Annual Report Expo 1.26

ANNUAL REPORT EXPO/FREE

TABLE OF

Contents 0 4 0 6 08 A C H I E V E M E N T S

W O R D S F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R

THE CHALLENGES OPPORTUNITIES

LESSONS LEARNED

2 2

G O A L S & T A R G E T S

N E X T Y E A R

C A P A C I T Y & P A R T N E R S H I P S

2 4

26 42

M E E T O U R S T A F F

D O N O R S

2021 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL FINANCIAL DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS REPORT

ABOUT EXPO/FREE EXPO/FREE emerged in 2014 when formerly incarcerated people from around Wisconsin began to gather to discuss what it would look like to have our own statewide organization. Our members provide support to each other and organize to change Wisconsin’s unjust penal system. Previously imprisoned women and men lead EXPO. Our members provide support to each other and organize to change Wisconsin’s unjust penal system. We receive support from family members of currently and formerly incarcerated people and allies who have not experienced incarceration.

www.expowisconsin.org

Words From A Message from Jerome Dillard

Throughout 2021, we have continued to fulfill our mission to reimagine all systems that support mass incarceration and excessive supervision and build safe communities and healthy families. EXPO has had over 40 virtual events during the past year. Utilizing these webinars, town halls, and pieces of training to educate directly impacted people and family members on advocating for their loved ones.We continue to be the voices of change in Wisconsin. I want to shout out to Ramiah Whiteside and Kevin Cook for their efforts to bring attention to the state legislature’s efforts not to vaccinate incarcerated people with their “Running For Their Lives” event. They ran from Milwaukee to Madison (State Capital) over 80 miles in inclement weather. We continue to lead the “Restoring Our Communities” campaign with our partner’s WISDOM and its affiliates. EXPO offers support and specialized leadership training and engages those impacted by incarceration to reform our criminal legal system and restore our communities. FREE, founded by women members of EXPO, has grown tremendously during these uncertain times as we build our base and embrace EXPO/FREE. We are developing networks of directly impacted women around the state. Sharing their personal experiences around the issues that impact incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women has enlightened our communities on women’s issues.

The past year has been simultaneously challenging and inspiring as we navigated a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, police violence, mass protest, and a highly contentious political environment. In the midst of it all, I witnessed our communities come together in an encouraging way, and it makes me proud to be a part of it. We succeeded like never before to accomplish so much. As I think about a question that was asked of me from a brother behind the walls, “What will EXPO look like in the next three to five years”? Good question. My thoughts: we are all sacred people, and every person, young and old, is a gift who deserves to overcome fear and behold wonder. But too many are silenced and disempowered by the impacts of the criminal, immigration, law enforcement, foster care, and education systems. Wework for transformationand liberation through a combination of individual and collective healing, creating shifts in policy. Our vision is to transform the criminal injustice system and embark on a campaign to develop holistic community-based solutions to incarceration and create diversion and restorative justice opportunities. Our lived experience and knowledge will directly influence research, innovate, and transform flawed systems into the solutions that will meet our community’s needs. As formerly incarcerated people who are working to end mass criminalization. We must amplify the political consciousness, political power, leadership, and professional development of formerly incarcerated people.

www.expowisconsin.org

The Director

EXPO/FREE leaders have met with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Secretary and Administrative staff and have been instrumental in creating changes to reform how corrections operate in our state. We have been on four of the Governor’s task forces to bring the lived experience to these conversations. We continue to push the message that not only do we need to be seated at the table, but we also need to set the agenda and center our voices in the work to be done.

Nothing about us without us! The future for EXPO/FREE is Limitless! Jerome Dillard EXPO/FREE

EXPO/FREE SUCCESS EXPO/FREE started several campaigns in 2021 - Unlock the Vote and Locked Up on the Outside and EXPO-R are a few movements in progress. Despite challenges faced by the pandemic, we adapted and maintained continuous training of our members on legislative issues relating to us, and we have stayed active in the community utilizing technology and science to keep everyone safe. Our goal, our mission, is to close prison doors and open doors of opportunity. We bring people together across racial, social, and partisan lines to create a future with freedom and dignity for all. The ladies of FREE made a significant impact in 2021, bringing the challenges women face in Wisconsin’s carceral system to our community’s attention. We have done our part raising the profile of many issues impacting formerly Incarcerated and incarcerated people and our families. Through presentations and outreach, we succeeded in getting the gerrymandering issue into Milwaukee’s most prominent newspaper; Sunday front- page story! EXPO/FREE saw our input succeed within the state budget process, winning a $3 million per year increase in the Treatment Alternatives and Diversions programs, which will keep hundreds of people out of prison and thousands out of jail. The women of EXPO/FREE fought and saw amendments made to a punitive bill that will punish parents for incarceration by taking their parental rights away. That fight is ongoing, and we will be there sitting at the table, ensuring the voices of those directly impacted are heard. EXPO/FREE members spoke at hearings sponsored by the Governor and the legislature, and we created a lot of buzz. We take that as a sign that we were being taken seriously. One of EXPO/FREE’s proudest successes has been to stop the Department of Corrections from regularly referring to people in prison as “offenders.” Instead, as a direct result of EXPO/FREE’s advocacy, the DOC now calls them “persons in our care.” Dane County Sheriff adopted the same language for those in its jail at the request of EXPO/FREE.

www.expowisconsin.org

RECLAIMING WOMENS FREEDOM '

Ambition With Heart FREE is the women’s division of EXPO Wisconsin. We were born in 2016 when women who were active in EXPO recognized a need to bring attention to the unique experiences of women impacted by the criminal legal system. According to the Vera Institute (www.vera.org), women are being incarcerated at an alarmingly accelerated pace; since 1988, the female population at jails in Wisconsin have increased 1008% and 897% in Wisconsin prisons. FREE believes women need and deserve a safe place to lift their voices, their experiences, seek solutions, and find support as they walk their journey to wellness, healing, advocating for change, and true freedom! Our founders Catoya Roberts & Sarah Ferber launched the FREE campaign in 2016; they were joined by Melissa Ludin, Rachel Westenburg, Yolanda Perkins and a few other directly impacted ladies .

FREE Achievements Continued

With the support of the Wisconsin Partnership Program Collaboration Fund, Ouida Lock was hired in June 2019 to be an organizer in Milwaukee, and Sarah launched a chapter in Chippewa Valley. They began to organize and gain recognition by sharing their experiences at town halls, sitting on committees related to incarceration, SUD, MH, developing relationships with other impacted women, allies, and decision makers. They began hosting issue cutting meetings with other directly impacted women and allies in their respective areas. Women across the state identified vital concerns that ensured economic safety and security, housing safety and security, and family unification.

“FREEDOM COMES WHEN WE RECLAIM IT...”

In July of 2020 FREE received the funding from the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters to hire 5 staff. FREE has three regional chapters in Milwaukee led by Organizer Christal Arroyo Roman, Dane County led by Organizer Latoya Greer &; Chippewa Valley led by Organizer Nycki Wallsch. We have a Statewide Program Director, Tamra Oman (launching a chapter in Fond du Lac), and our Program Resource Development Coordinator, Ivory Roberts.

www.expowisconsin.org

Ambition With Heart EXPO/FREE was very successful in 2021 in recruiting, training, and supporting members in providing testimony at budget hearings. In total, over 50 members showed up to testify. Again, this resulted in a $3 million increase to Treatment and Diversion Programs and helped shut down (or amend) some terrible proposals, including one that targeted our children for perminent removal from homes based on the parent’s incarceration alone, frightening. EXPO/FREE held six “Locked Up On the Outside” (Prisons Without Walls) public events, each attended by 25-75 people and attended by Community Corrections Regional Community Chiefs of the regions these events held, also State Legislature and County officials. EXPO held our first-ever gala (EXPOnential) in October to celebrate its successes and the successes of EXPO members. More than 200 people attended; nearly half were formerly incarcerated EXPO/FREE WISCONSIN ACHIEVEMENTS

EXPO Achievements Continued people, and the entire program was planned and executed by EXPO members. (Please see the digital version for the video). Also in attendance at the gala were the Secretary of the Department of Corrections, the Chair of the Parole Commission, Dane County Sherriff, and several judges and elected officials were also in attendance. EXPO/FREE held training events for more than 100 new and prospective members during 2021. Among those trained are six members who are prepared to do intensive, door-to-door outreach in Milwaukee during 2022. Oneof EXPO’s longest-runningcampaigns has been to close Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF). This inhumane facility built to house people being held on revocation holds was built to hold about 450 people. In 2019, it had a

“EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE”

regular census of over 1,000 people. Due to our relentless advocacy, which includes pushing for reduction, the number of people detained for “holds” the daily population of MSDF has declined to less than 300. This reflects the kind of achievements EXPO earned in 2021. Legislative change is nearly impossible; policy changes and rule changes are possible but cumbersome. EXPO Achievements Continued

www.expowisconsin.org

Chippewa Valley

Ambition With Heart EXPO in the Chippewa Valley worked with UWEC Nursing students, DHS, FREE, and The Chippewa Valley Justice Action Team on a project titled “Returning To The Community, A Quality Improvement Project.” The goal was to raise awareness about the gaps and resources needed to support individuals returning to the community from incarceration. Objectives: Support individuals returning to the community. Identify barriers and address program gaps that are important for success and health. All this was done by listening and uplifting voices of those with lived experience. In working with nursing students and other community partners this project is aimed towards also reducing stigma around incarceration. EXPO Leaders spoke on WPR about improving the parole and probation system. Host Clara Neupert welcomes Kelly Mahoney- EX-incarcerated People Organizing or EXPO; Mike Felton, a corrections field supervisor with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Probation and Parole department; and

Nycki Wallsch- Reclaiming Women’s Freedom of the Chippewa Valley, to talk about the efforts to improve parole and probation in western Wisconsin. “Locked Up On The Outside” Chippewa Valley held a forum with members of the Department Of Corrections and EXPO leaders to raise awareness around community corrections. EXPO Leaders went and spoke to a class of UWEC students about the reality of mass incarceration and how it is a public health issue. Chippewa Valley is working towards

bringing those with lived experience to every table. EXPO this year has a seat on the CJCC in Chippewa County and is working on one in Eau Claire County. GOALS > > > >

Goals we worked on in the

Chippewa Valley this year: - Bridging the gap and working towards changing the narrative - Policy changes and connecting with decision makers - Addressing mental health and trauma in our jails and community - Social Determinants of Health Training - Peer Support

- Positive re-entry - Support Groups - Housing

- Resource guides for the DCC - Voter Engagement and RVP

Work closely with elected officials and community organizations working on criminal justice reform Bringing individuals in our community with lived experience to every table.

www.expowisconsin.org

Ambition With Heart The EXPO MKE Chapter has worked with the Mayor’s office, District attorney’s office, and the County Executive office to help find ways to quell the going gun violence within the city that continue claiming the lives of our community members. We have made connections with the violent prevention program in Milwaukee sponsored by the city to further assist in giving the young people an alternative to guns and street violence by causing them to focus on more productive ways to thrive. We will be working with young people to change their behavior and make better decisions to stop the school-to- prison pipeline. Our goals this year are to be more straightforward in our communication and work with others to build sustainable organizational growth. Milwaukee

Milwaukee Achievements Continued

Throughout the year, EXPO MKE has been able to use one-on-ones to continue to grow the chapter membership base despite the COVID issues that have tended to keep people from meeting in personal spaces. We also managed to get a few volunteers to come in and help out at the office by responding to letters from incarcerated individuals and making calls to people regarding EXPO community work.

“OUR GOALS THIS YEAR ARE TO BE MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD IN OUR COMMUNICATION AND WORK WITH OTHERS TO BUILD SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH. ”

COVID-19 did not wane as wholly or quickly as any of us hoped. EXPO/ FREE has adapted and persevered in our efforts to be heard. We have embraced meeting virtually and supporting our members in navigating this new norm as safely as possible. We faced and continue to challenge policy proposals that sought to make crimeless revocations easier, terminating the parental rights of incarcerated parents, and creating a monopoly within the DOC at the expense of the people in their care. Th Ce HALLENGES

OPPORTUNITIES

OPPORTUNITIES & EXPO-R

The post-George Floyd racial justice awakening (and related situations in Wisconsin) helped EXPO in a way. It produced an atmosphere in which people seemed more able to see what we have known all along about the racial disparities and the criminal legal system. 2021 saw two groups within EXPO really grow and begin to thrive. The FREE campaign (of, by, and for formerly-incarcerated women) really took off in 2021. They were able to find some funding for themselves and have become an established group within EXPO. 2021 also saw the establishment of EXPO-R (Exposing the Power of Opposing the Registry), which focuses on people who are on the (“sex offender”) registry. This is the group that is most easily and mindlessly mistreated by the system and by society. The Registry includes far, far too many people and the restrictions many of them face are senseless and, in many cases, create huge problems like homelessness.

EXPO-R: Opposing the Power of Exposing the Registry. Established in 2021, it is a campaign to focus on the issues faced by those on the Sexual Offender Registry. This group is challenged mercilessly by arbitrary and punitive restrictions that bar restoration and create unnecessarily harsh obstacles, including homelessness.

W W W . E X P O W I S C O N S I N . O R G

We have learned we must walk a fine line between advocacy and direct service. In short, we need to do both. If we only put our efforts into helping people with their many needs in housing, employment, obtaining therapy, finding legal advice, etc., we would become overwhelmed and unable to work on policy changes. But, if we only work on policy changes and political education, we would be unable to engage and support the many people who need us and want to join us. We have learned to offer a hand when we can, and we reach out to our brothers and sisters with dignity and respect, inviting them in a meaningful way to gain the care and support we also need in return—joining our voices. Wisconsin imprisons one in 36 black adults. On October 16, 2021, the Sentencing Project Report confirmed the state’s deep racial disparities in incarceration, which one advocate calls “a slap in the face.”(www.sentencingproject.org) We know our work is long, but we know we have your support and we will never give up.

www.expowisconsin.org

Capacity & Partnerships

C EXPO/FREE’s capacity grew tremendously in 2021 and we thank our partner WISDOM which is a statewide network, comprised mainly of faith-based organizations. WISDOM began with Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope’s (MICAH) founding in 1988. It has now grown to 12 affiliate organizations across the state of Wisconsin from Eau Claire to Kenosha. WISDOM is also blessed to include the statewide EXPO (EX-incarcerated People Organizing) network and the Menikanaehkem organization on the Menominee Reservation. We work on campaigns fighting for immigrant rights and to correct the narrative around formerly incarcerated individuals, and much more. Our priorities have expanded to include P

multi-issue work from a faith-based lens as we fight for racial, social, and economic justice for

all. WISDOM is a proud member of the national Gamaliel Network.

NEXT YEAR

In 2022, EXPO/FREE will continue to expand its work on “Unlock the Vote” and “Locked Up On The Outside.” Our goal is to ensure that the issues of rights restoration and extended supervision are front and center, and that candidates for the State Legislature, Governor, and even US Senators need to address them. EXPO/FREE will continue to expand our base. We intend to grow our Milwaukee base significantly. Part of the plan for that group will be to do door-to-door outreach. We will re-organize our chapter in the Fox Valley (Oshkosh/Appleton/Green Bay), and continue the steady growth of the Racine/Kenosha, Madison and Eau Claire chapters. The FREE Campaign is poised to expand, as is the EXPO-R group (those working on issues related to the Registry). We are looking to restructure our Statewide and local connections to all for a more fluid process to effect change. We are introducing much of the infrastructure needed to operate onboarding for all staff, fellowsand interns, ITPrograms (HR,DonorManagement, policiesandprocedures).Weare looking to grow more full-time staff to strengthen sustainability across the state as we are rapidly growing.

In the Fall of 2021, EXPO/FREE launched a new internal series focused on Strategic Planning. These meetings were held in person with most of our EXPO and FREE staff.

We kicked off the first one in October 2021 in Madison. The Strategic Planning focused on team building as well as the correlation between personal and professional goals and what our team would like to focus on for the rest of the year and upcoming in 2022. We had data presented from surveys conducted by leaders, which helped us formulate what areas to focus on and guide priorities. The second meeting was held in Madison in November. The focus of this was to build off the last meeting. We focused on chapter building (supported by data-driven feedback) and discussed who we are as an organization through a conversation about writing Our Statement of Belief. The third meeting was held in Milwaukee in December. This meeting focused primarily on team building and a new communications strategy. For the year 2022, we are launching a new series for Strategic Planning that will have two tracks: Team Strategic Planning & Individual Strategic Planning. This series will focus on how to be strategic as an individual team member and build as a team strategically.

www.expowisconsin.org

GOALS & GOALS

. We aim to develop specialized trainings to support directly impacted people to thrive while on supervision and empowering those same individuals to share their stories to bring about change in legislative policies and practices. Our staff are regularly called upon for interviews with local and national media, and in 2022 we plan to leverage our own wisdom and expertise to expand our visibility further as we continue to educate and put pressure on officials to reform the unjust penal system in our state. We believe that as we have more live events, and as we are more systematic in our outreach we can grow our total membership by at least 40% in 2022. We hope that by strengthening our infrastructure, we will be able to greatly increase our impact in the community to increase the number of people who speak against and for bills that affect those in the legal system. We hope to train more directly impacted people to thrive while on supervision while also changing policies through our new campaign, Locked Up on the Outside and Unlock the Vote which was newly relaunched. We hope to have everyone on our staff as well as a total of 185 directly impacted people across the state to be trained as EXPO Peer Specialist to work in the communities and within correctional facilities to move towards lowering recidivism rates, as well as start a strong movement of the false necessity for prisons.

. our membership, those who attend the training and all of our events. We will also track all the bills we actively speak for or against, whether or not they went in our favor. We will also be tracking our base building and how that is impacting this on supervision. We will track the number of EXPO Peer Specialists trained and their impact in the community and correctional facilities and alongside police. TARGETS We will track TARGETS

TARGETS

2021 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL FINANCIAL DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS REPORT

“EXPO/FREE works to end mass incarceration, eliminate all forms of structural discrimination against formerly incarcerated people, and restore formerly incarcerated people to full participation in the life of our communities.”

The table and chart

on the next page illustrates the specified amounts distributed to each of our five areas:

EXPOWISCONSIN.ORG

Training/Education/ Fellowship Services

$110,000

20.75 %

$29,000

5.4 %

Special Events

$16,000

3 %

Fundraising

$128,000

24.15 %

Affiliate/Administrative

$144,000

27.17 %

Infrastructure

RAINING/Education/ Fellowship Services

20.75 %

PECIAL EVENTS

27.17 %

UNDRAISING

5.4 %

I I

N FRASTRUCTURE

3.0 %

24.15 %

FFILIATE / ADMINISTRATIVE

EXPO/FREE

corrections staff. In each of these roles, as well as in his weekly radio show, Jerome creates space for and elevates the voices, stories, and needs of system-impacted individuals. Further, his talent for developing relationships built on mutual trust and accountability has allowed him to work with organizations as diverse as Dane County, the Department of Corrections, and Nehemiah. As a result of his experiences and expertise, Jerome is unique in being recognized by both system-impacted individuals and those on the outside as a leader in re-entry and reform.

Jerome Dillard, the Statewide Director and Co-Founder of EXPO, has a long history of working with and for system-impacted people. Based on his own experiences with incarceration, he sees prison as a form of genocide that drains people of hope for their future. Through EXPO, he seeks to restore that hope by advocating for change in the system that structurally discriminates against so many people and their families. His purpose is to ensure that system-impacted people are treated with dignity and respect and that they receive the resources and support they need to thrive in their communities upon release. involves direct mentoring of system-impacted individuals as well as policy reform with legislators, judicial officials, and Jerome’s work

“ F O R T O B E F R E E I S N O T M E R E L Y T O C A S T O F F O N E ’ S C H A I N S , B U T T O L I V E I N A W A Y T H A T R E S P E C T S A N D E N H A N C E S T H E F R E E D O M O F O T H E R S . ” -Nelson Mandela

Ramiah Whiteside is the Associate Director and Prison Relational Voter Program Inreach Coordinator for EXPO and WISDOM. After 25 years of incarceration, Ramiah began his work with EXPO in 2019 with the purpose of shining a light of awareness and truth where others refuse to acknowledge. Through daily contact with men and women currently incarcerated in Wisconsin, he learns about what is happening inside Department of Corrections facilities that is often kept hidden – either purposefully or by negligence – from people on the outside. For example, Ramiah found out that at least eight

people he knew personally died from COVID while inside when they could have been released years ago. Those individual’s stories – and many others like them – shine light on how little some communities care about the lives of those who are incarcerated. Ramiah draws on these stories and his own to support system- impacted individuals in living and thriving inside and outside. He also uses his powerful voice to share these stories with legislators, media, and communities to advocate for change within the system. His goal in all of this work is to see the use of any form of incarceration be the absolute last resort, rather than the first choice, in our penal system. “Maybe it is cheaper to bury us than care about us to some people.”

“ R A M I A H M A I N T A I N S D A I L Y C O N T A C T W I T H

P E O P L E C U R R E N T L Y I N C A R C E R A T E D T O P R O V I D E F E E D B A C K . . . ”

Mark has earned an M.S. in Urban Studies and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management & Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2016, he received the Distinguished Leadership Award from MICAH (Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope) and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congresswoman Gwen Moore for his work to end mass incarceration. Mark has contributed his expertise on the carceral system to numerous media outlets, including USA Today, Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Capital Times, Urban Milwaukee, Truthout, NBC 26, WISN 12, CBS 58, the Daily Beast, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Mark Rice currently serves as the Communications Coordinator of EXPO. worked as the JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA) Lead National Organizer. In this role, he worked closely with JLUSA’s campaign partners and members to build a movement to cut the number of people under correctional control in the United States in #halfby2030. Mark previously Mark the #CLOSEmsdf Campaign, aimed at decarcerating Wisconsin, shuttering MSDF (Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility), and redirecting resources to build communities. He is a founding member of EXPO and a founding member of WISDOM’s ROC (Restore Our Communities) Wisconsin founded Campaign. In addition, he served for over six years as a board member for Project RETURN, a nonprofit organization in Milwaukee that helps people leaving prison make a positive and permanent return to the community.

Follow Mark on Twitter @ricermark.

Brittany Lee focuses on striving to grow through laughter and deep conversations. She focuses on creating sustainability, growth and growing legacies in our community. Her background is in strategic planning, graphic designing and the legal system with a focus on the impact of the carceral system. Brittany graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Legal Studies and a certificate in Criminal Justice. Additionally, she has a certificate in Coding from UW- Extension. Brittany works as the Operations Director for EXPO Wisconsin, an organization that focuses on policy and advocacy for those impacted by the legal system.

In her free time she ventures to parks around the Madison area with her dog, King T’Challa, reading, live storytelling and finding new local coffee shops! She joined EXPO in 2019 as a member and joined the staff team this past summer. She brings an acute sense to detail in understanding policies and the law.. Her love for liberating people through influencing policy comes from her deep interest in the people in our community thriving and utilizing the policies to do just that.

Kelly Mahoney works as an Executive Assistant, Fellow, and a Leader for the EXPO chapter in the Chippewa Valley. She is also a leader for the Free Campaign. Kellyworks with other organizations in her community, and represents EXPO at many tables. She is the Co-chair for JONAH’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force where she brings lived experience to the discussions. She participates in a number of action groups in the

Chippewa Valley working on mental health and criminal justice reform. She is trained in peer support and uses her knowledge of resources to help walk with others through their journey. Kelly is also a sociology major at UWEC. Kelly is directly impacted and believes in working towards creating just systems through advocacy and policy change.

Tamra Oman is the new statewide director for the FREE Campaign. She is honored to have been given the gift of working with an incredible team striving to develop spaces to lift the voices of women impacted by the justice system and empower them to address the unique challenges they and others face. The goal is to restore women’s rights and dignity and create a platform where her voice and experience can influence change and transform self, family, community, systems, and the world. We aim to offer a culture where women can heal, grow, and become all that she is created to be! When she writes HER-Story, she advocates for herself and every woman seeking to do the same. When she is empowered, we all win! Prior to this role, Tamra worked 12 years for DHS as a Human Services Program Coordinator Recovery Support Specialist at the Wisconsin Resource Center; a mental health treatment facility classified as a prison. She was the first “peer” to be hired in the state of Wisconsin to work in a prison in the past 30 years. Tamra is the 2015 recipient of the State of Wisconsin’s Virginia Hart award. She is a national speaker, consultant, group

facilitator, and believes deeply in cultivating a culture of hope, healing, and compassion for all. She is a co- founder of Hope Road – Soul Punch Skill Training (with love), a consulting business. Her audiences range from corrections, residents within the system, judicial folks, lawyers, law enforcement, juvenile justice, school systems, county agencies, community support agencies, Peer Support Agencies, SAMSHA grantees, and participants at many, many conferences. Over the last 17 years she has been working with individuals in the criminal justice system with addiction and mental health challenges. She has also been an AODA Counselor for 10 years. She has facilitated Thinking for a Change, Anger management, Domestic Violence groups, Stories of Change, and assisted people with reentry planning. She has sat on many committees, developed programs, and helped develop policy and procedures that represent the voice of those we serve. She has also been a part of helping to develop a Peer Support Program that has an interest in creating an environment that is also mindful of the potential for vicarious trauma and its effects on the individuals who work serving others.

the ladies of the FREE Campaign to advocate for the needs of incarcerated women. Her goal with FREE is always to ensure that women are included in conversations regarding issues of incarceration as they are frequently overlooked. The work that she does that she is most proud of is being a support for other loved ones of people inside the WI Prison System. Having endured her mother’s, brother’s, husband’s, and nephew’s incarceration, Peggy uses that experience to help advocate for and train the families of WI’s incarcerated to be a voice for their loved ones. She hopes to help create a DOC where family is recognized as a support for the successful reintegration of our loved ones.

Peggy West-Schroder is the South East WI Coordinator for EXPO based in Milwaukee, WI. Peggy is directly and indirectly impacted, having been affected by Mass Incarceration since birth. After serving 14 years on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, she now uses her previous legislative experience to help EXPO push for much-needed change in the WI Criminal Justice System, trains EXPO’s leaders to pursue changes they would like to see in the system, and coordinates the “Unlock the Vote Campaign” Statewide hoping to restore voting rights for people as they come out of prison. believes those closest to the problem are the closest to the solution and wants to see a Wisconsin where directly impacted people are represented on all decision-making committees and task forces within the WI Department of Corrections (DOC) and the State Legislature. Believing everyone needs a voice, Peggy proudly assists Peggy strongly

Sylvester Jackson is the Lead Organizer for EXPO. He was born and raised in Chicago, IL, where he got involved with street gang organizing at nineteen. He is self-educated with the help of God and earned his H.S.E.D. while serving 20 years in a Wisconsin prison. In prison, Sylvester embraced his relationship with God, which led him on his current journey advocating and organizing to uplift the community through spreading knowledge. Before being released from prison, Sylvester decided to dedicate his life to help end mass incarceration, the systematic attack it has on the black community, and the generations of lost lives. Sylvester that the community has the right to be informed of any and all corruption that is taking place within the Department believes

of Corrections and any and all other public institutions that use tax dollars. He has been victorious after filing several civil lawsuits against the DOC while incarcerated, to God be the Glory. He also believes that once a person is released from prison, they should have all their rights reinstated, especially their right to vote. InNovember of 2019, Sylvester received the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition of the Elijah O’Neal Award of Excellence and the Elijah O’Neal Service Award from Project Return for his commitment to change and the betterment of the community.

Many things can be said about Carl Fields, but lacking a transformative story isn’t one of them. From starting a prison sentence as a broken vessel to leaving it early as an accomplished returning citizen, you’d do well to get to know an EXPO Change Agent like him! As the first-elected Vice President of Ex-incarcerated People Organizing, Carl has pushed hard to ensure that people-first language, not old-world pejorative speech, is the vernacular used to describe EXPO’s members and their experiences. Becoming a leader entails taking a stand where they are and saying enough is enough! While in prison, in the course of 5 years, Carl went from being a student in Cognitive- Behavioral and Conflict-Resolution classes to facilitating them. He worked as a Program Aide for CGIP, DV, Anger Management, and the onsite ReEntry Programs; A Certified Tutor through PLA/LVA Learning Volunteers of America, and a Braille Transcriptionist certified by the Library of Congress. He also received his set of Community- Organizer tools from the Gamaliel National Leadership Training, hosted @ UW Parkside in 2016. Being a role model in prison for almost 16yrs taught him a powerful

thing: those who showed him humility in the face of his previous bad behavior were owed an enormous debt of gratitude. Peer-trained in Rational Emotive Therapy and Restorative Justice Concepts, Carl has been able to work with some of Racine City’s vulnerable populations with informed grace. Currently Fields works as the Program Manager at the Hospitality Center, a drop-in Day Shelter in Racine, WI. He actively sits on the Boards of a number of organizations, including Racine Vocational Ministries (Racine’s ReEntry Program) and 9to5 (a WI women’s group working for equity and policy change). Part of the WISDOM network as a Racine Interfaith Coalition (RIC) member, part of WISDOM’s Racial Justice Core Team, and chairman of the local ROCWI task force. He also serves as the interim Community Organizer for the start-up chapter of EXPO for Southeast WI, which covers Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth.

LaToya Greer is one of our Madison organizers and is the portrait and definition of a proud woman. LaToya raises her beautiful daughter with grace and love despite surviving severe trauma and life letting her down at every turn. LaToya moved to Madison in May of 2016 to begin what she calls her “Devine Journey”. Her greatest passion is to bring healing to those who have been impacted by trauma, stress, and let-down by life. She is why we have all heard those among us who have been hurt the worst are often the kindest…

“I believe it takes a village, so I organize in my community and around my neighborhood to bring peace and unity amongst my fellow peers” LaToya Greer

Christal Arroyo Roman is a directly impacted organizer for the FREE Campaign in Milwaukee WI and a paralegal. Having earned her paralegal degree while incarcerated, Christal uses her experience with sentencing adjustments to assist those impacted by the criminal justice system. She believes her experience is her voice to advocate and uses her lived

experience to help directly impacted women find their voices, restore their dignity and build them up into being productive leaders in the community. She is a strong supporter of Criminal Justice Reform.

“ H A V I N G E A R N E D H E R P A R A L E G A L

D E G R E E W H I L E I N C A R C E R A T E D , C H R I S T A L U S E S H E R E X P E R I E N C E . . . ”

Marianne Oleson joined EXPO/FREE in the last quarter of 2021 and is honored to be reorganizing the EXPO/FREE Fox Cities chapter. As a directly impacted individual, she has experienced firsthand the many ways our current penal system is broken. Those lived experiences drive her passion to ensure that other people do not have to go through the same suffering and hardships she endured. Her work with EXPO allows her to live out that passion by connecting with other system-

impacted individuals to pursue hope in a context too often defined by despair. Marianne uses her experience with business development, coupled with her formalized knowledge from studying Social and Criminal Justice at the University of Arizona, to support EXPO’s leadership and growing membership. With her passion for learning and understanding the world around her, she plans to pursue a degree in law so that she can have a direct hand in ending mass incarceration and replacing it with equal, dignified and transparent restorative justice in Wisconsin. In doing so, her work is driven by a desire to honor the humanity of all people.

“ M A R I A N N E O L E S O N J O I N E D E X P O / F R E E I N T H E L A S T Q U A R T E R O F 2 0 2 1 A N D I S H O N O R E D T O B E R E O R G A N I Z I N G T H E E X P O / F R E E F O X C I T I E S C H A P T E R ”

E X P O W I S C O N S I N . O R G

Nycki joins the team as a person who is directly impacted by the system. Nycki spent time in and out of jails along with time on supervision due to her substance abuse. She also spent years battling DHS to get her kids back. “As an impacted person I know how hard it can be to find a job, get a place to live, and even stare into the face of people who look down on me because of it. The stigma that is associated with these things can feel unbearable.”

Nycki chooses to use her personal experience to help fight and advocate for change in policies in our system. Nycki also is a member on numerous boards in the Chippewa Valley regarding mental health and substance abuse.

“ N I K K I J O I N S T H E T E A M A S A P E R S O N W H O I S D I R E C T L Y I M P A C T E D B Y T H E S Y S T E M . ”

Ivory Roberts is the Program Resource Development Coordinator for FREE Campaign. She was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both of her parents have been previously incarcerated, but Ivory considers herself lucky that she wasn’t negatively affected by this as so many other families have been and continue to be. She recognizes the disparities and inequalities in the Justice System towards Black People and wants to use any power she has to change this. from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. Currently, she is in law school and will graduate in 2023 with a Juris Doctorate. She hopes to use her future law degree to promote change Ivory graduated

in her community and show other Black Girls that they can overcome their adversities and follow their dreams. It’s important to Ivory that her success story becomes the rule and not the exception for the people in her community. She believes the only way to do this is to create a new system where Black Children are given the same opportunities as their counterparts. Education is key. Mental Health is also vital to Ivory. As someone who has struggled with mental health, she believes it is important for people to keep up with and recognize when they need help. When doing this type of work in the community where trauma becomes a common conversation, it is imperative to know when you need to take a mental break and care for yourself. You cannot take care of others when you’re not taking care of yourself.

“ . . . S H E B E L I E V E S I T I S I M P O R T A N T F O R P E O P L E T O K E E P U P W I T H A N D R E C O G N I Z E W H E N T H E Y N E E D H E L P ”

E X P O W I S C O N S I N . O R G

narrative around who has knowledge and expertise related to the carceral system. Her primary focus is on grant writing and using writing to elevate the lived realities of incarceration for the local community unaware of its harms.

Dr. Rosemary Russ is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison as well as the coordinator of the Tutoring Program inside the Dane County Jail. As an ally, her purpose in her work with EXPO/FREE is to follow alongside system-impacted people to change the local and state

“ A S A N A L L Y , H E R P U R P O S E I N H E R W O R K W I T H E X P O / F R E E I S T O

F O L L O W A L O N G S I D E S Y S T E M - I M P A C T E D P E O P L E T O C H A N G E T H E L O C A L A N D S T A T E N A R R A T I V E A R O U N D W H O H A S K N O W L E D G E A N D E X P E R T I S E R E L A T E D T O T H E C A R C E R A L S Y S T E M . ”

MEET OUR 2021 FELLOWS

EXPO/FREE relies on the expertise of many system-impacted individuals to advance the work of restoring formerly incarcerated people to full participation in life in our communities. These fellows draw on their personal experiences and knowledge of the system to both directly mentor system-impacted individuals and to organize around changing the narratives and policies of incarceration. Through their work, EXPO/FREE has created a strong community of system-impacted individuals who can support and sustain one another.

Ron Schroeder

Michael Bell

Aaron Hicks

Shannon King

Dennis Franklin

Kyle Brown

Eugene Crisler

REFLECTIONS

MEET OUR 2021 EXPO/FREE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS Catoya Roberts

Catoya is one of the Co-Founders of FREE. FREE is a group of Formerly Incarcerated women working to create systemic change to the incarceration system in the State of Wisconsin. FREE is the women’s division of EXPO (Ex- incarcerated People Organizing). She is a trainer and facilitator. The main focus of her work has been in the criminal justice legal system, voting rights/civic engagement, youth organizing, public health (health equity), and race equity. Catoya was born and raised in Milwaukee,WI. She receivedherBachelor’s Degree at Hampton University. Her faith and love for people led her into the world of organizing, and she continued doing this work for more than ten years. Catoya is a licensed and ordained Minister at New Covenant Baptist Church in Milwaukee.

Catoya recently transitioned jobs and is now the National Director of Movement Building at the Children’s Defense Fund. Previously she was the Deputy Director of Campaigns and Strategy at the Advancement Project National Office. In 2019 she was appointed by Governor Tony Evers to the Public Health Council of the State of Wisconsin, where she’s been able to help lead the council in Racial Equity training. Currently, she is in her last year of the Robert Wood Johnson’s Culture of Health Leader Fellowship.

Dr. Gee

Rev. Dr. Alexander Gee, is Lead Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, president and founder of the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development and its renowned initiative, Justified Anger. Gee is a husband and father, as well as a writer, adjunct faculty worker, community activist, life coach, international lecturer, and relief worker. Gee is considered a serial social entrepreneur, having started five successful companies and initiatives, and currently directs nearly 40 employees. For almost 30 years, Gee has established himself as a thought leader in leadership development and cross-cultural relationships, bothnationallyand internationally. Locally, through Dr. Gee’s vision, the programs of Nehemiah have focused on youth empowerment and leadership development, family and community wellness, economic development, and reentry services for the formerly incarcerated.

Karen Reece

Karen Reece, PhD is the Vice President of Research and Education, at Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development. Dr. Reece is involved in strategic planning and manages a continuous/dynamic evaluation program to ensure forward progress and quality control. She runs an annual public education workshop series on the criminal justice system highlighting racial disparities and delivers training upon request for churches, businesses, and other community organizations. Dr. Reece serves as Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at the UW- Madison School of Medicine and Public Health where she develops curriculum for and co-instructs Intersection of Health Care and Incarceration.

Thank You

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Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education to addressing the needs of our local communities. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. We’re focused on finding new ways forward by safely reducing incarceration, providing fair chances for those impacted, and lifting the voices of people closest to the problem. To best empower our criminal justice work at a critical juncture, reform must occur, and we believe it should include those impacted.

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Catholic Campaign for Human Development

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is the domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. The belief that those who are directly affected by unjust systems and structures have the best insight into knowing how to change them is central to CCHD. CCHD works to break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities. CCHD offers a hand-up, not a handout.

Circle for Justice Innovations

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American’s rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process. At Campaign Legal Center (CLC), we are advancing democracy through law, fighting for every American’s right to participate in the democratic process. CLC uses tactics such as litigation, policy and advocacy, communications, and partnerships to win victories that result in a more transparent, accountable and inclusive democracy. Our long-term goal is a government responsive to the people.

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