Our Staff
EJP Directors
Rebecca Ginsburg (She/Her/Hers)
EJP’s current director is Rebecca Ginsburg, a University of Illinois faculty member. As a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley she taught in the college program at San Quentin State Prison and became convinced of the necessity of providing quality education programs to incarcerated individuals. After arriving at Illinois as an assistant professor in 2004, she began working with a group of fellow Illinois faculty, graduate students, and community members to found EJP. She has a Ph.D. in architectural history from Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Though not employed by EJP, she works full-time on its behalf.
Ashton Klekamp (Hoselton)
(She/Her/Hers)
Policy and Research Director Ashton Klekamp (Hoselton) joined EJP in 2022 to provide strategic leadership in the development, execution, and evaluation of EJP’s policy initiatives and campaigns. Ashton formerly taught in California prisons with the Prison Education Project. She has a BA in Neuropsychology and Holistic Healing from Pitzer College and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.
Christine Ferree
(She/Her/Hers)
Prison-to-Gown Director Chrissy Ferree joined EJP in 2024 to usher in a new pilot program which provides support to system-impacted students on UIUC’s campus. Chrissy is the former program director of the Illinois Innocence Project, an organization that works to exonerate wrongfully convicted people. She earned a BA in English and is completing an MA in Political Science from the University of Illinois Springfield.
Katie Fizdale
(She/Her/Hers)
Katie Fizdale, Assistant to EJP Director, originally started with EJP in the fall of 2013 as their first full-time employee. She stepped away to raise her young child; in the interim, she served on EJP’s Advisory Council. In 2021, she rejoined the staff, collaborating with Rebecca in an assistant role. She works on a variety of projects, including advocating for and supervising hourly hires as well as organizing events and working closely with EJP alumni. Katie also makes schedule arrangements for Rebecca. She has a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and worked for a number of years as an art advisor in Chicago.
Lee Ragsdale
(She/Her/Hers)
Reentry Resource Program (RRP) Director Lee Ragsdale began her work with EJP in 2010 as an instructor in the Language Partners Program. In 2017 she introduced RRP’s second guide for people facing deportation and in 2020 co-coordinated a reentry guide for those being released during the pandemic. Lee has a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and MAs in Spanish and English Linguistics from the University of Illinois.
Shaelyn Smith
(She/Her/Hers)
Academic Director Shaelyn Smith joined EJP in 2025 to provide support and strategic oversight for all current programming at Danville Correctional Center, and any future expansion efforts at DCC and other facilities around the state. Prior to joining EJP, Shaelyn managed a college-in-prison program in Alabama. She has been an educator both inside and outside of the carceral space for 15 years, and holds a MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.
Office Manager - TBD
OTHER STAFF
Brian Dolinar
EJP Writer
Chad Rand
RRP Outreach and Distributor Coordinator
Christy Cannon
(She/Her/Hers)
RRP Guide Production Coordinator
JESSICA THORNTON
Interim Academic Manager
Joshua Schriftman
RRP Writing and Research Coordinator
Ma'at Husband-Ausar
(She/Her/Hers)
EJP On-Site Coordinator
EJP Advisory Council
The EJP director is guided by an Advisory Council that assists in setting policy and strategic planning. The chair of the Advisory Council is Helen Neville and its members are:
Adi Kuchibhotla
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia
Carla Hunter
Associate Professor, Psychology, University of Illinois
Greg Jahiel
Social Worker, READY School, Champaign
David “Happy” Todd
EJP Alumni Fellow, Member of the RRP Advisory Council
Emmett Sanders
EJP Alumni Fellow, Policy and Advocacy Associate, Prison Policy Initiative
Lisa Monda-Amaya
Visiting Executive Director of Centers and Strategic Initiatives, College of Education, University of Illinois, ex officio
Melissa Keeble
Melissa Keeble, MDiv., BCC
Michael Harrell
EJP Alumni Fellow
Kenneth Davis, Jr.
EJP Alumni Fellow
Soo Ah Kwon
Associate Professor, Department of Asian American Studies, University of Illinois
Stephanie Thurston
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Religion, University of Illinois
Steve Scotti
EJP Alumni Fellow, Chairperson for the RRP Advisory Committee
William Pierce
EJP Alumni Fellow