Awards Recognize Excellence in Public Engagement

Lee Ragsdale, the reentry resource program director for the Education Justice Project, is the recipient of the Emerging Award for Excellence in Public Engagement.

Ragsdale’s work with the EJP’s reentry program began when she was a volunteer. Assuming the director position in 2020, she now guides teams of staff, student interns, and community members who produce reentry guides, videos, and other resources that support individuals and families experiencing incarceration and deportation. Under her leadership, the program serves tens of thousands of individuals leaving prison each year, providing them with life-altering information during a pivotal transitional phase of their new circumstances.

The reentry program produced a prison reentry guide specific to the state of Illinois when she became the director. Since then, Ragsdale and her team have produced two additional guides. The national prison reentry resource stemmed from a torrent of requests from individuals and services out of state. Her team found that several states lacked any reentry resources, and many others circulated flimsy and condescending materials. It is the country’s first — and still only — national reentry guide.

She also spearheaded a deportation resource, “A New Path: A Guide to the Challenges and Opportunities After Deportation.” In the spirit of the community-driven work her team undertakes, she also provides technical assistance to other organizations seeking to replicate the success of the EJP’s reentry program.

Read the full story from the Illinois News Bureau.