Speaker Biographies

HEATHER RICE-MINUS

Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives

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 foster partnerships with individual donors, corporations, and foundations invested in Prison Fellowship’s vision and mission. She also co-authored Outrageous Justice^®, the ministry’s small-group curriculum.

Previously, Rice-Minus managed prison reform advocacy efforts at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and taught English at the University of Djibouti. She is a sought-after public speaker on the intersection of faith, justice, and incarceration, addressing audiences at national conferences and events including Wilberforce Weekend, Q Ideas Conference, and more. She has contributed to Christianity Today, Slate, CBN News, The Marshall Project, PBS' Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, and many other media outlets.

Rice-Minus 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, a member of AEI’s Leadership Network, and a Colson Fellow. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two daughters.

JIM FORBES

Director of Communications

Jim Forbes is the Director of Communications for Prison Fellowship, working closely with local, regional, and national media representatives and organizations in promoting the ministry. Prior to his work with Prison Fellowship, Jim served as director of communications for two representatives on the House side of Congress in Washington, D.C. During that time, he also worked for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). For almost three decades prior to that, Jim’s career was in the television news industry. Jim has been married to his wife, Leisa, for the past 25 years and they reside in Bowie, Maryland.