Jill Stockwell was previously a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton affiliated with the Prison Teaching Initiative and the University Center for Human Values. As a postdoc, Jill managed the NSF-funded “STEPs to STEM” launch pilot grant, which aims to broaden participation in STEM fields among currently and formerly incarcerated people…

Jenny was a co-founder of the Prison Teaching Initiative at Princeton in 2005, and she has served as PTI’s Academic Director since the summer of 2017. She is a professor of astrophysics at Princeton. Find out more about her work.

Marion Alberty joined PTI as an Instructional Specialist in 2023. Previously, Marion was a National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences postdoctoral fellow in Princeton's Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program where she studied key processes for transporting heat in the Arctic Ocean. During her time as a postdoc, Marion led the development and…

Dena Lane-Bonds joined the McGraw Center from Vanderbilt University’s Initiative for Race Research and Justice, where she served as Assistant Director. Dena received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri and has focused her research on homelessness and housing insecurity in higher education;…

Christopher Etienne is a journalist and an Africana Studies scholar with a background in creative writing, journalism, and video production. He seeks to use his accolades to spotlight injustice and raise awareness about social issues. Armed with education and empathy, he uses his skillset to instruct and enlighten individuals hailing from justice-impacted communities. He demonstrates his commitment to this work in his professional life. During the spring of 2015, he joined the NJ-STEP program staff, where he tutored formerly incarcerated individuals looking to pursue post-secondary education. Since then, he has worked with various organizations such as Rutgers University, SOBA College Recovery, the Renaissance House, and Brooklyn CRAN, where he mentored individuals seeking post-secondary education, educated at-risk youth, and helped the mentally ill population reacclimate back into society. Mr. Etienne has over a decade of experience working with the justice-impacted community. As he looks toward the future, he hopes to use his resources to create more progressive education and prison reform pathways.

Tara joined the Prison Teaching Initiative in 2016. She holds an M.A. in Educational Counseling from Rowan University and joint B.A. degrees in Philosophy & Religion and Literature from Stockton University. In her pre-Princeton life, she was a domestic violence/sexual assault counselor, AmeriCorps program coordinator, volunteer coordinator, philosophy professor, freelance editor, service-learning coordinator, Avon saleswoman, bartender, dry-cleaning operator, and babysitter. But this is definitely her favorite job.

Ali's journey in academia began with a dedication to excellence, culminating in the achievement of an honors Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Raritan Valley Community College in 2019. His commitment to academic excellence led him to exciting opportunities, including participation in the Aspiring Scholars and Professionals (ASAP)…