Karen Johnson: The Moment Everything Changed  

Synopsis - I never thought for a second that this would happen to us. Our family was close and loving with each other. I had home schooled my two children and never dreamed there would be a time when we would have to experience incarceration in our family, but it happened and changed our lives in that moment. I will talk about some of the challenges that we faced during this time.

Our Speaker: Karen Johnson, a founding member of Prisons to Partnerships, has a master’s degree in Professional Counseling and credentials as a Universal Life Church reverend. Karen worked with Neal Abramson to develop a seminar curriculum for men recently released from prison. She is the mother of two grown children, a grandmother to three, with one great grandchild.

 Theresa Kitto: The Impact of Incarceration on Families of Incarcerated Individuals

Synopsis - Theresa's perspective on the justice system changed dramatically when her son Michael was incarcerated in Michigan for 3.5 years, providing her firsthand insight into the challenges faced by incarcerated individuals and their families from arrest to reentry. That experience became even more profound when Michael was wrongfully charged and convicted of murder following a tragic accident in 2022.

Our Speaker: Theresa Kitto is a retired Speech-Language Pathologist with over 40 years of experience serving individuals with complex communication and cognitive needs. She spent 17 years in hospital settings specializing in rehabilitation for stroke and traumatic brain injury patients, including 11 years as Manager of Speech-Language Pathology services for a major hospital system in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She later transitioned to school-based practice, working with students with developmental disabilities.