Prison Fellowship’s Advocacy and Public Policy Team

HEATHER RICE-MINUS

Vice President of Government Affairs and Church Mobilization

Heather Rice-Minus serves as vice president of government affairs and church mobilization at Prison Fellowship, the nation's largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families. She is a powerful, knowledgeable voice articulating the case for restorative criminal justice solutions.

Rice-Minus directs national advocacy initiatives and campaigns on pivotal criminal justice issues at the federal level. She also spearheads Prison Fellowship’s efforts to build coalitions with advocacy groups, think tanks, faith-based organizations, and other key stakeholders.

Rice-Minus has contributed to stories about criminal justice reform in outlets including Christianity Today, Slate, CBN News, the Marshall Project, PBS' Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, and WORLD Magazine. She is the co-author of Outrageous Justice, a multimedia Bible study curriculum and companion book. A valued shaper of the criminal justice reform debate because of her wide-ranging policy expertise, Rice-Minus maintains a vested interest in justice reform as someone who has both been a victim of crime and walked alongside a family member during his incarceration.

A native of Virginia, Rice-Minus resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband and daughter. Prior to her tenure at Prison Fellowship, she managed advocacy efforts on behalf of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. She is a graduate of Colorado State University and George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar and a Colson Fellow.

KATE TRAMMELL

Director, State Policy

Kate Trammell serves as the director of state policy at Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families. She is well-versed in criminal law and research, and has unique expertise conducting state-level issue advocacy campaigns and equipping local churches for political engagement.

Each year, Trammell leads more than 10 state policy campaigns designed to bring justice that restores to those impacted by crime and incarceration across America. This work includes negotiating strategic partnerships, building and maintaining local and statewide coalitions, and directing state policy staff and lobbying activity.

Trammell also directs Prison Fellowship’s research and technical writing to build a data-centered approach to justice that restores. She serves the state policymaker members of the Faith and Justice Fellowship, a bipartisan body of members of Congress, governors, and state legislators motivated by their faith traditions to advance restorative values in criminal justice reform. Trammell has contributed to stories on criminal and juvenile justice reform in the Christian Post and Business Insider.

Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, Trammell worked directly with law enforcement, victims of crime, and criminal defendants as a magistrate for the Supreme Court of Virginia. She is a graduate of Liberty University School of Law with added studies in international law and comparative criminal procedure, and is a member of the Virginia State Bar. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and daughter.

CHELSEA FRISKE

Legislative Research Associate

Chelsea Friske serves Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team by monitoring research trends at the state and federal levels and producing resources that raise the profile of values-based criminal justice reform. She completed internships in probation and police departments during college, and gained experience in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Commonwealth Attorney’s Office during and after law school.

Friske is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and Bay Path College, where she studied criminal justice and psychology, with a research focus on the experience of children in the courtroom and the treatment of those persons convicted of sex offenses. Friske and her husband reside in Northern Virginia.

SAMMY PEREZ

Grassroots Strategist

Sammy Perez serves Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team by building and mobilizing a network of people who are passionate about justice that restores. Perez equips Prison Fellowship’s Justice Advocates in the eastern U.S. to improve the criminal justice system through strategies including constituent lobbying, media engagement, and storytelling. After rediscovering faith in Christ, Perez, who has spent time in prison, overcame his past and began to serve others impacted by crime and incarceration. His letters to the editor have been published in regional Virginia outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch and NoVa News. Perez was appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Prevention in the Commonwealth.

Perez graduated from Liberty University with a degree in psychology, specializing in addiction and recovery, and is currently completing graduate studies in professional counseling. He enjoys life with his lovely wife and twin boys.

STEVE GORDON

Grassroots Strategist

Steve Gordon serves Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team by building and mobilizing a network of people passionate about justice that restores. He equips Prison Fellowship’s Justice Advocates in the western U.S. to impact the criminal justice system through strategies including constituent lobbying, media engagement, and storytelling. He previously directed the Oklahoma Partnership for Successful Reentry and was the founder and president of the Strategic Reentry Group, a consulting firm specializing in community reintegration for people returning from incarceration.

Gordon is the author of five books, including Purposeful Neighboring: Creating Reentry-Ready Communities. He studied computer science and systems analysis at Oklahoma State University and resides in Fort Worth with his wife Karen.

OLIVIA SCHOFFSTALL

Advocacy Operations Manager

Olivia Schoffstall serves Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team by providing the strategic administrative support required for successful public policy campaigns. While helping to apply strategies for various advocacy initiatives, Schoffstall coordinates projects with other internal teams to best leverage ministry resources for justice reform. Schoffstall previously served as the assistant editor of Shared Justice, a publication of the Center for Public Justice in Washington, D.C.

Schoffstall completed an undergraduate degree in economics and religious studies at the University of Virginia, then participated in the Falls Church Fellows Program, a fellowship focused on integrity and excellence in the workplace. She is passionate about adding value to meaningful dialogue, learning from others, and facilitating innovation across racial and socioeconomic lines through advocacy.

ANGELA KIM

Advocacy Events and Program Specialist

Angela Kim serves Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team by planning and executing national and federal events to advance justice that restores. She manages the advocacy team’s participation in conferences and speaking engagements, and oversees the logistics of events for major initiatives like Second Chance Month. She also provides program support to the policy and grassroots teams, including tracking outcomes and administrative assistance. Kim’s experience with the criminal justice system and her faith in Christ motivate her to help those who are marginalized and work to advance criminal justice reform.

Kim completed undergraduate studies in crime, law, and justice at Pennsylvania State University. In addition to her work at Prison Fellowship, she frequently volunteers in the community through children’s ministry, outreach to those who are homeless, and a local church-based media ministry.