Reentry Initiatives in Indian Country: Supporting Collaboration and Culturally Relevant Practices

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Dr. Randolph Hubach is Assistant Professor of Rural Health at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Science, and the research partner for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s Second Chance Act gender-responsive reentry initiative. Early in his career, Dr. Hubach’s research and practice experiences included serving as principal investigator on a federally funded community-based health intervention project, developing managed care programs for local public health and mental health jurisdictions, and serving in leadership positions in multiple community health coalitions and planning processes. As a behavioral scientist and public health researcher, he has gained a practical understanding of the challenges associated with the delivery of public health programs that are scientifically sound and responsive to the needs of diverse communities. Dr. Hubach has a decade of experience implementing health programming within correctional settings. He holds a PhD in Health Behavior from Indiana University’s School of Public Health and an MPH from California State University, Fullerton.

Janel McFeat is the Project Manager for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Re-Entry Program. She is also the Strategic Planner for the Second Chance Act Two-Phase Adult Re-Entry Demonstration grant. She has worked for 17 years in case management, victim advocacy, restorative justice, Tribal Probation, court services, and re-entry. She is certified in Moral Reconation Therapy and in White Bison 12 Step Medicine Wheel, which is a culturally appropriate program for Native American women and men. She is also qualified in Correctional Assessments and Intervention Systems. Janel is currently the Chair for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and Community Partnerships for Re-entry Services Task Force and Steering Committee. She was also recently invited to be on the Advisory Board for the Indigenous Institute. She established this holistic, intensive case management, native based program in Port Gamble with her team to reduce recidivism and change lives, and as a result, she was nominated in 2014 for the White House Champion of Change. She holds a BA in Social Work from Pacific Lutheran University and is pursing a Masters in Social Work.

Nayade Perez (Nelly) manages the Restorative Justice Program at the Alaska Native Justice Center. She has completed numerous trainings to support her work and especially enjoys working with the Alaska Native participants that are part of the program, as the Alaska Native culture is like hers. She was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and is an aboriginal Indian of the island. She moved to America in 1994 and calls Alaska her hometown, where she resides with her family. Nelly is currently working towards her BA in human services at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she obtained her AA in human services. She is also a successful reentrant with lived experience that allows her to connect with incarcerated individuals and reentrants.