Staff

Tara Libert

Co-founder and Executive Director

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Kelli Taylor

Co-founder and Book Club Manager

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Julia Mascioli

Deputy Director

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Allen Chin

Director of Finance and Operations

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Jamilah L. Al-Bari

Reentry Programming & Education Specialist

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Carlos Alonzo Avila

Program Assistant

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Shannon Battle

Advocacy & Leadership Development Specialist

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James Carpenter

Poet Ambassador & Thrive Under 25 Strategy Chair

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Regina Coates

Program Coordinator

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Antoine Coleman

Congressman John Lewis Fellow

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Sofia Dean

Community Engagement Coordinator

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Gene Downing

Poet Ambassador & Outreach and Community Building Chair

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James Dunn

Poet Ambassador, Peer Supporter, and Thrive Under 25 Advocacy Chair

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Keela Hailes

Reentry Manager

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Melissa Majano

Member Experience Manager

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Aneka Nelson

Prison Book Club Manager

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Craig Watson

Peer Support Specialist

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Neely Wester

Development & Communications Specialist

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Thanks for all the love with my poetry Free Minds—I realize I have a talent the world needs to see and I promise I will expand it and share it.

– Alonzo, Age 18

Poet Ambassadors

The Poet Ambassadors are a group of 25 Free Minds members home in the community who lead the “On the Same Page” sessions on a rotating basis. They have been members of Free Minds since the age of 16 or 17 at the DC Jail, where many wrote their first poems and read their first books. They have gone on to become avid readers and writers throughout their incarceration, and have pursued education via GED programs. These young men are highly motivated to give back to their community by sharing the strength and wisdom that writing has given them in order to prevent future violence.

Office Interns

Free Minds’ work is assisted by a dynamic team of interns from area universities. These interns provide valuable office support by typing poems, providing writing feedback, coordinating our writing blog, and helping with Community Outreach events. For more information about internship opportunities, visit this page.