KATE TRAMMELL
Senior Vice President, Advocacy, Legal & Research
KATE TRAMMELL
Senior Vice President, Advocacy, Legal & Research
Kate Trammell serves as the vice president of advocacy at Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families. She is well-versed in criminal law and has unique expertise conducting state and federal issue advocacy campaigns and equipping people of faith for political engagement.
Trammell oversees the development of Prison Fellowship’s policy positions on criminal justice issues and directs the organization’s state and federal advocacy initiatives designed to bring justice that restores to those impacted by crime and incarceration across America. This work includes negotiating strategic partnerships, building and maintaining national and statewide coalitions, equipping and mobilizing Prison Fellowship’s grassroots network and Justice Ambassador volunteers, and directing staff and lobbying activity.
In addition, Trammell directs Prison Fellowship’s research and technical writing to build a data-based and values-centered approach to justice that restores. She serves the 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 New York Times, Christian Post, Business Insider, and various regional publications.
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 their two children.
- Criminal and juvenile justice trends and legislation.
- Pre-trial, sentencing, and diversion policies.
- Conditions of confinement, including the use of solitary confinement for youth held in adult prisons.
- The unique needs of incarcerated women.
- Juvenile justice system best practices and system transformation, including regionalization models and accountability methods that engage families and communities.
SAMMY PEREZ
Senior Director, Grassroots and Reintegration
SAMMY PEREZ
Senior Director, Grassroots and Reintegration
Sammy Perez serves Prison Fellowship’s Advocacy team by building and mobilizing a network of people passionate about justice that restores. Perez equips Prison Fellowship’s Justice Advocates and Justice Ambassadors in the U.S. to raise awareness about criminal justice reform and improve the criminal justice system through strategies including digital advocacy, 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 writing has been published in Shared Justice and several regional Virginia outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch and NoVa News. Perez was reappointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin 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 a master's degree in professional counseling. His expertise is focused on organizing and coaching Christians to pursue justice and reentry for people returning from prison. Perez is an adjunct professor at the Catholic University of America and enjoys life with his lovely wife and four children.
ANGELA KIM
Advocacy Operations Manager
ANGELA KIM
Advocacy Content Manager
Angela Kim serves Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team by planning and executing national-, federal-, and state-level events to advance justice that restores. She manages the advocacy team’s participation in conferences and speaking engagements and oversees event logistics for Prison Fellowship’s major initiatives like Second Chance Month. She also provides the strategic operational support required to ensure efficiency for all advocacy programs and internal logistics, with an eye towards holistic outcomes. Kim’s lived 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 her 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 special needs ministry and outreach to those who are homeless.
KELLI FRAGER
Advocacy Content Manager
KELLI FRAGER
Advocacy Content Manager
Kelli Frager serves the advocacy and public policy team at Prison Fellowship by managing internal and external partnerships, as well as providing project management for advocacy campaigns at the state and federal levels. She brings her commitment to advancing social justice from her extensive background in arts engagement programming and advocacy. Having developed community-building opportunities for people from various backgrounds to connect through art, music, and storytelling, Frager has great passion for celebrating all that makes us human. She participates in the Shakespeare In Prisons Network and has witnessed over and over the power of the arts in transforming individuals and communities on both sides of prison walls. Frager also has the life experience of walking alongside an incarcerated family member since she was a young teen. Seeing how recovery groups, education, creative programs, and faith have made a powerful and lasting impact gives her the deep desire to advocate for incarcerated communities and families. Frager attended Azusa Pacific University and lives in Oceanside, California.
CHELSEA FRISKE
Director, Policy and Operations
CHELSEA FRISKE
Director, Policy and Operations
Chelsea Friske serves Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team by managing the tracking of criminal justice trends at the state and federal levels, authoring technical writing pieces in support of justice reform campaigns, and producing resources that raise the profile of values-based criminal justice reform.
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 convicted of sex offenses. 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 resides in Roanoke, VA with her husband and son.
MONIKA SOTO
Justice Ambassador Program Manager
MONIKA SOTO
Justice Ambassador Program Manager
Monika Soto serves Prison Fellowship as the program manager of the Justice Ambassador program. Through her work, she equips Justice Ambassadors to change culture and law by advocating for justice that restores. Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, she worked as the grassroots advocacy manager at March of Dimes. Monika graduated with the highest honors from Columbia University where she obtained her Master of Science degree in social work concentrating in policy practice. During her time at Columbia, she served as a fellow for the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, where she worked to expand social workers’ engagement with Congress and the federal government.
Soto has completed internships with New Jersey Assemblyman Gary Schaer as well as the Center for Court Innovation, where she focused on criminal justice reform. She has an innate desire to serve marginalized communities, especially immigrants and communities of color. Soto has a particular interest in the intersectionality between social justice and public policy and enjoys educating those around her on the importance of exercising their civil rights. Monika is a New Jersey native who currently resides in the Tampa Bay area.
ALLY ALFONSETTI
Legislative Strategist
ALLY ALFONSETTI
Legislative Strategist
Ally serves as a legislative strategist for Michigan and Ohio, strengthening connections with state lawmakers, building coalitions, seeking justice reform at the state level, and providing information to influence public policy. Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, Alfonsetti worked in government affairs for a global automotive technology company, handling issues ranging from local tax incentives to international trade agreements. There, she saw the impact and need for criminal justice reform in Michigan. Armed with a biblical worldview, she has always strived to advance public policy that serves God’s mission.
Alfonsetti holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in communications from Florida Atlantic University. She has previous experience as a consultant on political campaigns. She and her husband reside in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with their two kids, where they attend Woodside Bible Church.
SARAH DECKER
Manager, State Government Affairs
SARAH DECKER
Manager, State Government Affairs
Sarah Decker serves as the manager of state government affairs for the Advocacy team, overseeing the state legislative team, strengthening connections with state lawmakers, and seeking justice reform opportunities at the state level. Her passion to serve people affected by crime and incarceration began when she helped lead a Bible study for incarcerated women. This passion grew when Decker participated in Prison Fellowship’s intern program, and God placed a burden on her heart for those that have experienced injustice.
Decker has a degree in political science from the University of Mobile and a juris doctorate from Regent University School of Law. She has experience working as a prosecutor in two Texas counties and working as a staff attorney for the Texas Real Estate Commission. She currently resides in Oklahoma.
HAYLEY HEATH
Policy Analyst
HAYLEY HEATH
Policy Analyst
Hayley Heath serves as the policy analyst for the Advocacy team. In her role, she conducts legislative research and analysis and provides recommendations on engagement in support of Prison Fellowship’s advocacy and public policy goals. Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, Heath worked as a government affairs coordinator for a global automotive technology company where she tracked and researched policy at the local, state, federal, and international levels. She has also served as a legislative assistant for a government relations firm and completed an internship with the nonprofit Plan International where she gained experience working for the "Because I Am a Girl" campaign.
Heath holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Michigan State University and resides in the Detroit metro area. Her experience working in government affairs showed her the importance of advocating for others. She was drawn to Prison Fellowship’s message by friends and family who have worked in the criminal justice system and through her faith in Christ.
TSCHIDA INNES
Legislative Strategist
TSCHIDA INNES
Legislative Strategist
Tschida Innes serves as a legislative strategist for the advocacy team, strengthening connections with state lawmakers, building coalitions, seeking justice reform at the state level, and providing information to influence public policy. Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, Innes clerked at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court.
Innes has a juris doctorate from Regent University School of Law and a degree in public administration from Liberty University. She has experience working on statewide political campaigns, as well as experience in state government and on Capitol Hill. She and her husband reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
HEATHER NORTON
Justice Ambassador Specialist
HEATHER NORTON
Justice Ambassador Specialist
Heather Norton serves Prison Fellowship’s grassroots team as a Justice Ambassador Specialist, recruiting and supporting advocacy volunteers across the country. It is the daily joy of her life to get to meet, support, and connect followers of Jesus in the work that He has prepared for them to do in their church families and communities.
Norton earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Communication from The Ohio State University and worked as a reporter and editor before spending many years homeschooling and leading community organizations. She lives in Indiana with her husband and enjoys keeping up with their five young adult children
ROCHELLE GLOVER
Justice Ambassador Specialist
ROCHELLE GLOVER
Justice Ambassador Specialist
Rochelle Glover serves Prison Fellowship’s grassroots team as a Justice Ambassador specialist to promote justice that restores. Glover leads a team of passionate volunteers to engage their local communities, churches, and lawmakers to advocate for those impacted by crime and incarceration. She has served as a panelist and championed justice reform and integration, sharing that everyone deserves a second chance. Her dedication to change drives her work at Prison Fellowship. A U.S. Army veteran, Glover served three tours in Operation: DESERT STORM. She has also served as executive pastor at her community church.
Glover graduated from Liberty University with a degree in psychology, specializing in crisis counseling. She’s currently completing graduate studies in Human Services, specializing in family advocacy and public policy, as well as being a Colson Fellow. She cherishes her family life with her husband and children.
HELENKA RADEL
Administration and Legal Assistant
HELENKA RADEL
Administration and Legal Assistant
Helenka Radel serves as advocacy's administrative and events assistant. In her role, Radel supports the team in the various state and national events they attend and host by managing timely and accurate shipping practices while adhering to budget requirements and best practices set out by the ministry. Radel also acts as an executive assistant for the Senior VP of Advocacy, Legal & Research and assists the team as a whole in any administrative tasks they require.
Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, Radel received a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University and an M.S. in Coastal and Marine Environments from the University of Galway, Ireland. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with her husband in their local community, gardening, hiking, and spending time with their family and friends. She is also a published author and award-winning artist whose work focuses on Christian themes, domestic life, and the environment.
MICHAEL VAN-DER-HORST
Second Chance Network Manager
MICHAEL VAN-DER-HORST
Second Chance Network Manager
Michael Vander Horst is a husband and the father of five children who lives in rural south-central Pennsylvania. Michael serves on Prison Fellowship’s Grassroots and Reintegration team in designing and advancing the Second Chance Network. Before joining the Grassroots and Reintegration team, Michael was brought aboard to help design, pilot, and scale Prison Fellowship’s Academy graduate program, Prison Fellowship Pathways. His background before Prison Fellowship included working in Franchise Development with a regional coffee franchise system in the Midwest where he was a Franchise Sales Representative. His experience with franchise systems and processes have provided valuable insight when designing programming and initiatives for Prison Fellowship.
Michael is finishing his undergraduate studies in Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University. Michael also earned his certificate in Christian Leadership Studies through The Urban Ministry Institute, became a certified Dean through the Evangel Church Planting School, was certified as a Minister of the Gospel through World Impact, and was commissioned as a Colson Fellow.