Faculty
Ilinda Jackson
Pastor Ilinda Jackson works with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections as Chaplain II and Volunteer Coordinator at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center. Ilinda is pastor of the Secret Place Community Church, a church with a heart for the surrounding community, including hurting women and their children.
She is dedicated to taking a message to the community; that it will take not only the participation of individuals, but also that of business owners, churches, and foundations to bring community wholeness. She is the founder and CEO of Raising the Standard Ministries, Inc., located in Oklahoma City, OK, a unique and innovative ministry that has apprehended the true essence of “transitional living” with six life-changing houses.
Education:
B.A., Biblical Studies, American Christian College Seminary
B.A., Organizational Leadership, Southern Nazarene University
M.Ed., Oklahoma City University
LPC, Applied Behavioral Studies, Oklahoma City University
Chaplain R. Steve Lowe
Serving justice-involved youth in juvenile halls, camps, and ranches since 1970, Steve has over five decades of experience as a Deputy Probation Counselor, Institutional Therapist, Para-chaplain, and Correctional Chaplain.
Steve currently serves in three capacities:
- Since 1981, as the Senior Protestant Chaplain for the Orange County Probation and Social Services Department.
- In 1985 Steve founded Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries which currently serves in 3 states, 13 counties, and approximately 50 facilities. As Executive Chaplain, Steve oversees the ministry of Pacific Youth.
- Steve collaborates and networks with major justice-related organizations: Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Association, Correctional Ministries Institute, Marsh Center for Chaplaincy Studies, Every Youth-Every Facility, Lausanne-North America, Christian Association of Youth Mentoring, Prison Fellowship, and more.
Steve is an ordained minister of the gospel, married to his helpmate Jan for over 46 years, and has 2 grown children: Jeff and Jessica.
Education
- AA Police Science
- BS Criminology
- Talbot Theological Seminary/Biola University, MA
- Pepperdine, MA
- California State University, MA
- Claremont Graduate University, doctoral coursework
Dan Odean
Daniel (Dan) Odean serves as the Correctional Ministries Representative for The General Council of the Assemblies of God. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Jimmy Swaggart Bible College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1988, was ordained in 1989, and earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri in 1991. Dan served as an endorsed Assemblies of God chaplain with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for 23 years. In his five different BOP assignments, he ministered to staff and inmates, including those on Federal Death Row, in a wide range of venues, including a Metropolitan Correctional Center, United States Penitentiary, Federal Detention Center, a Federal Correctional Complex, and the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners located in Springfield, Missouri.
Dan and his wife, Brenda, live in Springfield, Missouri, and have a son and two daughters: Caleb, Allison, and Morgan.
Chaplain Joe Pryor
Joe Pryor is a seasoned Correctional Professional with over forty years of ministry experience. For twenty-one years he served as a Chaplain for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he retired in 2011 as Chief Chaplain for the agency. Following his federal career, Joe served as an Assistant Warden, Warden, and Senior Director for Reentry in the private sector. Along the way, he has developed and implemented innovative reentry programs that have been completed by 100,000 plus incarcerated men and women. Joe is an ordained Baptist minister and has pastored three churches. He has participated in international symposiums representing the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the United States Department of State, and the United Nations on matters of religious programming and its impact on terrorism. He currently works as a private consultant and enjoys engaging with people who want to make a positive difference in the lives of people. He is married to Vickie and finds joy in his three children and six grandchildren.
Education
Marshall University, B.A.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, M.Div.
Chaplain Michael Reighard
Michael Reighard currently serves the Assemblies of God as the Critical Incident Ministries Chaplaincy Representative, including chaplains of police, firefighters, responders, and emergency services. He has served over 20 years as Supervisory Chaplain for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and has experience in Hospital, Mental Health, and Hospice Chaplaincy. In conjunction with correctional chaplaincy, he developed Jericho Commission, a Christ-based reentry ministry for the formally incarcerated, and served
as the founding president of the Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Association (CMCA).
Dr. Karen Swanson
Dr. Swanson has been the Director of the Institute for Prison Ministries (1PM), Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College since 2005. As Director, she oversees the Charles W. Colson scholarship program and pursues the goals of the Institute for Prison Ministries through networks, collaboration and strategic partnerships. 1PM provides leadership and training to those engaged in correctional ministries. She is co-founder of the Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Association (CMCA).
Dr. Swanson has more than 25 years of higher education experience and is a faculty member in the Christian Formation and Ministries Department of Wheaton College. She has provided numerous correctional ministry workshops and trainings, directed a residential reentry program, and is certified in Justice Ministries, Motivational Interviewing, Moral Reconation Therapy, Bridges Out of Poverty, Truthought, Anger Management, and Trauma Healing. She serves on the Board of Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, and leadership team of Naiomi’s House.
Education
- Cornerstone University, B.A.
- Calvin College, B.S.
- Western Michigan University, M.A.
- Northern Illinois University, Ed.D.
Mr. Robert Vann
Robert Vann is currently the Program Director a 92 bed Christ Centered Transitional Housing Program (Fuqua Hall) a ministry of the Atlanta Mission. He is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of “A Strictly Biblical Perspective Ministries,” (ASBPM) with his wife, Maria of 27 years. He has over 20 years of full time experience in ministry serving as a Addiction’s Counselor, Case Manager, Program Manager/Director at (Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Prison Fellowship Ministries and the Atlanta Mission and is an Associate Pastor at Community of Faith Church in Buford GA. He has an M.A. degree from Wayne State University in the field of counseling with specialization in substance abuse. He is the author of the “One Step With Jesus Restoration Program,” with a Cognitive Biblical Approach to Understanding & Addressing Addiction & Relapse Prevention, with Mentoring and Discipleship and Ministry components. He has trained over 1500 mentors throughout the United States and facilitates workshops across the nation. Robert has 25 years sobriety and has been restored from crack cocaine/alcohol and heroine addictions.
Rev. Joseph Williams
Leading social entrepreneur Joseph Williams is on a mission to restore the lives of those affected by crime. His passion for helping the incarcerated, formerly incarcerated and their families reach their God given potential is born from his own personal battles.
As Founder and CEO of New Creations Community Outreach (formerly Transition of Prisoners), he developed and implemented a number of innovative approaches that have helped others to experience total restoration. An evaluation of New Creations’ TOP program found that those who graduated from the TOP program were ten times less likely to have any further contact with the criminal justice system than a control group consisting of those who did not go through the program. As a result of the innovation and success of the TOP program, Joseph was recognized as an outstanding social entrepreneur in 2006 by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, a global organization that promotes unique ways of addressing pressing social problems.
These successes continue to provide Joseph with the opportunity to share his expertise with other professionals at various forums around the nation. Among them are the prestigious bodies of the U.S.House of Representatives and the National Institute of Corrections. Joseph has served as a visiting professor for Great Lakes Christian College.