(Event Recap) Strategic Planning Launch Meeting
On Friday, January 9, 2026, 40 leaders from across higher education, corrections, workforce development, government, justice-impacted advocacy groups and faith communities convened at the Virginia Works headquarters for the launch of a statewide strategic planning process to strengthen and expand higher education in prison across the Commonwealth. This session marked the first Meeting of the Whole, bringing together the Steering Committee and Working Group members to establish shared goals, guiding assumptions and a clear roadmap for the year ahead.
The convening featured remarks from state and national leaders, practitioners and individuals with lived experience of incarceration, grounding the planning process in history, policy and personal perspective:
Commissioner Nicole Overley, Virginia Works — Welcomed participants and emphasized the role of education in workforce development and economic opportunity for justice-impacted Virginians.
Terri Erwin, Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison (VCHEP) — Provided background on VCHEP and outlined the vision, goals and structure of the strategic planning process. She also facilitated introductions of VCHEP leadership, Steering Committee members and participants and later introduced Working Group Co-Chairs and Senior Advisors.
Rodney White, Correctional Enterprises — Shared a personal perspective on the history of Pell Grants and their impact on incarcerated students.
Sheila Meiman, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) — Traced the evolution of Pell Grants from personal access to the current Prison Education Program (PEP) framework.
Steph Cull and Domeni Ebron — Offered firsthand perspectives as individuals with lived experience of incarceration, underscoring the importance of access, dignity and educational integrity.
Sarah Kuczynski, PhD, New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison — Presented lessons learned from the Commission’s Partnerships for Progress roadmap, offering insights to inform Virginia’s process.
Molly Lasagna, Ascendium Education Foundation — Discussed the evolution of the national higher education in prison field and the role of state coalitions in advancing sustainable, system-level change.
The afternoon was dedicated to the first Working Group breakouts, marking the first time groups convened to begin their work. Participants engaged in initial discussions, identified priority issues, outlined possible approaches and set next steps for virtual meetings in the February. The next meeting of the whole will be on March 30th.
To learn more about VCHEP’s Strategic Planning Initiative, visit vchep.org/events/strategic-planning-for-higher-education-in-prison-in-virginia.
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Photos by Divine by Design - Ayasha Sledge
