Announcing JFF’s 2026 Fair Chance to Advance Fellows

Courtenie “Advocator” Jackson is the Employment Coordinator for the Oklahoma County Diversion Hub in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and serves as a Career Coach for the STAAR Foundation, Transformative Justice Resource Agent for the Foundation of Liberating Minds, Filmmaker Ambassador for Represent Justice, Facilitator for The Lynn Institute and the Oklahoma County Juvenile Detention Center, and Occupational Training Organizer for the Julius Jones Institute. She holds an Associate of Applied Science in Enterprise Development from Oklahoma State University–Oklahoma City and a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership from Oklahoma State University–Tulsa and is pursuing a Master’s in Workforce and Adult Education. She is a Certified Reentry Employment Specialist, Behavioral Health Case Manager, and Peer Recovery Support Specialist. A National Urban League award-winning reentry leader and Community Service Award recipient from the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice OKC Chapter, she created the Pathway to Sustainable Employment for Reentry Adults, directs the documentary Shackled in Freedom, and leads the impact campaign for Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 1498 to advance fair-chance hiring and equitable workforce access for justice-impacted individuals.

Elizabeth “Liz” Phillips is a Business Development Representative and RFP Operations Associate at Emerge Career, a workforce development organization operating across four states. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Ashland University (2024), completing her degree shortly after release from a six-year sentence in Arizona for non-violent fraud-related charges. Phillips has a deep commitment to workforce development and reentry, shaped by her own experiences navigating the justice system and rebuilding her career. During her incarceration, she worked full-time at Televerde—a Phoenix-based company that provides second-chance employment to incarcerated women—where she advanced from an entry-level role to Training Specialist, leading new hire onboarding and curriculum development. As a person with lived experience, she is dedicated to proving that incarceration doesn’t have to be the end of anyone’s story—and to building pathways that make transformation through action possible for others.

Jahaziel Sanchez is a Project Specialist at Southwestern College in California, where he expands postsecondary educational access and support systems for incarcerated students across multiple correctional facilities. He is also the Founder of RETX: Reentry Tax & Extended Services, a nonprofit advancing tax equity and financial literacy for justice-impacted communities. Sanchez earned both his Bachelor’s in Accounting and Master’s in Accounting Information Systems from San Diego State University, where he was recognized as a PCAOB Scholar, Provost’s Award recipient, and California State University Trustees’ Award honoree. His commitment to educational equity and economic reintegration is deeply shaped by his own experience navigating reentry after more than a decade of incarceration. He has served as a guest lecturer and conference panelist on systems reform and higher education, and established a $55,000 endowed scholarship at SDSU to support formerly incarcerated students, reflecting his dedication to expanding opportunity for system-impacted individuals.

Jarret Orcutt is the Coordinator of Educational Partnership Programs at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada, and a Governor-appointed Commissioner on the Nevada Sentencing Commission. He also serves on the Steering and Oversight Committee for the Puttkammer Center for Educational Justice, an initiative of the Petey Greene Program supported by the Mellon Foundation. A summa cum laude graduate of TMCC, Orcutt earned an Associate of General Studies, is completing a BAS in Career Technical Education and Leadership, and will begin a Master of Public Administration at the University of Nevada, Reno in Fall 2026. Shaped by his journey navigating incarceration and foster care, he drives systems alignment by building reentry-to-college continuity. As a leader with lived experience, he is dedicated to building the cross-sector partnerships and employer networks necessary to ensure education serves as a permanent bridge to Quality Jobs and equitable economic advancement.

Jessica Bruner is the Business Partnerships Manager at Arouet in Arizona and serves on an Advisory Board with the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Ashland University with honors and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. Bruner has a deep commitment to workforce development and fair chance hiring, shaped by her own experiences with the justice system and reentry. She has worked in partnership development, employer engagement, and community collaboration, contributing to initiatives that expand employment opportunities and support systems for justice-impacted individuals. As a person with lived experience, she is dedicated to strengthening pathways that create sustainable outcomes, economic mobility, and second chances for individuals seeking to rebuild their lives.

Karlis Baisden is a technologist and social entrepreneur working in Iowa/Minnesota, and the founder of Unbarred Labs, a justice-focused technology initiative that builds tools such as Unbarred.us and Unbarred.ai to support returning citizens with civic engagement, workforce navigation, and reentry resources. He is an M.Sc. candidate in Brown University’s Data Science: Policy, Governance & Society program and earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Bellevue University. Baisden has held leadership roles in Information Technology and worked as a technology consultant, leading enterprise-scale digital and analytics initiatives. A Prison to Professionals alum, his commitment to advancing fair chance education and employment pathways is shaped by lived experience. He focuses on using data systems, performance measurement, and cross-sector collaboration to inform policy and help drive structural change.