PGI2023 was a great success thanks to the following:
University of Mary Washington for sponsoring this year’s event.
Mr. Marcus Hodges: Breakfast Keynote presentation on “Breaking Chains Through Human Connections” to change the criminal justice system.
Mr. Marcus Hodges, Associate Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency in Washington DC, began a trajectory of impressive public service when he joined the Virginia Department of Corrections in 1992. Throughout his career he has worked to promote those programs and processes that support the reintegration of released offenders to the community. Experienced in prisons, community corrections and probation and parole, Mr. Hodges joined the National Institute of Corrections, as a Correctional Program Specialist with the Community Corrections/Prisons Division. With a primary focus on Community Corrections, his tenure included work in the areas of offender’s transition from prison to community, evidence-based practices in corrections, and pretrial services. Other focus areas included programming on promoting a Positive Corrections Culture and managing the Multi-Generational Workforce. As a former Chief Probation and Parole Officer and Regional Administrator for the Virginia Department of Corrections, Mr. Hodges promotes strategic and innovative risk management, offender programming and comprehensive and robust processes for reintegration success. In 2015, Mr. Hodges was named to Governor Terry McAuliffe Committee for Parole Review and worked on associated sub-committees to develop an in-depth review of the efficacy of the Parole system. In 2018 he received the Middle Atlantic States President’s award for innovation in Corrections.
Dr. Tori Stone shared the importance of “responsible” trauma informed care for students, educators, and parents. The teacher and parent are the emotional base for students. VIEW Presentation below.
Dr. Tori Stone, PhD, LPC, has more than twenty years of experience as a school counselor, counselor educator, and national presenter. As an Assistant Professor and the Clinical Coordinator of the Counseling program at George Mason University, Dr. Stone trains both School and Clinical Mental Health Counseling students in counseling skills and theories, creative counseling interventions, and practical, theory-based approaches to work with children and teens. Dr. Stone has delivered more than 200 presentations at the local, state, and national level on Teen Brain Development, Creativity in Counseling, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and many other related topics. She works in consultation with the Virginia Department of Education as well as several school divisions to provide practical training for counselors, teachers, parents, and students with the aim of increasing mental health and wellness in school communities.
Ms. Barbara Gustavson focused on a neuro-based approach to brain health to live a balanced life. You can tell your brain what you want and it will help you match your behavior to get it. Our brain is always listening. VIEW Presentation below.
Mrs. Barbara Gustavson, Founder of Discover Next Step, is a consultant and certified facilitator/trainer who works with community helpers, leaders, youth, and professionals who want to improve their thinking, learning, relationships, resilience, and emotional wellness. Whether facilitating one-on-one sessions, leading small workshops, or engaging the audience during a public speaking event, she utilizes brain-based strategies to help people use their strengths and abilities to make a difference. She is heavily involved in her local community, working with other like-minded individuals on issues affecting society, such as criminal justice reform. On a larger scale, she works closely with Dr. Daniel Amen, M.D., who is a #1 New York Times best-selling author, double board-certified psychiatrist, professor, and brain health expert. She serves as the Head Facilitator for his Brain Health Licensed Trainer Course through Amen University, supporting over 7000 coaches, speakers and brain health trainers who are teaching wellness and resilience courses in over 30 countries. Additionally, she is the author of Permission to Be BOLD and co-author of Breaking Average: The Seven Critical Factors to Team Strong Leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Park University of Missouri and is currently in graduate school for her Master’s in Psychology. She is expected to graduate in Fall of 2024.
Ms. Alyssa Monteleon: Lunch keynote shared her plight as a daughter of a father who spent several years incarcerated. Upon his release, they attended and graduated law school together. They have a firm in New York and Fredericksburg.
Alyssa Marie Monteleon, Esq. is an estate planning and elder law attorney at the Monteleon Law Group, PLLC. She helps families, individuals, and couples plan wisely and make important legal decisions related to growing older. Alyssa earned her law degree from Touro Law Center and a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Estate Planning and Elder Law from Western New England University. Alyssa is admitted to practice in Virginia and New York. In addition, Alyssa received her Master of Science in Counseling from Mercy College where her graduate work focused on working with young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome. Alyssa grew up as the child of an incarcerated parent and now practices law with her father, who successfully earned his law degree, his license to practice law, and a Master of Laws in Taxation and in Trial Advocacy after returning to the community from serving time in a federal correction institute.
Mr. Jarvis Bailey shared tools on creating an environment for success, noting that “ADHD” is not a disability, it’s a gift. Use it wisely. VIEW Presentation below.
Mr. Jarvis Bailey always believed that he was created for something unique - and it only took him 60 years to figure it out! Once he did, Jarvis began the spirited pursuit of bringing to life his vision to impact lives, add value, and inspire others by helping them find their focus and purpose. Having served in multiple industries, Jarvis is ideally positioned to help people bring clarity and fulfillment to their life. Born on Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore, Jarvis began his leadership journey as a high school quarterback. He continued his education at Virginia Tech, Duke, and Old Dominion University. He entered military service as an Army Chaplain and served in the Gulf War. From veteran to healthcare manager, business owner, pastor, non-profit director, educator, and elected official, Jarvis has committed his life to assisting others in discovering and living their unique design. Having written his first book in 2008, with his second book to be finished in 2023, Jarvis continues to demonstrate his dedication to helping others in practical ways, as demonstrated in his book "Three Minutes with God: A Weekly Devotional For Inspiration and Encouragement." Today Jarvis leads his company, Legacy Coaching, as a Career & Personal Growth Expert. "I'm on a mission from God to get the right people, in the right seat, on the right bus, going in the right direction."
Ms. Deb Lokrantz talked about restorative practices, ACES (Advanced Childhood Experiences), resilience and creating a trauma-informed community.
VIEW Presentation below.
Ms. Deborah Andrus-Lokrantz, MA, has volunteered on community committees and other initiatives in Planning District 16 over the last 25 years. She believes that service to others is one of the strengths of any community and has volunteered with numerous non-profits, the latest being Micah Ecumenical Ministries. She is currently a Coordinator of Professional Learning/Restorative Practices and Conflict Management for Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS), working to build a strong and equitable culture, strengthen relationships within the school community, and facilitating discussions working toward accountability and healing when harm has been done. For the past 10 years, Deb has facilitated different groups for Empowerhouse, the local domestic violence agency, focusing most of her time with the groups who have been court-ordered to attend, encouraging growth, change and self-forgiveness to move on with life in a healthier and more positive way. Before her current position with SCPS, as Program Director for Office on Youth, she helped implement Restorative Justice by training and consulting in three local school districts - Stafford, Spotsylvania, and King George, along with supporting youth who were court-involved, along with their families. Previously, she spent 15 years with the Family Educator Program at Spotsylvania Department of Social Services working to either reunite families when their children had been removed into the foster care system or strengthen families so that they could stay together. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership and a master’s Certificate in Restorative Justice in Education from Eastern Mennonite University, and has had further Restorative Justice training with the International Institute for Restorative Practices, the Alliance for Unitive Justice and the Richmond Peace Center.
Ms. Katina Howard summed up the day with the “Power of Today” - the cost of incarceration vs. education.
Ms. Katina Randle-Howard, as a community servant and advocate for the underserved, has worked in the human services and human resource industry for well over 20 years. She has lived in Planning District-16 for most of her life and has seen the evolution of our region. At the peak of the pandemic, she found herself coordinating services for the less fortunate, those who were overwhelmed and honestly many that were sincerely afraid. That opened the doors for a contract role in Public Health with the Virginia Department of Health for all 5 localities in Planning District-16. This further heightened Katina’s desire to be the voice for those who too often are forgotten. Katina has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology and a master’s in public administration. Through many years of advising, collaborating and program management, Katina took the leap of faith and began her own business resource and consulting firm, The Transformation Lab. Through her experience in business development, human resources and outreach, Katina has created a unique opportunity for small and large organizations, for- profit and non-profits alike to invest in their employees through professional development, while scaling for organizational growth with businesses who are community minded. Her goal is to create a holistic space of empowering people, while creating stronger organizations through collaboration and establishing strategies for scalable growth to invest in the sustainability of our community. Katina remains committed to making a difference, demonstrating those core values that she was taught and working daily to reinvest that back into the community in hopes to affect generations to come.
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