2024 Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Ian Manuel

Author and Motivational Speaker

As a thirteen-year-old in Tampa, Ian Manuel was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for attempted murder after his participation in a botched robbery. Manuel served 26 years in prison until Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative secured his release in 2016, 18 of which (starting at age 15) were in solitary confinement. While incarcerated, Manuel began writing poetry, which he credits for keeping him sane and giving him hope, and he also befriended his victim, who is now one of his closest friends and fiercest advocates. His memoir My Time Will Come was released by Pantheon in May 2021. Manuel now lives in New York City, and is a motivational speaker at schools and social organizations nationwide.

Marcus Bullock

Founder/CEO | Flikshop

Marcus Bullock is an entrepreneur, justice reform advocate, and TED speaker. Following his 2004 release from prison, he launched a construction business that grew to employ other returning citizens. Bullock is also founder and CEO of Flikshop, Inc., a software company that builds tools to help incarcerated people stay connected to their families and build community.

The Flikshop mobile app enables families and non-profit organizations to send mail to incarcerated people, with the mission of using social connections, tech, and data to help decrease recidivism around the world. He also founded the Flikshop School of Business, a program that teaches returning citizens life skills and entrepreneurship via computer coding and software development. As Forbes writes, “Will Flikshop, the Instagram for prisons, solve all of [the mass incarceration] issues? No. But Flikshop typifies the sort of work that needs support to scale to address these issues from many angles.”

Tamara Springs

Trainer,Advocate, and Author

Tamara Springs graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education from Langston University and earned an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Wichita State University. Additionally, she obtained post-graduate certification in District-Level Leadership from Wichita State University.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Tamara has excelled in leading and nurturing teams in public education, higher education, and the nonprofit sector. She has held various positions such as Classroom Teacher, Principal, Assistant Superintendent, Adjunct Professor of Leadership, and Executive Director. Transitioning to an independent consultant role, she undertook diverse contract assignments, including coaching school leadership teams, evaluating educational curricula, and conducting program audits.

In 2017, Tamara collaborated with Gideon’s Promise, a nonprofit organization in Atlanta, to implement audit enhancements. After her release from prison in 2020, she rejoined Gideon’s Promise as Program Director and later served as Interim Chief Operating Officer. Presently, she serves as Training Manager at the Center for Employment Opportunities.

Selected for Just Leadership USA (JLUSA): Leading With Conviction -** Cohort 10** in Fall 2023, Tamara’s wealth of experiences reflects her dedication to leadership development, social impact initiatives, and human welfare.

Outside of work, Tamara's interests include horses, reading, board games, thrifting, family time, and exploring new dining experiences as a self-proclaimed “foodie.” She is bilingual and revels in Spanish culture during her travels.

A native of Wichita, KS, Tamara resides just outside of Atlanta, GA, with her husband. Together, they are the proud parents to four adult children and four grandchildren.

Tony Hoffman

From Prison to the Olympics

After paroling prison on December 13, 2008, Tony Hoffman started living out his dream, with his addiction behind him. Tony is a Former BMX Elite Pro and placed 2nd at the 2016 World Championships in Medellin Colombia in the Masters Pro class. Tony coached Women’s Elite Pro, Brooke Crain, to a 4th place finish at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.

Tony has presented on the prestigious TEDx stage and his viral Goalcast video ‘From Prison to the Olympics’ has been viewed more than 12 million times. He is a founder of pH Wellness, a drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility located in Southern California which uses his ‘F.I.T For Life’ sobriety model utilizing fitness and a world class career placement center to increase long term recovery outcomes.

Tony is an author & one of the most requested mental health & substance use speakers in the country, traveling over 200 days a year to share his inspiring story with various audiences.

Featured Speaker

Dr. Nancy La Vigne

Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ)

Nancy La Vigne was appointed by President Biden as Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research and technology arm of the U.S Department of Justice, on March 28, 2022. A nationally recognized criminal justice policy expert, Dr. La Vigne’s research expertise ranges from policing and corrections reform to reentry from prison, criminal justice technologies and evidence-based criminal justice practices. Prior to joining NIJ, she served as executive director of the Council on Criminal Justice’s Task Force on Policing. Before that, La Vigne served as vice president at the Urban Institute (Urban), a nonprofit social policy research organization based in Washington, D.C., where over the course of a decade, she directed Urban’s Justice Policy Center. Her tenure at Urban included serving as executive director of the congressionally-mandated bipartisan Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections Reform.

Dr. La Vigne is not new to NIJ, having been the founding director of the Institute’s Crime Mapping Research Center several years ago, as well as serving as special assistant to Office of Justice Program’s Acting Assistant Attorney General. She holds a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Rutgers University-Newark, a master’s degree in public affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School at the University of Texas-Austin and a bachelor’s degree in government and economics from Smith College.

Speakers

Jennifer Brinkley

Assistant Professor of Legal Studies | University of West Florida

Jennifer L. Brinkley, an Assistant Professor of Legal Studies, has a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law, practiced law and taught at both the University of Colorado at Denver and at Western Kentucky University before joining UWF in 2019. She teaches courses on women and the law, criminal procedure, evidence, legal research and writing, family law, law and society, among others. Brinkley’s research focuses on women and the law and criminal justice issues.

Hope Cross

Founder | Cultivating Hope Training and Consulting

Hope’s journey with the justice-impacted started BEYOND the barbed wire, when she was born to her biological mother who was incarcerated in Houston, Texas.

She has a lifetime of personal experience and over 20 years of professional experience that has been cultivated to help her develop into a multi-dimensional leader who has served the most underserved populations throughout Florida and train organizations throughout the United States.

Hope helps organizations strengthen their client engagement, enhance client rapport, and magnify client and organizational success rates with a blend of Trauma-Informed Care practices, Resiliency elements, and out-of-the-box navigation.

Hope is the founder of the Cultivating Hope Foundation, Inc., and author of Beyond the Barbed Wire.

She has supported the Florida Department of Corrections and the Missouri Department of Corrections by leading groups within prisons and training facilitators to support men and women BEYOND the BARBED WIRE.

Her purpose-driven mission is to use her experience and skillset to snuff out radical darkness by cultivating radical hope.

Dr. Elvis Sevilla

Lead Department of Justice Consultant | Midwest Evaluation & Research LLC

Dr. Elvis Sevilla earned his PhD in criminal justice with an emphasis in behavioral science from Nova Southeastern University. He completed his Master of Arts in criminology from the University of Houston–Clear Lake and his Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University. Dr. Sevilla serves as the Department of Justice (DOJ) team lead at Midwest Evaluation and Research (MER), where he oversees all projects involving adult reentry in the field of Second Chance Act (SCA) grants and other criminal justice reentry evaluation projects. Before working with MER, Elvis worked as a former Correctional Officer at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, bilingual case manager, and independent consultant in various areas of immigration contracted with the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Refugee and Resettlement.

Daniel Williams

Project Director | The RIDGE Project

Daniel H. Williams is a devoted Christian leader and Master Facilitator deeply committed to guiding individuals towards personal growth and transformation through the lens of faith. As a Certified John Maxwell speaker, trainer, and coach, he empowers others with impactful insights and practical wisdom. His role as a Project Director for the RIDGE Project reflects his dedication to fostering positive change within communities.

Furthermore, Daniel serves as the Chairperson of the Early Head Start Governance Committee, advocating tirelessly for the educational welfare of children. Beyond his professional endeavors, he treasures his role as a devoted husband and loving father of four, recognizing the immense value of family.

Daniel’s journey includes overcoming challenges, including a period of formal incarceration This experience has become a catalyst for his passionate commitment to help others navigate similar struggles, inspiring hope, resilience, and a deeper spiritual connection. Through his faith-driven leadership and personal story of redemption, he continues to empower individuals to discover their potential and purpose in life.