Third Annual · October 10, 2026 Ending the White Collar Life Sentence
Virtual on Zoom. Host: Jeff Grant, White Collar Support Group. Keynote: Joshua J. Smith, former Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Fireside chat: Dickie Scruggs.
Every session, in order.
The 2026 theme was about ending the life sentence that white collar offenders are left enduring well after their price has been paid. Here is the full program, with the recording under each session.
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, Grant founded the White Collar Support Group in 2013. He now leads GrantLaw as private general counsel to executives and professionals facing high-stakes legal matters, and remains a longtime advocate for reentry and second chances.
The first person appointed to senior Bureau of Prisons leadership after serving time in its custody. He oversaw 122 facilities, 36,000 staff and the care of over 156,000 people, and founded the Fourth Purpose Foundation and Prison Life Media. He resigned from the BOP in August 2026. Read his full profile on Prisonpedia.
The lead counsel behind the historic tobacco settlements worth more than $248 billion reached the very top of American law, then served six years in federal prison. Today he leads 2nd Chance MS, which has helped more than a thousand Mississippi adults earn the credentials to rebuild their futures. In conversation with fireside host Brent Cassity.
Host of the Nightmare Success podcast and a member of the White Collar Support Group, Cassity draws on his own journey through the federal system to lead the fireside conversation.
Rashmi Airan and Desmond Meade each rebuilt a career and a public reputation after a federal conviction. See Meet the Panelists below for how they did it, from starting companies to leading national movements.
Meet the Panelists
Rashmi Airan is a keynote speaker, leadership expert, and transformation strategist who helps leaders and organizations navigate adversity and high-pressure moments with courage, clarity, and accountability. A first-generation Indian American, Columbia Law School graduate, and former Wall Street dealmaker, she draws on her own journey through failure, federal prison, and reinvention to help audiences rise stronger and lead wiser. Her story has been featured by ABC, PBS, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
Desmond Meade is a nationally recognized civil rights leader, voting rights advocate, author, and community organizer who led the effort to change Florida's Constitution to restore voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. He was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2019, received the MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship in 2021, and in 2023, under Meade's leadership, his organization was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. His personal journey of overcoming hardship, homelessness, and incarceration has shaped his message of redemption and opportunity, and his appearances on CNN, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, and Fox TV demonstrate his ability to appeal to and inspire people from all walks of life.
Drew Chapin is the founder of The Discoverability Company, a discoverability partner for individuals and businesses based in Philadelphia, with nearly two decades of go-to-market experience across Microsoft, Jomboy Media, Perplexity, and venture-backed startups. He sits on the White Collar Conference steering committee and moderated this panel.
Clemency asks something of the person seeking it that no other legal process does: tell us again, in your own words, about the worst thing you ever did. Gregg Johnson moderated a conversation about what that costs, and what it takes to ask anyway.
Meet the Panelists
Mark Osler is a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota and a former federal prosecutor who founded the nation's first law-school clinic devoted to federal commutations. The Clemency Resource Center he co-founded with Rachel Barkow produced 96 commutations under the Obama clemency initiative. He returned to the conference stage after the 2025 panel on pardons and expungement.
Alex N. is a physician-scientist and a member of the White Collar Support Group. He joined the 2026 panel to speak from his own experience with the clemency process.
Press Coverage
Media coverage of the 2026 White Collar Conference
"Trauma of Seeking Pardons and Clemency at White Collar Conference 2026"
AP News · August 2026
2026 conference FAQ
- When was the 2026 White Collar Conference?
- The third annual White Collar Conference took place on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern, virtually on Zoom.
- Who gave the keynote at the 2026 White Collar Conference?
- Joshua J. Smith, former Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, gave the keynote, introduced by host Jeff Grant. Dickie Scruggs joined a fireside chat with Brent Cassity.
- What else was on the 2026 program?
- Drew Chapin moderated a panel on rebuilding a career after a justice journey with Rashmi Airan and Desmond Meade. Gregg Johnson moderated a panel on pardons and clemency with Mark Osler and Alex N. Short video talks came from Tanya Pierce on restitution and remission, P.G. Sittenfeld on fighting for his innocence, and Alex Little on sentencing, appeals, clemency and pardons.
- Can I watch the 2026 sessions?
- Yes. Seven recorded sessions, including the keynote, the fireside chat and both panels, are on this page 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.
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