Unveiling the Power of Gender Responsive Programming: A Journey Towards Inclusive Correctional Spaces

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Alexis Ongley is an Assistant Director at Larimer County Community Corrections who oversees operations in evaluations, victim/witness services, residential, non-residential, and treatment case management, and administrative staff/board support. Alexis is a social worker by education and has experience in various roles within community corrections and alternatives to incarceration programs. Her current role has a heavy focus on program evaluation and development as she works with community partners on projects such as Larimer County's structured decision-making tool for referral screens, Evaluating and Building Gender Responsive Programming, WRNA implementation, Trauma-Informed Responses in correctional settings, and the Gender Responsive Policies and Practices Assessment (GRPPA). Alexis is passionate about strengthening communities and ensuring access to equitable resources and opportunities. As a Larimer County Community Corrections Board staff member, she frequently engages clients with community give-back and educational opportunities in partnership with Colorado State University. She also serves on the Larimer County Inclusion Advisory Council on diversity, equity, and inclusion matters impacting Larimer County employees, the Turning Point Board of Directors, a local non-profit serving youth and families, and she was recently appointed to the Governor's Advisory Council on Community Corrections. Alexis is also a Trauma-Informed Practices trainer and a NIC GRPPA coach candidate.

Dr. Tara Opsal is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University. As a sociologist who engages critical and applied criminological questions, she focuses on understanding how different systems of formal social control intersect and effect individual and group behavior. In particular, she conducts community-based and mixed methods research that examines the criminal legal system and the consequences of sentencing and correctional policy for, especially, justice-involved women. She has conducted research on community corrections, parole, reentry from prison, foster youth, and bystander programming in the juvenile justice context. Dr. Opsal is especially committed to working with practitioners in non-profits and government agencies to help bridge the gap that can occur between academic research and on the ground practice. Moreover, through these community-based research efforts she prioritizes space for the voices of those entangled in the legal system to inform process, programming, and policy recommendations.

Anne Uhlman (MA, LPC, NCC) is a mental health counselor and doctoral student researcher at Colorado State University. Recently recognized as a doctoral fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Anne offers a wealth of practical experience and academic insight. She has provided evidence-based mental health care in carceral settings, problem-solving courts, and community reentry programs through a number of treatment modalities. In addition to working with justice-involved people in these spaces, she has designed and delivered trainings and workshops on trauma-informed practices for correctional staff. As a researcher, Anne focuses on the relationship between gender, marginalization, and the criminal justice system through participatory methodologies. She explores alternatives to incarceration by collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including justice-involved individuals and their families, to gain a deeper understanding of how impacted communities experience the criminal justice system. Anne is dedicated to ensuring that research is not only relevant and accessible to a broad audience, but also instrumental in advancing more equitable and effective justice practices.

Dr. Alexandra Walker has more than 20 years of experience in the field of reentry and behavioral health. She offers a diverse background in evidence-based practices, training, program development, implementation science, and treatment modalities. Alex has worked on a myriad of federal, state, and local justice initiatives and research projects. Most recently she transitioned from the Colorado Parole Board as Vice Chair to co-found and run the Alliance for Community and Justice Innovation (ACJI). Having managed implementation efforts large and small across the correctional space, Alex brings a wealth of experience in both community based and institutional corrections. She is well versed in the development, implementation, and measurement of structured decision-making tools and is committed to helping organizations reach fidelity to their highest impact practices and programs. As the Director of Community Relations and Strategy for ACJI, Alex provides tools, strategies, research and evaluation supports for implementation efforts at the state and local level, coaches leaders on implementation and staff engagement efforts, and develops practices and resources for specialized populations with organizations across the country.