Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans return home from prison to re-establish relationships, find jobs, find places to live, and navigate numerous barriers that await them. Prison education is part of the answer to helping people successfully re-enter society and break cycles of incarceration. Join us for a conversation with:
- Gerard Robinson, the former Secretary of Education of Virginia and the co-editor of the 2019 book Education for Liberation: the Politics of Promise and Reform Inside and Beyond America's Prisons
- Tierney Fairchild, Executive Director of Resilience Education, which offers incarcerated students high-quality business education to improve employment outcomes and re-entry success
- Josh Pritchett (UVA McIntire '19), an instructor in UVA's Books Behind Bars Program and former resident of the Bon Air Juvenile Correction Center
This event will be moderated by Alex Hernandez, Dean of UVA's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Zehmer Hall 104 Midmont Lane (parking is free and plentiful)
Reception to follow hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Outreach.
More about panel participants:
Gerard Robinson
Gerard Robinson is the Executive Director of the Center for Advancing Opportunity, in Washington, D.C., an organization that supports faculty and students interested in exploring the removal of barriers to opportunities in fragile communities. He is the former Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia and former Florida Education Commissioner. He is the co-editor of the 2019 book Education for Liberation: the Politics of Promise and Reform Inside and Beyond America's Prisons.
Tierney Fairchild
Tierney Fairchild, Ph.D. is the co-founder and Executive Director of Resilience Education, an organization that stops cycles of incarceration by improving employment outcomes and re-entry success through high quality business education in partnership with Darden MBA's. Since the program was founded over eight years ago, Resilience Education has over 500 program graduates, and with nearly 200 MBA volunteer instructors, has helped 93% of released graduates stay out of prison by providing educational opportunities within correctional facilities.
Josh Pritchett
Josh Pritchett, originally from Richmond, VA, is a 2019 graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce who currently works at UPS Global Headquarters in Atlanta, where his team leads the global, enterprise-wide transformation of the company. He is also a former resident of the Bon Air Juvenile Correction Center and a participant in the Books Behind Bars program at UVA. His journey changed when he resolved to shed difficulties of his past as a troubled teen and tells a remarkable story of the power of education to enable growth. Pritchett has been featured on NBC's Today Show and in the Washington Post.
Alex Hernandez
Alex Hernandez joined the School of Continuing and Professional Studies as Dean in September of 2018. Hernandez writes frequently about the future of learning, and has a special interest in increasing college access, success, and career readiness.
Link to Event Website:
Hosted by the UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies.