Kiana Henley is the HBCU Criminal Justice Research Hub Project Manager and also supports various writing and editing projects for the Center for Justice Research. Her background is in nonprofit consulting and academic editing in a wide range of fields, with a specific focus on the social sciences.

Her previous contracts include InPlay, an educational nonprofit, the Center for American Progress, and the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Focusing her research on racial equity in housing policy, criminal justice reform, voting rights, and the intersections of these three fields, her passions align with the Center for Justice Research’s focus on reducing mass incarceration and eliminating disparities within the criminal legal system.
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Kiana holds an M.A. in Public Policy and an M.A. in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, as well as a B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute.

Tammie Lang Campbell is a nationally recognized civil rights leader, author, and founder of the Honey Brown Hope Foundation, an award-winning 501(c) 3 non-profit that works from the schoolhouse to the courthouse to offer programming, resources, and support aligned with its causes—civil rights and environmental stewardship.

Under her leadership, the Foundation addresses the school-to-prison pipeline by providing direct advocacy support and resources—most notably the nationally recognized “How to Advocate for Your Child Toolkit for Black and Brown Parents and Guardians”; advocates for criminal justice policy reform; provides post-conviction advocacy support; creates educational programming to promote environmental stewardship; and supplements curriculum gaps in education through “History Talks” programs that have exposed over 5,000 youth and their families to the often untold civil-rights era history.

As a natural extension of her work, she has served on or as: Texas Southern University’s Center for Justice Research Residential Advocate; Harvard University School-to-Prison Pipeline Roundtable; First Female President of NAACP - Missouri City; Vicinity Branch; Education Chair of Texas State NAACP Conference; Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum; Fort Bend District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Committee Chair; and Harris CountyDistrict Attorney’s Transition Team member.

Campbell is most notably the recipient of the following recognition: National NAACP Image Award for Community Service; Top 25 Women of Houston; Jasper, Texas Key to the City; North Houston Frontiers’ Drum Major Award; Anti-Defamation League Award; and MVP Award from National Parents Union. She has also been recognized as Sophisticate’s Black Hair Magazine’s “Role Model Beyond Beauty” and by both the Texas and Hawaii House of Representatives.

She is a graduate of Alcorn State University and considers her two adult children, Shar-day and Dennis Jr., as her greatest blessings.

Gary Owens works with the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. He manages facility operations.

LaTosha Selexman has worked in public health for more than 10 years providing services and supports for underserved populations in the Greater Houston community.  She currently serves as the Bureau Chief for the City of Houston Health Department’s Bureau of Youth and Adolescent Health, the Community Reentry Network Program and the My Brother’s Keeper ReDirect Diversion Program.

Some of her prior social service experience includes roles such as the Program Manager for the Harris County Area Agency on Aging’s Care Transitions Program as well as the Information, Referral and Assistance and HICAP Benefits Counseling programs.  She also previously served as a Parole Officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Parole Division.

LaTosha is dedicated to supporting justice impacted individuals with successful community reintegration. Through her extensive experience in developing and fostering partnerships, she has been successful in cultivating community-wide collaboratives with the overarching goal of reducing recidivism. She has been instrumental in creating and maintaining a network of services and supports for justice impacted individuals to aid with workforce development, case management, access to care and more. Further, she has a wealth of practice and knowledge around implementing community and evidence -based reentry initiatives. She is responsible for coordinating efforts with correctional agencies and community-based organizations to promote advocacy, criminal justice system reform and to increase community awareness and outreach. She is a skilled presenter speaking locally and beyond sharing how the experience of incarceration and reentry impacts individuals, family members and the community. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Delta State University and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield. She also holds a Certificate in Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Her greatest joys are spending quality time with her family, reading, exploring museums, and traveling.

Damion JaDonne Walker, the founder of Kognitive Enterprises Inc., and Cognitive Justice Intl.(501c3) has received Congressional Recognition by US Representative Al Green, as a "CraigWashington Scholar”, because of his commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others. However, in 1993 at 16, Damion was arrested, certified as an adult for several aggravated offenses and after 17 years of incarceration he was released at the age of 33.

While in prison, Damion earned an associate's degree from Alvin Community College and was elected as gavel club president of Toastmasters and gravitated to public speaking immediately.

Upon his release from prison, Damion would go on to earn a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston in broadcast journalism, and be a requested featured speaker at events. However, through the organizations he founded, Damion is now working with formerly incarcerated, underserved communities, individuals with barriers and agencies looking to understand these populations.

Damion currently works at Harris County Public Health as the Community Coordinator for the Community Violence Interruption Program. He also serves on select boards and committees advising agencies on issues from workforce development, positive communication and cultural diversity. His recent appointment as a Community Advocate on the HBCU Criminal Justice Research Hub Project is a testament of his dedication and commitment to work of justice issues and solutions.

Juan J. Barthelemy is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Houston. He earned his Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2005, a MSW from Washington University in St. Louis in 1999, a Master of Arts in Education in the area of Educational Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa in 1995, and a B.A. in Psychology from Southern University at New Orleans in 1993.

Dr. Barthelemy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Board Approved Clinical Supervisor (LCSW-S). He is currently licensed in Texas and Louisiana. Furthermore, Dr. Barthelemy’s research interests revolve around criminal justice and law enforcement, justice-involved youth, and community engagement as an intervention to reduce violent crime. His professional practice experience includes working as a substance abuse treatment provider and a sex offender therapist in juvenile secure care facilities, as well as providing telehealth-based therapy. In addition to his clinical experience, he has conducted diversity workshops and other trainings. He has presented at international, national, and local conferences, and he has also published numerous journal articles and book chapters.

Nicola Davis Bivens is a Professor of Criminology at Johnson C. Smith University where she also serves as the Program Coordinator and is the 2023 recipient of the school’s Par-Excellence Teaching Award, 2022 Sit Lux Faculty Award, and the 2012 of the CATO Par-Excellence Teaching Award.  She is also a Research Fellow at the Homeland Security and Workforce Development Institute at North Carolina Central University.

In 2018, she received the York County (South Carolina) Office of Emergency Management Service Award and in 2020, was named a Summer Scholar for the National Humanities Center. For 30 years, Dr. Davis Bivens has studied, worked, or taught in the field of public safety and emergency management.  Nicola holds her BS, MS, and EdD degrees in criminal justice (respectively), as well as an MPA in Emergency Management. Her scholarship has appeared in the Studia z Polityki Publicznej [Public Policy Studies Journal], Journal of Education and Social Policy, Journal of Applied Security Research, Journal of Justice Studies, Paradigm Shift: An Interdisciplinary Journal on the African American Experience, Field Educator, and the Journal of Criminal Justice and Law Review. 

David A. Rembert is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Justice Studies in the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology at Prairie View A&M University. His current research, teaching, and consulting interests focus on violence, child maltreatment fatalities, corrections, and juvenile delinquency, especially as they relate to social justice.

He is also interested in child welfare, law, legal aspects, justice policy, offender risk assessment, and program evaluation. His recent published research has appeared in Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, and the Prison Journal. His professional career outside of academia includes practical experience as a case manager for Youth Villages and Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and as a correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. David is currently serving as vice president for the Texas Association of Criminal Justice Educators and president of the AAUP Advocacy Chapter at Prairie View A&M University.

Johnny Rice II, Dr.PH., MSCJ serves as Department Chair and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Coppin State University in Baltimore, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). He is also a Research Fellow in the Bishop L. Robinson Sr. Justice Institute where he is leading a student research team exploring the factors that influence young black men to possess firearms.

Before joining Coppin, he worked as a senior program associate at the Vera Institute of Justice in their Center on Victimization and Safety. He has spent the past 23 years providing leadership, technical assistance, and support to organizations that serve low-income fathers and families in the areas of child welfare, youth development, and criminal justice in efforts to create safe and stable communities. Before joining Vera, he worked as a public administrator for the Maryland Department of Human Services (formerly Department of Human Resources). At DHR, he served as the state administrator for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Program, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) Domestic Violence Program, the Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Program, and federal and state-funded Responsible Fatherhood programs.  His portfolio also encompassed Emergency Food and Homeless Services programs.

Previously Dr. Rice held the position of Chief Operating Officer and Director of the nationally recognized Men's Services Responsible Fatherhood Program at the Center for Urban Families in Baltimore. At CFUF, he assisted in developing a partnership with the House of Ruth Maryland Gateway Project, cited by Health and Human Services as one of the first collaborations in the nation between a responsible fatherhood service provider and a domestic violence abuser intervention program. Dr. Rice has served in the role of consultant, speaker, workshop presenter, and faculty member for the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), Futures Without Violence, Office of Family Assistance (OFA), and other recognized governmental, social justice, and fatherhood organizations. He formerly served as Board President for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV). Dr. Rice is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Baltimore Alumni Chapter "The Benchmark". He resides in Maryland and is a proud husband and father.

Additional Background (Early Career):

Dr. Rice's past employment experience covers a significant cross-section of diverse areas. While employed as a foster care worker for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services Mr. Rice was given the task of the reunification of families. He would often assist in devising treatment plans for parents in efforts to strengthen the fragile family unit. He has worked at a secured residential treatment center as a youth counselor providing structure and guidance for adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges who were deemed suicidal, homicidal, and AWOL risks. As an addictions counselor within the Maryland correctional system, Dr. Rice worked with incarcerated inmates teaching classes in Moral Problem Solving and Relapse Prevention. Working in corrections exposed Dr. Rice to low-income noncustodial fathers who were in need of a comprehensive array of support services (i.e. ongoing substance abuse treatment, domestic violence counseling, child support issues, and access and visitation concerns). He actively pursued resources to meet fathers’ needs. Before entering Human Services, Dr. Rice was employed in various capacities in the field of safety and security in the private sector.

Dr. Carla D. Brailey exudes an extraordinary presence, radiating brilliance, influence, and unwavering passion across every aspect of her life. As a distinguished Professor of Sociology and inaugural Senior Fellow of the esteemed Barbara Jordan Institute of Policy Analysis at Texas Southern University, she has cemented her status as an unparalleled thought leader and trailblazer.

With an unwavering commitment to addressing social inequality, Dr. Brailey's expertise encompasses the profound complexities of racism, classism, sexism, sexuality, and urban studies. Her intellectual prowess and groundbreaking research have earned her recognition as a credited expert in the field. In 2019, she co-edited the highly acclaimed book "Women and Inequality in the 21st Century," solidifying her commitment to championing social justice and equity in the United States. Anticipation surrounds her upcoming edited book, "Black Perspectives in Sociology," which is poised to redefine the narrative and reshape the discourse in her field.

Dr. Brailey's impact extends far beyond the walls of academia. As a committed public servant leader, she has shattered glass ceilings and made history as the first Black woman Democrat to run as Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 2021. Her strategic acumen and invaluable contributions as the Vice Chair of the Texas Democratic Party have left an indelible mark on the political landscape. Furthermore, her role as the Senior Advisor for the 2020 Michael Bloomberg for President Campaign of Texas exemplified her ability to build diverse and groundbreaking campaigns, solidifying her status as an unparalleled force in political strategy.

In addition to her exceptional career accomplishments, Dr. Brailey is the visionary owner and founder of the prestigious Frontrunners Strategic Management Group (SMG). This cutting-edge firm facilitates transformative change, offering strategic thought and analysis to companies focused on professional development, strategic planning, and training. Driven by a steadfast commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity, Frontrunners SMG empowers executives and small businesses to envision and actualize their long-term visions.

Dr. Brailey's journey as an educator and leader has been paved with exceptional achievements. Beginning her career as a middle school teacher at the renowned Imani School of Houston, she has since honed her skills as an exceptional lecturer at Howard University, Prince George's Community College, and the University of Houston. Her prowess as a captivating orator has garnered invitations from prestigious institutions and media networks, including MSNBC, NPR, Fox Network, and Houston Public Media, further solidifying her status as an influential voice and subject matter expert.

Earning accolades and recognition for her outstanding contributions is a testament to Dr. Brailey's impact and influence. She has been honored with the Barbara Jordan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, listed among the Top 50 Entrepreneurs of Texas in 2019, and celebrated as one of Houston's 50 Most Influential Women in 2018. The Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce recognized her as a Role Model for Women in the Fast Lane of STEAM, showcasing her inspirational leadership and unwavering dedication.

Dr. Carla D. Brailey is a true extraordinaire, leaving an indelible mark in academia, politics, and society. Her intellect, innovation, and unyielding commitment to empowering others have positioned her as a luminary figure, driving meaningful change and setting new standards of excellence. With her exceptional talents and boundless potential, Dr. Brailey continues to shape the future, transforming lives and inspiring future generations.