Annual Event: October 28, 2025
Thanks to you, JHA’s event was a great success!
Miss it? Don’t worry, you can watch the recorded event here.
Our 2025 raffle winners were Debi Smith ($25 Jeni’s Ice Cream gift card) and Iris Kerbis (Starbucks gift basket)
We were proud to recognize the following individuals for their commitment to criminal justice reform (check back soon for their acceptance videos):
Commitment to Change Award: Yaacov Delaney, Justice, Equity & Opportunity Initiative, Office of the Lt. Governor
Legislators of the Year: Illinois State Senator Graciela Guzmán and Illinois State Representative Gregg Johnson
Outstanding Dedication Award: Elaine Nekritz, Nekritz Amdor Consulting LLC
Excellence in Research Award: Amanda Ward, Loyola Chicago Center for Criminal Justice
JHA thanks our generous event supporters:
Platinum
The Bluhm Family Foundation
Parole Illinois
Brian Massengill and Mayer Brown LLP
Regenia Stein & Roland Roaches
Anne & Bob Sullivan
Paul & Sarah Jane Titterton and GATX
Gold
Walter Burnett, Jr.
Terry & Annette Faulk
Amanda Penabad & Stephen Brokaw
Dick Sullivan
Patricia Unsinn
Silver
Rick Artwick
Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP
Eileen Bevis
Jane Addams College of Social Work
Loyola University Chicago Center for Criminal Justice
John & Bozena McLees
Michael Linden & Anna Zambelli and Jenner & Block LLP
Wintrust
Bronze
Arthur & Colleen Herzog Don in honor of Arlene Don
Mr. Gary Elden & Ms. Phillis D. Mandler
Illinois Department of Corrections
Joseph Vosicky, Jr.
Winston & Strawn LLP
We thank Jaime Campanelli for photographing the event.
Keynote speaker: Shelley Winner
“Bridging the gap between incarceration and opportunity”
Shelley Winner is a justice reform advocate, entrepreneur, and founder of Winner’s Circle, a transformative digital training program that equips incarcerated individuals with vocational and mindset development tools. Drawing from her lived experience, Shelley empowers justice-impacted people with the skills and belief systems needed to succeed in business and life. She has shared her story on the TEDx stage and was featured on PBS NewsHour for her journey overcoming bias in the tech industry. Her mission is to bridge the gap between incarceration and opportunity by reducing recidivism and unlocking human potential behind the walls.
Spoken Word Artists
Robert Matthew Reed &
Orion Meadows
Robert Matthew Reed is a justice-impacted individual who served 27 years for a crime he committed as a youth. After trial after trial, Robert turned away from violence and helped to found the Building Block Program in Danville Correctional Center. Since his release in October 2019, Robert has worked in the violence prevention field. Robert is currently employed with Integrity and Fidelity, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide support and mentoring to at-risk youth in the Englewood area of Chicago. Minor poet and member of St.James and Bright Star Ministry, Robert is passionate and courageous in his efforts to show forth the Love of God in this life journey.
Orion Meadows is a 2024 and 2025 National Spoken Word Award winner and the 2024 Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies Slam Champion from Chicago, IL. He uses his poetry as a form of activism to bring awareness about issues such as poverty, mass incarceration, and the violence that has become prevalent and normalized in our soceity. He teaches Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence at The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago and is the Media Manager for Adler University’s Illinois Coalition for Higher Education in Prisons. Orion also is a member of the editorial board of Stateville Speaks, a newsletter circulating throughout the prisons in Illinois, and sits on the board of Chicago Area Peace Action as an advisor in urban community violence intervention and policies concerning prison reform and higher education for the incarcerated. He is an author of three publications: Birthmark, Inside The Box, and The Rose That Grew Through The Barbwire.
It’s not too late - you can still make a donation to support JHA!