DCPC), a local nonprofit working to provide crisis intervention and reentry services to families affected by incarceration. She is currently working on a special project designed to help older children and teens talk to their peers about a loved one’s incarceration and maintain their sense of self.
Grace holds a B.A. in Psychology with a specialization in Public Policy. Her personal passions and areas of advocacy include prisoners’ rights, sentencing reform, and racial justice. In her free time, you can find her reading true crime novels, making Spotify playlists, and searching for the best matcha latte in Los Angeles.
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
Director of Communications & External Affairs
Karmah ElmusaDirector of Communications & External Affairs
Karmah joined the CFSY team in April 2017. She leads the communications team and helms the organization's public-facing work and efforts to create effective narrative change.Karmah is a native of Washington, DC and earlier in her career held positions 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 BA from Georgetown University and a Master's degree from UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. In her free time, she enjoys reading fiction and running, and is an avid patron of DC's food and music scenes.
For media inquiries, contact Karmah at kelmusa@cfsy.org, or at 202-289-4677, ext. 113.
Matthew Gritzmacher
Finance & Human Resources Manager
Matthew GritzmacherFinance & Human Resources Manager
Matt Gritzmacher (he/him) has been with the CFSY since 2015 and currently serves as Finance & Human Resources Manager.After undergrad at Boston College, Matt joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Spending two years as a volunteer, he initially worked as an Employment Specialist at Los Angeles-based nonprofit Chrysalis before joining the CFSY in 2013 for his first stint with the organization.
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 North Carolina, 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 dog Franklin. 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.
Greer Hamilton
Executive Assistant & Systems Collaborator
Greer HamiltonExecutive Assistant & Systems Collaborator
Greer re-joined the CFSY in August of 2019 after finishing their Master of Arts in Social Justice degree from Loyola University Chicago. As Executive Assistant & Systems Collaborator, Greer supports the work of the Executive and Operations departments. Before moving to Chicago for graduate school in 2017, Greer spent a year as the outreach coordinator for the CFSY. In this role, they engaged with individuals who have been directly impacted by the extreme sentencing of children.While a student at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago, Greer also worked as a program assistant at the Br. David Darst Center. The Darst Center is a Catholic immersion retreat center that engages high school and college students in service and reflection. The Darst Center also served as the focal point of Greer’s thesis, Healing Into Genderful Theologies. This thesis centered around the practice of sharing gender pronouns at the Darst Center and imagining theologies of gender that include trans and gender non-conforming people.
In their free time, Greer can be found biking and hiking around the DC area always with a book of poetry by Mary Oliver in hand.
Catherine Jones
Co-Director of Outreach & Partnership Development
Catherine JonesCo-Director of Outreach & Partnership Development
Catherine Jones joined the CFSY team in January of 2020 and serves as the Co-Director of Outreach & Partnership Development. In this role, she support members of the Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network—particularly the women. Catherine acts as a a mentor and first-responder to ICAN members as they transition into their new lives. She is also a spokesperson for the CFSY and ICAN in the media, and speaks to groups throughout the country in support of our public education and advocacy efforts.Catherine, herself, is a formerly incarcerated youth. Incarcerated at the age of 13 for murder, she was not released until the age of 30. She spent her time incarcerated educating herself and came home with a degree and several certifications, including a law clerk certification. In collaboration with Fresh Start Ministries, she designed and taught a curriculum for abused women focused on emotional healing and building self-confidence. Her experiences with the penal system as a child sparked a passion inside of her 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
Communications Manager
Adam KemererCommunications Manager
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
Co-Executive Director
Jody Kent LavyCo-Executive Director
Jody Kent Lavy is co-executive director of 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.
Abd'Allah Lateef
Senior Strategic Advisor & Racial Equity Specialist
Abd'Allah LateefSenior Strategic Advisor & Racial Equity Specialist
Abd’Allah Wali Lateef is the Senior Strategic Advisor & Racial Equity Specialist at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. After conducting several months of exploratory contract work for the campaign, Abd’Allah officially joined the CFSY team in January of 2019.In spite of being condemned to JLWOP (also known as Death by Incarceration) and without hope or expectation of ever being released, Abd’Allah managed to transform himself into a remarkable human being. While incarcerated, he studied legal jurisprudence and he ultimately matured into a leader that engendered respect from both inmates and prison administrators alike. While petitioning to overturn his “life without parole” sentence, Abd’Allah engaged himself in numerous learning, leadership, and mentoring roles within the prison.
Since his release, Abd’Allah has continued his youth advocacy and sentencing reform efforts. Today, along with being the PA-ICAN Coordinator for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Abd’Allah is also the Chairman, Pro Tempore, of Life-After-Life, Inc., a member of the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition, a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Goldring Reentry Initiatives Advisory Board and a Philadelphia Reentry Think Tank Fellow.
Xavier McElrath-Bey
Co-Executive Director
Xavier McElrath-BeyCo-Executive Director
Xavier McElrath-Bey joined the CFSY in 2014 and currently serves as Co-Executive Director. He is also a co-founder of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN), an initiative of CFSY, which seeks to amplify the stories and voices of leaders who were incarcerated as youth.At age 13, after accumulating 19 arrests and 7 convictions as a child, Xavier was arrested and charged with a gang-related murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. While growing up in prison, Xavier became increasingly remorseful of 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.” In 2002, after serving 13 years, Xavier was released at age 26.
While volunteering as a YMCA youth boxing coach and working as a Starbucks barista, Xavier pursued a Master of Arts 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, and, now, youth advocacy and sentencing reform. Prior to his current position with CFSY, Xavier worked for Northwestern University’s Health Disparities & Public Policy program—as part of a longitudinal study, where he conducted over 800 clinical research interviews with formerly incarcerated youth.
Today, Xavier is a prolific speaker and staunch advocate who has inspired countless audiences to be reform-minded advocates for the most vulnerable children in our society. Many media and news outlets, including New York Times, Chicago Tribune, PBS NewsHour, and Huffington Post have captured Xavier’s advocacy efforts. More recently, he was a 2018 Justice Roundtable Excellence Award recipient and the 2019 JustLeadershipUSA "Leading with Conviction" awardee.
During his many years at the CFSY, Xavier has fought to abolish “life without parole” for children in America and played a role in ending this practice in several states including Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
Anna Melbin
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Anna MelbinDirector of Strategic Partnerships
Anna Melbin joined CFSY in March 2019 as the Director of Strategic Partnerships. This is a new position designed to help launch and lead systems and culture change and other initiatives to build relationships between CFSY, people sentenced to life in prison as children, and leaders in the private and other sectors so that, together, we can build a path for these individuals to thrive. In this role, Anna is responsible for brokering partnerships with local and national business to provide job training, employment, mentoring, and a range of other services and resources for people returning to their communities after prison; helping educate diverse stakeholders on issues related to extreme sentencing and the realities faced by those returning from prison; and advocating for and working in collaboration with directly impacted and formerly incarcerated individuals and families.Anna has worked for social change for 25 years, with a focus on increasing equity and justice for those experiencing poverty, violence and oppression. In the past few years, she has become more informed, and outraged, about the many consequences of mass incarceration, in particular for youth and people of color. Before joining CFSY, Anna was the Director of Strategic Capacity Building at a national social change organization The Full Frame Initiative, where she worked to support human service systems to focus on people and communities’ wellbeing instead of problems. Anna is currently Board Chair of Maine Inside Out, a statewide organization working to end youth incarceration in Maine.
When not traveling around the country for work, Anna travels for fun; is in her garden every day the Maine weather will permit; cooks; hikes with her partner and dog; and roller skates (non competitively!) as her alter ego - annamaul.
Christina Oliver
Major Gifts & Events Manager
Christina OliverMajor Gifts & Events Manager
Christina joined the CFSY team in April 2020 and currently serves as the Major Gifts & Events Manager. In her role, Christina stewards relationships with CFSY’s donor base and works in close collaboration with the CFSY team to engage the community through events.During her time as a student at Duke University, Christina studied Public Policy, where she focused her studies on criminal justice 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 criminal justice issues that sparked her passion for public policy years ago.
Outside of the office, Christina spends her time reading novels, going to concerts at DC’s 9:30 Club, and volunteering with the Free Minds Book Club. On the weekend, you can often find her on a train home to the Philadelphia area, where her family lives.
James Puzo Smith
Managing Director for Administration, Finance, & Special Projects
James Puzo SmithManaging Director for Administration, Finance, & Special Projects
James directs operations, finance, and human resources at the CFSY. James also has a hand in strategic planning, organizational visioning, and other special projects. Until 2018, James helmed development initiatives, including the annual Healing & Hope reception, individual giving strategies, and grant writing.James became passionate about reforming the U.S. criminal justice system after working with youth suspended or expelled from public schools in Washington, DC, at the American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation’s Capital. He joined the CFSY in 2011.
Heather Renwick
Legal Director
Heather RenwickLegal Director
Heather Renwick joined the CFSY team in the summer of 2014. Heather is no stranger to human rights and social justice work. Upon graduation from Wake Forest University, she researched issues of human trafficking in Bulgaria as a United States Fulbright Fellow. Afterwards, she worked in Washington, DC and Nairobi, Kenya on issues of pre-trial detention and sexual violence against minors.After spending several years working on international human rights issues, Heather decided to attend law school and shift her focus to domestic issues. Heather worked as a clinical fellow at the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern School of Law. As a fellow, she coordinated an exhaustive study of juvenile parole in Illinois on behalf of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission. She later worked as a senior associate at WilmerHale in Washington D.C. with a practice focused on investigations and criminal litigation. Heather has experience in capital defense, representing youth in conflict with the law, and civil rights class action litigation. Heather also has taught trial advocacy at law schools in Ukraine.Heather is passionate about reforming the criminal justice system and protecting the rights and uniqueness of children. When Heather is not working tirelessly for human rights reform, she can be found bike riding, hiking, and quoting Jane Addams.
Sahar Sarshar
Multimedia Producer
Sahar SarsharMultimedia Producer
Sahar joined the CFSY in September 2019, after 14 years of producing video content nationally and internationally. She has won multiple awards, including the coveted News and Documentary Emmy award in 2016 for Outstanding Feature Story in a News Magazine.Her videos have impacted millions of people all across the globe which is her favorite part of the job, along with being able to connect with people from all walks of life.
Sahar has a Master of Arts in Visual Media Arts from Emerson College. Her friends have also made good use of her psychology degree from George Mason University with free counseling and therapy sessions. Sahar believes a job you love isn’t a job at all, but when she isn’t at work, you can find her baking, creating healthy new recipes, taking pictures, or obsessing over office supplies.
Preston Shipp
Senior Policy Counsel
Preston ShippSenior Policy Counsel
Preston Shipp joined the CFSY in May 2019 and serves as Senior Policy Counsel. 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.
Rebecca Turner
Senior Litigation Counsel
Rebecca TurnerSenior Litigation Counsel
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
Bernardine Dohrn (Vice Chair)
Bessie Hatchett Nazeem
Lucy Helm
Damon Hewitt
Christopher Hill
Deborah LaBelle
Bart Lubow
Rashida MacMurray-Abdullah
Alison Parker
Joshua Toll (Board Chair)
Angela Vigil (Counsel to the board, non-voting)
Advisory Committee
Tamar Birckhead
Sarah Bryer
Elizabeth Calvin
Bernardine Dohrn
Stephen Harper
Mary Johnson
Deborah LaBelle
Marsha Levick
Shobha Mahadev
Kim McGill
Mark Osler
Bill Pelke
Liz Ryan
Aqeela Sherrills
Jeffrey Shook
Javier Stauring
Bryan Stevenson
Linda White
Join Us
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