President and CEO

James J. Ackerman joined Prison Fellowship in 2016 as president and CEO and oversees the strategic direction, operations, and fundraising for the ministry.

James has more than 20 years of experience as a highly effective executive, helping media companies like Documentary Channel, British Interactive Broadcasting, Broadway Systems, and Open TV navigate periods of transition and growth. In 2005 he founded Spinnaker Media to develop innovative entertainment and digital media companies. He also previously held roles at British Sky Broadcasting, A&E Television Networks, Hearst Entertainment, International Family Entertainment, and Grey Entertainment & Media.

Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, James volunteered in prison as a counselor to a man on death row in California's San Quentin State Prison and as a prerelease instructor in Tennessee's Riverbend Maximum Security Prison.

James spent more than a dozen years volunteering with Prison Fellowship, leveraging his business experience to teach prisoners important life skills, such as resume writing, job interviewing, household budgeting, and personal planning. He also spent 10 years mentoring prisoners and former prisoners, including a man who, though convicted of murder, went on to start a successful business of his own following his release from prison. He and James maintain a close friendship today.

James is also a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. He and his wife Martha reside in California. They have two adult children, Holden and Lily.

Vice President, Strategic Gifts

Tammy Boyle guides Prison Fellowship's national efforts to secure transformational-level giving through mid-major gifts, major gifts, and planned gifts. Her work includes implementing fundraising campaigns to increase revenue that underwrites the continuation and expansion of Prison Fellowship’s vision and transformative mission.

Tammy joined Prison Fellowship in 2010, bringing more than 20 years of executive development experience with several nonprofits, including the American Cancer Society and Junior Achievement.

For over 30 years, Tammy has addressed various audiences, totaling more than 100,000 people, on topics including identity in Christ. Her heart and passion for women, in particular, led Tammy to publish Becoming: The Woman God Made You to Be in 2011.

Tammy lives in Colorado with her husband and has three grown children.

Senior Vice President, Warden Exchange

Sam Dye oversees Prison Fellowship’s in-prison, reentry, and family ministry programming all across the country. Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, Dye worked in health care for 20 years. After a short stint as an in-prison volunteer, he left health care to pursue his love of prison ministry and served as the director of Prison Fellowship’s intensive faith-based reentry program in Iowa, where he led participant recruitment, taught classes behind bars, and served as liaison for Prison Fellowship and the DOC. Dye loves seeing prisoners and former prisoners transform into contributing members of the community.

Dye has served on his church leadership board for 25 years and on the board of Open Arms Ukraine for the past three years. He attended Central Christian College for his undergraduate degree and Des Moines University for his graduate degree in health care administration.

Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Kelly Friedlander leads Prison Fellowship's marketing and communications teams. She and her staff develop campaigns to increase brand identity and awareness among the ministry’s constituents, as well as providing marketing and communications support to the entire ministry.

Kelly is a member of the 2015 class of the Colson Fellows program. Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, she led marketing, product development, and sales teams at a variety of publicly traded companies, including Discovery Communications and Morningstar Inc. Kelly has more than 25 years of experience in strategic planning and managing multimillion-dollar consumer, business-to-business, and direct marketing campaigns.

Kelly earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wisconsin's St. Norbert College and lives in Colorado with her husband.

Vice President, Human Resources

Executive Vice President, Field Programs

Dan Kingery oversees all of Prison Fellowship's prison-based programming. He has more than 30 years of experience working in prisons and community-based corrections and has held various leadership roles with Prison Fellowship since 2000.

Previously, Dan served as a parole officer in the adult and juvenile systems in Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social work at Iowa State University.

Dan and his wife of 38 years live in Iowa and have one daughter and share a love of outdoor activities.

Senior Vice President, Advocacy & Church Mobilization

Heather Rice-Minus leads Prison Fellowship teams that advocate on criminal justice issues, build and deepen partnerships with churches, strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children, and promote collaboration with foundations. Heather also coauthored Outrageous Justice^®, the ministry’s small-group curriculum.

Previously, Heather managed prison reform advocacy efforts at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. She is a graduate of Colorado State University and George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. Heather is a member of the Virginia State Bar and a Colson Fellow.

Heather has contributed to Christianity Today, Slate, CBN News, the Marshall Project, PBS' Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, and many additional media outlets.

Heather resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband, daughter, and foster child.

Vice President, Church Programs

Chief Operating Officer

Tim Robison provides executive leadership to Prison Fellowship's finance, human resources, talent development, information technology, contracts and legal, and facilities functions. In addition, drawing from his 31 years of experience in nonprofit management, Tim provides leadership to the ministry’s strategic planning process and supports Prison Fellowship’s board of directors.

Tim also led the design, construction, and project management for Prison Fellowship's Northern Virginia headquarters in 2005, and he provided strategic oversight for its sale and staff relocation in 2021.

Tim holds a degree in business administration from Liberty University and certification in facilities management from George Mason University.

Vice President, Finance