A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO
Over the past 15 years, the Petey Greene Program has had a profound impact on thousands of incarcerated people across our country. Through the magic of education, the Petey Greene Program’s staff and volunteers have provided a safe place for intellectual growth, confidence building, career preparation, and human connection. Importantly, the Petey Greene Program, through our extensive volunteer network of college students, educators, and stakeholders, has also paved the way for us all to better understand the challenges facing those people entangled in our carceral systems and the prejudice that often powers our country’s revolving prison doors.
At the Petey Greene Program, we believe that education is one of the magic ingredients in making necessary change happen. We can leverage our work to change the culture around incarceration while ensuring that all of our students have the opportunity to thrive in their educational and career journeys. For the Petey Greene Program, now is the time to simultaneously deepen and expand the scope of our important work and further commit to helping those impacted by the criminal legal system to create a future filled with promise.
The heart and soul of the Petey Greene Program remain with our students, volunteers, and donors – all who join us in the pursuit of elevating education with dignity, empathy, and humanity. Together, we can make magic happen.
OUR MISSION
The Petey Greene Program supports the academic and career goals of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people through high-quality tutoring and other educational programs, while serving to educate our volunteers and the public on the manifest injustice in our carceral system.
OUR VISION
We envision a world in which all people directly impacted by the criminal legal system have access to high-quality educational programming. The Petey Greene Program will inspire our alumni to become advocates and leaders in transforming the criminal legal system.
HOW WE GOT HERE
The PGP is named after Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene (1931-1984), a pioneering Black media personality, community organizer, and civil rights activist who used his wit and popularity to shine a spotlight on structural inequality and systemic racism. Formerly incarcerated himself, Petey Greene was a consummate storyteller and truth teller who used his talents to raise awareness about issues ranging from poverty and income inequality to domestic violence and often spoke about the structural barriers facing formerly incarcerated people.
The Petey Greene Program (PGP) was founded in 2008, long after Petey Greene’s death, by Charlie and Cordie Puttkammer. Charlie Puttkammer, a progressive Princeton graduate, met Greene in 1965 when both men worked at the United Planning Organization in Washington, D.C., supporting formerly incarcerated people. Although they worked together for just a couple of years, Petey Greene’s charisma and commitment to social justice made a lasting impression on Puttkammer. “It simply had to be the Petey Greene Program because of my memories of Petey Greene, ” Puttkammer explains.
The PGP seeks to honor Petey Greene’s legacy of social justice advocacy and truthtelling by supporting the educational journeys of currently and formerly incarcerated students and educating both tutors and the public about the ways in which, in Petey Greene’s words, “something [is] wrong with the system.”
THE MAGIC WE’VE MADE
Since its founding, the Petey Greene Program has tutored nearly 19,000 students at over 120 tutoring sites in correctional facilities and reentry programs. We've placed more than 4,000 volunteer tutors and recruited from more than 40 partner universities in seven states and the District of Columbia.
THE PUTTKAMMER CENTER
FOR EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY
The Puttkammer Center for Educational Justice and Equity was founded in 2024 to generate and disseminate research on carceral and reentry education, with a focus on tutoring, academic support, and college and career readiness programs. This work builds on the PGP’s expertise and its network of researchers, practitioners, and advocates, while centering the voices and experience of system-impacted people.
The goal of the Puttkammer Center is to serve as a catalyst for research and policy proposals that promote access to high quality education behind and beyond bars, while supporting the strategic and sustainable growth of the PGP through landscape analyses and program evaluation.
The Puttkammer Center advances the goals of the 2024-2028 strategic plan through three core initiatives:
NATIONAL THINK/ACTION TANK: The Puttkammer Center will bring together researchers, practitioners, and system-impacted learners to collect, generate, and disseminate research and policy proposals that advance educational justice and access for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners at the pre-collegiate level
NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM: The Puttkammer Center will create a community of learning and practice within the PGP through a fellowship program that prioritizes students and scholars impacted by the criminal legal system
INNOVATION LAB: The Puttkammer Center will collaborate with PGP regional and national staff to design, pilot, and evaluate evidence-based innovative programming, with the goal of identifying best practices and lessons learned that can advance the field of carceral and reentry education as a whole.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF OUR 2024-2028 STRATEGIC PLAN
Increase the number of students served by high-quality PGP programming, by replicating our established program models within our current footprint and expanding to three additional states/regions
2 Diversify the offerings of the Petey Greene Program to meet the individualized educational needs of system-impacted learners
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Build and support a more diverse and inclusive volunteer and alumni body
Generate research on the impact of PGP programming and establish the Petey Greene Program as a subject matter expert in education and tutoring support in carceral and reentry spaces
5 Implement a strategic business development plan
GOAL 1: Increase the number of students served by highquality PGP programming, by replicating our established program models within our current footprint and expanding to three additional states/regions.
WHY THIS PRIORITY?
The Petey Greene Program supports the academic goals of more than 1,600 students each year. Since our founding in 2008, we have served more than 18,000 learners. While these numbers are higher than any other provider of similar tutoring services in the US, they still represent only a small percentage of the millions of students who are incarcerated and impacted by the criminal legal system in this country.
The PGP is uniquely positioned to become the go-to provider of tutoring and other educational support programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners across the country, thanks to our extensive network of partners, our ability to train, manage and track large numbers of volunteers, and our experience operating in multiple states and in a broad range of settings, from federal detention centers, prisons, and jails, to reentry and diversion programs.
In order to reach growing numbers of students, we will expand our programs within our current footprint, while promoting our successful model nationally and replicating it in at least three new states or regions.
2 TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE WILL...
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Increase the number of students served by the PGP by 10-20% annually by replicating and expanding established PGP programming within our current footprint, through strategic partnerships with academic institutions, workforce development agencies, correctional facilities, reentry, and diversion support programs
Pilot programming and establish regional offices in three new states/regions, ensuring that each new regional office has a long-term sustainability plan and organizational infrastructure is in place to support our growth
IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS, WE WILL...
Increase the number of students served by 10% compared to 2023
Codify the PGP tutoring and college readiness programs, identifying the ideal models for scale
Pilot the expansion and replication of model PGP programming, including both tutoring and college readiness programming
Hold panels and speaking engagements in national forums on college bridge and tutoring programs to promote the PGP’s work and program model and generate expansion opportunities
Develop a blueprint to sustainably expand the PGP beyond our current footprint
Increase the number of students served by 15% compared to 2024
Engage in regional strategic planning processes to prioritize expansion and replication efforts based on each regional landscape
Evaluate and strategize around program staff infrastructure to ensure regional sustainability and sufficient support for regional staff
Continue to consolidate the presence of the PGP in the national forum, promoting our work and model through conferences, publications, committee work.
Pilot programming in at least one additional state/region
GOAL 2: Diversify the offerings of the Petey Greene Program to meet the individualized educational needs of systemimpacted learners
WHY THIS PRIORITY?
In its first decade, the PGP focused on providing tutoring for incarcerated adult learners pursuing their high school equivalency or engaged in adult basic education classwork. As part of our 20202023 strategic plan, we diversified our offerings and the populations we serve.
Recent legislative and policy changes, advances in digital technology, and ever-changing labor market demands highlight the need and opportunity for the PGP to continue on this path, developing a broader array of programs that build on our core model of academic tutoring to address the individualized and diverse academic needs of people impacted by the criminal legal system. Key unmet needs that have emerged via insights from students, partners, funders and policymakers, include digital literacy, Spanish-Language, English Language Learning (ELL), literacy programming, and academic support for workforce development programs.
The Petey Greene Program is ideally positioned to address these needs. Our model, based on oneon-one tutoring support, is highly flexible and it enables us to tailor programs to the needs of diverse groups of students. In addition, thanks to our extensive network of partners, we are able to provide a continuum of educational opportunities from adult basic education to higher education and workforce development, behind and beyond bars - a best practice that is increasingly recognized in the field. Building on these strengths and our students’ requests, over the next five years the PGP will continue to diversify its programs, with a focus on college readiness, English Language Learning, workforce development and reentry.
TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE WILL...
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Refine and develop the College Bridge program as a national model
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Expand tutoring support to meet student needs in the academic components of workforce development, high school equivalency in Spanish, and digital literacy
Refine and expand programming that provides a continuum of support for students to achieve their educational goals leading up to release as well as post-incarceration
IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS, WE WILL...
2024
2025
Stay tuned for our 2026-2028 plans!
Replicate College Bridge math and writing courses at two additional sites
Finalize agreements with colleges, universities, and prison education programs to create a pipeline to higher education for College Bridge program alumni
Pilot tutoring programming to support students with their high school equivalency in Spanish
Pilot tutoring programming to support students with academic components of workforce development
Based on pilot results and funding opportunities, determine 2025 priorities for replication of programming and tutor/staff training and support needs
Assess system-impacted students’ educational support needs, leading up to release as well as post-incarceration
Evaluate PGP’s current educational programming in the reentry space, determining key factors in success and/or common challenges in establishing a continuum of educational support for system-impacted students
Research other successful models of educational programming in the reentry space to inform replication and expansion of PGP’s programs for formerly incarcerated students
Replicate College Bridge math and writing courses at two additional sites, including a reentry program
Track 1-year outcomes for College Bridge program alumni in at least one site
Pilot tutoring programming in digital literacy
Pilot English Language Learning and literacy programming
Develop additional trainings to ensure volunteers are effectively prepared to support students in the pilot focus areas
Provide training and support to current staff to prepare them to manage volunteers and students and lead programming in the pilot focus areas
Develop a model for PGP educational programming in the reentry space, with the goal of providing a robust and consistent continuum of educational support for students both pre-release and post-incarceration
Pilot the updated PGP model for educational programming in the reentry space
GOAL 3: Build and support a more diverse and inclusive volunteer and alumni body
WHY THIS PRIORITY?
Our core model leverages college students and members of the community to serve as volunteer tutors and instructors for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students. Extensive research confirms that this model is beneficial not only for students, but also for tutors, who develop leadership and pedagogical skills through tutoring and mentoring, and are rewarded by seeing the students’ progress.
While other volunteer tutoring programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people exist, the PGP stands out thanks to its unique training and support program as well as the sense of community among volunteers. In particular, we recognize that those directly impacted by the criminal legal system should be leading the work to reduce the harm of the carceral state and reimagine the criminal legal system. Given the disproportionate representation of Black people in our country’s carceral system, over the last several years we have specifically focused on developing a model program to elevate and support Black volunteer tutors, through our HBCU Forward Initiative. Across our regions and beyond, we now have the opportunity to build on this foundation to expand our tutor pool and apply the lessons from the HBCU Forward Initiative more broadly to ensure that we are offering robust support to volunteers throughout their experience with the PGP.
IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS, WE WILL... 2024
Develop inside tutor training curriculum and pilot first cohort of inside tutor trainings
Hire an Equity, Inclusion, and Volunteer Engagement Fellow under the Puttkammer Center for Educational Justice & Equity to codify the PGP’s campus group and campus support initiatives
Review and evaluate the current operations of campus partnerships and campus leadership groups across all PGP regions
Hire an Equity, Inclusion, and Volunteer Engagement Fellow under the Puttkammer Center for Educational Justice & Equity to continue and expand upon the HBCU Forward Initiative
Evaluate effectiveness of current support efforts at Howard University, in conjunction with overall campus group assessment efforts, to identify recommendations for replication at an additional HBCU and/or PWIs
Begin to identify PGP volunteer and student alumni through current event sign-ups, donation forms
Lead a communications campaign and develop referral materials to identify student alumni
Hire the first cohort of two fellows, focused on research and development and equity, inclusion, and volunteer engagement
Collaborate with colleges and universities to create funded short-term fellowships (summer and fall) for undergraduate students
Determine funding model for inside tutor training offerings
Expand the inside tutor training to additional sites
Evaluate opportunities to continue our support of inside tutors through ongoing follow-up trainings, tutor management, etc.
Develop a model for campus partnerships, campus groups, and campus leadership operations, in coordination with the evaluation and implementation of campus-based HBCU Forward recommendations
Implement PGP’s codified campus group model across all regions and campuses
Strategize with and support regional staff in recruiting, elevating, and supporting PGP volunteers who identify as Black or system-impacted, establishing both organization-wide best practices and region-specific processes
Formalize PGP’s on-campus recruitment strategy, resources, etc. in coordination with campus support recommendations
Collaborate with experts in the field to expand to an additional HBCU Pilot recommended volunteer support activities at an additional HBCU and/or PWI, coordinating with overall campus support strategy and efforts
Provide recommendations for national and regional staffing structure to ensure robust support of Black or system-impacted volunteers, in coordination with campus support efforts
Transition the PGP’s development team and donor management activities to Salesforce
Develop a plan to identify and follow student alumni, in coordination with our academic data strategy and community-based program model
Determine priorities and staffing needs to support a full alumni network
Expand the fellowship program, welcoming a new cohort of fellows and adding a third position.
Strengthen relationships with correctional partners to hire currently incarcerated fellows with fair wages
GOAL 4: Generate research on the impact of PGP programming and establish
the Petey Greene Program as a subject matter expert in education and tutoring support in carceral and reentry spaces
Tutoring and mentoring programs, curriculum reviews, college readiness programs, and academic support interventions have long been known to be key for ensuring students’ success in secondary and postsecondary institutions alike, especially for first-generation students and older students. However, existing scholarship focuses almost exclusively on community-based secondary and postsecondary institutions. There is a dearth of research on how established best practices can be adapted to the needs and opportunities of carceral environments, and on what programs best support the unique needs of learners impacted by the criminal legal system.
The PGP is ideally positioned to serve as a catalyst and incubator for research on holistic, individualized educational services and pathways to college success for incarcerated students that addresses the gap in existing scholarship. Not only have we developed an extensive network of evaluative partners, but, as the largest multi-state provider of tutoring and college readiness services in the US, we can learn from programs in a broad range of geographical contexts and facilities, from short term jails to federal facilities, from youth to adults.
Refine the PGP’s data collection systems and strengthen data sharing agreements with the PGP’s partners 1 Conduct evaluations, led by both internal and external researchers, on the impact of the PGP’s programs on the educational and employment outcomes of our students and the experience and outcomes of volunteers 2
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Identify and promote best practices in education in carceral and reentry spaces, with a focus on tutoring and college and career readiness
Advocate for policies that advance access to high-quality education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners 4
IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS, WE WILL...
Finalize template data agreements for general data collection and FERPAprotected data collection
Pilot various student roster, intake, attendance tracking, and data collection methods to determine the ideal approach to student data collection
Develop Salesforce to better track student information, namely student attendance and tutoring hours
Ensure infrastructure and technological tools are in place to meet data privacy and security requirements for FERPA-protected student data
Pilot intensive data collection and tracking at select partnerships
Analyze results of volunteer experience survey and continue to collect responses
Pilot two rounds of a student feedback survey in partnership with Listen4Good
Pursue funding for external studies of student outcomes and analysis of volunteer experience survey data
Build data collection and analysis infrastructure for student outcomes and participation
Partner with faculty and graduate students at the PGP partner colleges and universities to conduct case studies on the PGP programs and students
Create a national “Think & Action Tank”, holding monthly meetings with a core group of 6-8 researchers and practitioners, including at least two currently or formerly incarcerated scholars who will be compensated for their participation Members of this group will share their ongoing research projects and identify the Think/Action Tank priorities
Publish case studies on successful pedagogical and program models in peer-reviewed journals
Explore potential for future advocacy opportunities via Chief Executive Officer’s current activities and relationships
Determine organizational advocacy priorities, with a focus on deepening and expanding educational support and educational opportunities for system-impacted people
Replicate and expand data collection efforts to include more program sites
Determine regional and national staffing needs to support continued growth in collection, tracking, and utilization of student data
Begin to analyze student data collected from pilot data-collection programs
Pursue funding for external studies of student outcomes and analysis of volunteer experience survey data
Partner with external evaluators to conduct large-scale studies of the effectiveness of the PGP tutoring and college readiness programs
Expand think/action tank to include up to 10 members
Identify and pursue a research project building on the interests and expertise of think/action tank members
Organize the first annual conference of the Puttkammer Center for Educational Justice and Equity
Publish program evaluation results and outcome studies in peer-reviewed journals
Generate and disseminate position papers in line with the PGP’s advocacy priorities
GOAL 5: Implement a strategic business development plan
As a non-profit leader in education in the correctional and reentry fields, financial sustainability for the organization must be at the forefront of meeting our strategic goals and objectives and to achieve the highest standards of management, business operations, and fiscal responsibility and accountability. Donors, funders, foundations, and stakeholders entrust the PGP with funds collected and our intentionality managing these funds must be strategic and align with the PGP mission and vision. A strategic business development plan will help the entire PGP organization to remain true and good stewards of funds received and help us to stay focused on creating a financially strong and robust organization. In the coming years the Petey Greene Program shall implement a strategic business development plan which will help to diversify and strengthen the current funding streams and build new and innovative funding opportunities. TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE WILL...
OUR MAGIC-MAKING TEAM
OURSTAFF
Jeffrey Abramowitz, JD, Chief Executive Officer
Chiara Benetollo, Executive Director of the Puttkammer Center for Educational Justice and Equity
Kaya Ceci, Regional Manager, PHL
Nicole Delgadillo, Regional Manager, NY and Manager of Program Evaluation
Norma Dhanaraj, Regional Manager, DC
Eli Diamant, Division Manager, PITT
Fiona Flynn, Division Manager, PHL
Sondra Fiorella, Division Manager, DC
Sarah Hirshorn, Communications Manager
Anna Kraft, Development Manager
Azure Mauche, Division Manager, MA/RI
Nina Mitukiewicz, Division Manager, MA/RI
Emma Morrissey, Director of Curriculum and Trai
Lynwood Patrick, Director of Finance and Admini
Derek Pieper, Director of Grants
Raymond Rodriguez, Division Manager, DC
Charla Saunders, Executive Assistant
Emma Sindelar, Executive Director of Operations
Sherika Stewart, Division Manager, NY
Lynne Sullivan, Regional Manager, MA/RI
Meg Tavares, Director of Development Operation
Margy Wilcox, Director of Regions
Robert Wright, Division Manager, NY
OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Alec Decker, Board Chair
Beth Brett
Cason Crane
Yusuf Dahl
Peter R Gates
Lee Gladden
David J Harding
Jacki Kelly
Grace Li
Gabriel Malone-O'Meally
George H McLaughlin II
Charles W Puttkammer
Cordelia Puttkammer
Richard O Scribner
Irwin W Silverberg
Martha S Staniford
Ray Tebout
