Kathlene S. Wong, is an accomplished multi-cultural early childhood & family literacy educator. Ms. Wong for the past 34 years has focused her work with
establishing & directing multi-culturally appropriate early childhood learning centers with specific emphasis on the effects of attachment on children of color. She
developed a highly acclaimed life skills curriculum and program for adult offenders in the federal and state work release system and for welfare-to-work participants.
Ms. Wong is presently an Adjunct Faculty member at South Seattle College as an instructor in Justice Involved Solutions Unit. She is the past chair of the Human &
Civil Rights Committee and a former Executive Board member of AFT-Seattle, Local 1789. She is a member of the Seattle chapter, Asian Pacific American Labor
Alliance (APALA) as well as a committee representative for the Stephen Nadal Memorial Scholarship of Dollars for Scholars. Born one of five children of Chinese
immigrants in San Francisco, Ms. Wong received her BA from San Francisco State University and has authored children’s books, poetry and other published works.
Aaron Kirk, coordinates the Community Integration Program, the college’s reentry program. He serves as an advisor, coordinator of funding, and advocate for
those transitioning out of jail or prison and to those receiving various grants at SVC. Prior to working at SVC, Aaron served in AmeriCorps for two years at an alternative high school, teaching and helping at-risk youth to stay in school.
Charlie Wend, began his Corrections career with the Washington State Department of Corrections in 1981 at the Special Offender Center in Monroe. Between
1981 and 2010 Charlie worked in various capacities with the Department of Corrections which included working as a Community Corrections Officer, Sex Offender
Treatment Program Specialist, Risk Management Specialist, and Community Corrections Supervisor. Most recently, Charlie worked as a Field Administrator, overseeing field operations over a 7 county area that included 10 Field Offices and the Everett Community Justice Center. In November of 2010, Charlie was appointed
Chief of Corrections with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Department by incoming Sheriff Will Reichardt. He began his Skagit County appointment January 1, 2011.
His present responsibilities include managing the current Skagit County Jail, as well as working with design and construction firms to build the new 400 bed Skagit
County Community Justice Center slated to open in June, 2017.
Ari Kohn, I was born 200 years ago in Orlando, Florida (1947). I earned a B.A. in Political Science at University of Washington-Seattle; I have earned University of
Washington’s Sharon Redeker Award, Highest Honors for Community Service Award, and Change Agent of the Year Award (2008). I have also earned the Thomas
C. Wales Foundation- Passionate Citizenship Award (2009), and the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Champion of Justice Award (2012). In
August 2005, I conceptualized and founded the Post-Prison Education Program to provide people returning from prison access to higher education and reduce
recidivism by helping the under-served to break free from cycles of poverty and imprisonment. Currently, with a staff of 13 we work with thousands of prisoners
before and after release. The Program is at least 86% successful with high risk to re-offend former prisoners and 92% to 94% successful with low to moderate risk
former prisoners. 100% of graduates become gainfully employed, from culinary arts to Attorneys, Electrical Engineer, Commercial Welding, and Human Services.
Debra Giard, started her career in January 2010 with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office as a lead facilitator with the SOAR (Student Opportunity for Achieving
Results) program and the Employment Coordinator working with clients and employers to secure gainful employment. In 2015, Ms. Giard was promoted to Program Coordinator where she is responsible for researching, improving, coordinating, promoting and developing needed resources for all in-house programs utilizing
evidence-based practices. Prior to the Sheriff’s office, she was with Chemeketa Community College for ten years as the Business Services/Training & Employment
Specialist for the Corrections Education and Workforce Development departments. She is also an adjunct faculty member for Chemeketa Community College.
Anna Whitlock, has been with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office since 2000, becoming Deputy in 2004 overseeing the Mental Health caseload in which she
was instrumental in administering the first Mental Health Court for the office. In 2010, Deputy Whitlock was appointed to the SOAR (Student Opportunity for
Achieving Results) program where she was the Parole Officer (PO) for the program. Throughout her tenure as the SOAR PO, she enhanced the program by utilizing
her vast knowledge and experience in providing effective services to program participants to ensure their success. Deputy Whitlock was promoted to Sergeant in
2015 overseeing the Transition Unit that provides PO assistance to all programs along with the Intake Unit that coordinates individuals who will be supervised by
Marion County Parole and Probation.
Nancy Green, until her recent retirement, Nancy Green had been with Chemeketa Community College since 1981. Since 2000 she has overseen the education
programs in the Salem Area Prison as the Executive Director of Corrections Education. In 2008, Nancy was involved in the initial and ongoing planning around
hosting a reentry program on the Chemeketa campus and what the program should entail. Through the partnerships created and the leadership of Chemeketa’s
president, Marion County Commissioners, and the Marion County Sheriff, SOAR became a reality in early-2010. Nancy supervises two of the SOAR staff and has
been a regular participant in the SOAR executive team and other committees supporting SOAR and other reentry initiatives in Marion County.
Brian Walsh, leads the Corrections education program for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. For six years he was Corrections
Education Director for Peninsula College where he pioneered the use of off-line web-based tools in college classrooms. He holds a Master’s degree in Strategic
Studies from the University of Aberystwyth and a Bachelor’s degree from Ripon College. In 2014 he was named a ConnectEd Champion of Change by President
Obama. His goal for the Washington College in the Prisons Program is to bring quality prison education to scale to significantly impact public safety.
John Clayton, is a Senior Executive who invested most of his professional career in the leadership of human service programs. He has served as the Assis-
tant Secretary for the Washington State Rehabilitation Administration (RA) since April of 2007. During John’s tenure in RA he has pushed for and accomplished
improvements in reentry and transition for youth, youth education and vocational training, as well as mentoring and access to community step down programs.
John’s leadership was expanded in February 2013 to include the Office of Juvenile Justice, Special Commitment Center, and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
He is committed to the use of evidence based programs and to tackling the issue of Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) in the juvenile justice system. With
all business areas in RA, John works to transform lives by creating new pathways for self-sufficiency for clients through employment, new opportunities, meaningful
partnerships and effective rehabilitation.
Eddie Parnel, is currently a senior at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. with plans to graduate in May 2016 with a dual Bachelor’s degree in art and
science. The Evergreen State College does not have majors, but it would be fair to say his primary focus is in biochemistry, and organic chemistry. Since his
release in March of 2014 Eddie has earned honors as the co-discoverer of the fully sequenced bacteriophage “SoilDragon”, and spearheaded an independent
research project of low pH bacteria at a superfund clean-up site in Redding, California. Eddie is honored to say that he has been the recipient of five different
scholarships over the span of two years. He has had the opportunity to speak at several functions including being invited back to the Washington State Penitentiary last June to address the newest graduating class. He plans to continue the pursuit of higher education with a Master’s degree.
For more information about corrections education contact Mike Paris, mjparis@doc1.wa.gov or Brian Walsh, bwalsh@sbctc.edu
Welcome to the first statewide symposium on Building Pathways from Prison to Higher Education.
Washington’s community and technical colleges have partnered with the Washington State Department of Corrections for decades
to provide high-quality opportunities for incarcerated individuals. As our colleges embark on building guided pathways for
Washington’s citizens we see this symposium as the first step to engaging you in the conversation on how to extend those pathways
from prison to higher education.
We hope the speakers and ideas you hear inspire you to return to your campuses to break down barriers for the men and women
who are returning to your communities every day.
Sincerely, MARTY BROWN, Executive Director, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
DAN PACHOLKE, Secretary of Corrections, Washington State Department of Corrections
WELCOME
9 a.m.
BRIAN WALSH, Policy Associate, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
KERI WATERLAND, Assistant Secretary of Offender Programs, DOC
JOHN CLAYTON, Assistant Secretary of Rehabilitation Administration, DSHS
9:40 a.m.
PRISON SCHOLAR FUND
WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION: THE RESEARCHER’S VIEW
MICHELLE TOLBERT, Senior Program Director, RTI INTERNATIONAL
BREAK
10:30 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITY FOR ACHIEVING RESULTS
NANCY GREEN, Director (retired), Chemekta Community College
DEBRA GIARD, Facilitator, Marion County Sheriff's Office
ANNA WHITLOCK, Sergeant, Marion County Sheriff's Office
11:45 a.m.
POST PRISON EDUCATION PROGRAM
GINA McCONNELL-OTTEN, Support Specialist, Post-Prison Education Program
LUNCH
Noon
FACILITATED STUDENT DISCUSSIONS
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE
1 p.m.
KEITH MARLER, Director of Worker Retraining
JOESEPH GARCIA, Faculty and Solutions Coordinator
KATHLENE WONG, Justice Involved Solutions Unit Instructor
2 p.m.
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
RUSSELL DORSEY, Re-Entry Program Specialist
COMMUNITY PANEL
2:10 p.m.
BRIAN WALSH
the box and troubleshoot ideas before they unforeseen problem arise. Past life experiences are what led him into the field of re-entry, and his passion for education
is what he wants to spread to others. As a true believer of the idea that education has the ability to improve the quality of life, Russell seeks to find ways to create
an easier path into college when faced with difficulties from the past.
Detective Kim Bogucki, is the co-founder of The IF Project, an innovative partnership between law enforcement, currently and previously incarcerated adults,
and community leaders to build commonality, reduce misperceptions and serve as a deterrent to recidivism and future incarceration. A 27-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department, Kim has developed nationally replicated programs that create dialogue around issues of social justice between members of law enforcement
and the communities they serve. The IF Project engages current and former inmates of the Washington Department of Corrections to share intimate accounts of
their experiences through writing and video diaries. This work creates a knowledge base that can educate communities and reduce the cycle of crime.
Gina McConnell-Otten, grew up on the “right” side of the tracks with the wrong set of circumstances. Her mother was a police officer who suffered from
Munchhausen by Proxy. As a child she would make Gina ill or injure her so she could make her better. On Gina’s twelfth birthday she ran away never to return
“home” again. She slept in 24-hr laundromats, burnt down abandoned cars or buildings and stole food out of Safeway dumpsters. She began selling drugs and
living the “street lifestyle”.
Dirk Van Velzen, is passionate about prisoner education. While incarcerated himself, he enrolled in correspondence courses and graduated in the upper 1%
of his class at Penn State, with degrees in Business Administration and Organizational Leadership. Seeing the many others who would walk a similar path, Dirk
founded the Prison Scholar Fund (PSF) and from behind bars raised $60,000, enough to provide 191 scholarships to inmates. Released from prison this May, Dirk
graduated from a Nonprofit Management certificate program at the University of Washington, won first place in the Social Venture Partners Fast Pitch competition
this October, and is heading to the Stanford Graduate School of Business for its Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship in 2016. Next on Dirk’s To-Do list:
open access to postsecondary education for all inmates in America
Keith Marler, has been the Director of Workforce Education at South Seattle College for over 16 years. With the support of the college and a tremendous team,
Mr. Marler has built one of the most successful workforce training platforms in the state of Washington. Mr. Marler and South Seattle College have successfully
blended programs that enable dislocated workers, English language learners, Workfirst clients, and Basic Food E&T recipients to receive the education and skills
that lead to a career. One of the hallmarks of education at South Seattle College is the I-BEST model (Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training,) which offers
skills programs to those with limited English proficiencies in a classroom setting where multiple instructors work side-by-side with each student. Keith Marler
previously served as a faculty member in South’s Business program, as well as a technical faculty member in the English Second Language and high school youth
programs. While in these roles, Mr. Marler developed South’s Corrections program. Mr. Marler received a B.A from Masters College and his Masters Degree from
Northwest Baptist Seminary.
Joseph E. Garcia, M.A., is a community activist & social venturist, developing and implementing community formation initiatives for over 45 years. Mr. Garcia
is a National Urban Fellow, with a certificate in social & public policy, Yale University; B.A., Seattle University & M.A., Occidental College. Mr. Garcia has served in
a number of executive positions, including as the Founder/Director of the Seattle Veterans Action Center (SEAVAC), former Commissioner of Washington State’s
Employment Service, Assistant City Manager, Beaverton, Oregon and Assistant to the City Manager, San Jose, California. Mr. Garcia has received many awards
for his community work including the United Nations Community Service Award, Seattle Chapter; the Governor’s Gold Pin for Exemplary Youth Service; WA State
Department of Correction’s Community Service Award; Pioneer Human Service Outstanding to Community Service Award; Alaska Airline’s Real Life Hero’s Award;
most recently, the AFT Washington’s first recipient of the Cesar Chavez Human and Civil Rights Award. He is a Faculty member at South Seattle College and serves
as Sr. Faculty/Solutions Coordinator, Justice Involved Unit, with a focus on Justice Involved Policy & Practices and founder & co-facilitates the Community Partnership for Transition Services in King County. He is a former migrant seasonal farmworker and is a Vietnam Veteran.
ing vocational and educational programs) provided in both the prison and the community. Keri has a strong commitment to, and is well versed in Lean principles,
and evidenced based, research based and promising practice programs. Through that lens, she believes that the best people to come up with ideas for how to
improve our systems, programs, and treatment of offenders comes from staff and community providers who interact with offenders on a daily basis, and from those
who are the recipients of our services.
Traci Matheson, began her educational journey while incarcerated at the Washington Correction Center for Women with the funding provided in part by the
STUDENT SPEAKER
EDDIE PARNEL, Student, The Evergreen State College
3:20 p.m.
education and reentry, transitions to postsecondary education, workforce development, and educational policy. Ms. Tolbert’s correctional education work includes
conducting research and developing policy-relevant reports for the U.S. Department of Education, including: Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Prisons: Providing Education and Workforce Training to Reduce Recidivism, which examines how partnerships between community colleges and prisons are formed,
coordinated, and funded; Community-Based Correctional Education, which describes similarities and differences among community-based education programs’
curriculum, instruction, instructor preparation, organizational structure, target population, and partnerships; and Take Charge of Your Future: Get the Education and
Training You Need, designed to help individuals in the corrections population get started or continue on the path to further education and training.
Most recently, Ms. Tolbert developed A Reentry Education Model: Supporting Education and Career Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals in Corrections and is
currently overseeing a demonstration of that model. This work includes revising the Model, developing a website and report to share lessons learned, and authoring
a policy brief on educational technology in corrections. In partnership with RAND Corporation, she is conducting the Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education evaluation.
Keri Waterland, is the Assistant Secretary of the Offender Change Division within the Department of Corrections, which oversees offender programming (includ-
RHIANNA JOHNSON, Corrections Education Director, Clark College
ARI KOHN, Post-Prison Education Program
KIM BOLGUCKI, Director, The IF Project
AARON KIRK, Program Coordinator, Community Integration Project, Skagit Valley College
CHARLIE WEND, Chief of Corrections, Skagit County Sheriff's Office
3:10 p.m.
Michelle C. Tolbert, oversees projects focused on improving policies, programs, and resources targeting low-skill adults. She specializes in correctional
Russell Dorsey, Switching from Multimedia and Social Media Marketing, Russell brings the talent of being creative on the fly. He has the ability to think outside
9:30 a.m.
DIRK VAN VELZEN, Prison Scholar Fund
THERESA “TRACI” MATHESON, Prison Scholar
Fund
SPEAKER BIOS
WHERE ARE WE GOING FROM HERE
Prison scholar Fund and has continued this journey after her release. She majors in Psychology at the University of Washington where she is named on the Annual
Dean’s List and is a member of Phi Theta Cappa. Her volunteer efforts have included AmeriCorps, The Women’s Village, FEPPS, The If Project, Speak to Violence,
and Safe Share.
SPEAKER BIOS continued on back