Inaugural Conference · October 19, 2024 Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community
Virtual on Zoom. Host: Jeff Grant, White Collar Support Group. Emcee: Craig Stanland. Keynote fireside chat: David Israel, founder and CEO of GOOD PLANeT Foods.
Every session, in order.
The inaugural conference was about starting over: moving out of the isolation that follows a case and into community. Here is the full program, with the recording under each session.
David Israel went from incarceration to building one of the fastest-growing plant-based cheese companies in America. The morning opened with remarks by emcee Craig Stanland and a welcome from host Jeff Grant.
Host of the Nightmare Success podcast, leading the keynote fireside chat.
The opening panel of the inaugural conference, on its theme: moving out of the isolation that follows a case and into community.
Meet the Panelists
Erika Cheung is one of the whistleblowers who reported Theranos to regulators, and the co-founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Ethics in Entrepreneurship.
Elizabeth Kelley is a criminal defense attorney with a national practice focused on representing people with mental disabilities, and a longtime board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
R. Seth Williams served as the District Attorney of Philadelphia, the first African American to hold that office in the city and in Pennsylvania.
Bill Baroni is a former New Jersey State Senator and former Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority. His conviction was overturned unanimously by the U.S. Supreme Court in Kelly v. United States (2020).
A counselor, a Franciscan priest, an educator and an author on healing through a supportive community.
Meet the Panelists
Father Joe Ciccone is a priest of the Order of Franciscan Servants and the founding pastor of Saint Joseph Mission Church in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, a mobile ministry for people who are homebound, marginalized or shut out of traditional congregations, including people inside and adjacent to the criminal justice system. He also serves as a chaplain for the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police.
Dr. Naia Wilson spent roughly three decades in urban education working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, leading a Boston high school to national honors.
Portia Louder is an author and speaker whose memoir, Living Louder, reflects on resilience and the people she met following her own journey through the criminal justice system.
Dr. William Sansing is a licensed professional counselor and author of Beyond Prison who has spent nearly three decades in advocacy following his own journey through the criminal justice system.
Three people who rebuilt careers in law, education and compliance after their own cases, on returning to work and to society.
Meet the Panelists
Kaysia Earley is a South Florida trial attorney and founder of Earley Law Firm, and a frequent legal analyst on Court TV, Law & Crime, and NewsNation.
Jeffrey Abramowitz is the Chief Executive Officer of the Petey Greene Program, which supports education for people who are incarcerated or returning home.
Jeff Wertkin is Chief Compliance Officer at The Fortune Society, a New York nonprofit that supports people returning home from incarceration.
Widely described as the only attorney in the U.S. who served time in federal prison for a white collar crime and returned to practice white collar law, Jeff Grant founded the White Collar Support Group in 2013 with his wife Lynn.
Press Coverage
Media coverage of the 2024 White Collar Conference
"New Conference Seeks Better Outcomes for White Collar Offenders"
The Daily Caller · October 15, 2024
"White Collar Criminals Gather to Offer Hope and Support"
San Francisco Examiner · October 7, 2024
"First-Ever Conference for White Collar Justice Community"
EIN Presswire · August 6, 2024
2024 conference FAQ
- When was the 2024 White Collar Conference?
- The inaugural White Collar Conference took place on Saturday, October 19, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern, virtually on Zoom.
- Who spoke at the 2024 White Collar Conference?
- David Israel, founder and CEO of GOOD PLANeT Foods, gave the keynote fireside chat with Brent Cassity. Panels on isolation, healing and careers featured Bill Baroni, Erika Cheung, Seth Williams, Portia Louder, Jeffrey Abramowitz and others, with Craig Stanland as emcee.
- Can I watch the 2024 sessions?
- Yes. All five recorded sessions are on this page, under the session each one belongs to, and on the White Collar Support Group YouTube channel.
- When is the next White Collar Conference?
- The fourth annual White Collar Conference is planned for fall 2027. The date, theme and speakers are not set yet. Join the email list at whitecollarconference.com to hear them first.
- Who organizes the White Collar Conference?
- The White Collar Conference is organized by the White Collar Support Group (prisonist.org), the world's first support group for people navigating the white collar justice system, founded by Jeff Grant.
Be first to hear about 2027.
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