Justice 101: The Business of Second Chances: Economic Empowerment for Justice-Involved Women

Tess Hart is the cofounder of Triple Bottom Brewing, a craft brewery with a social enterprise that creates jobs for people who face barriers to employment and connects small farmers to the growing craft beer industry. Triple Bottom Brewing is a certified B Corp – the first in Pennsylvania.

Before receiving her MBA and MEM from Yale, Tess was a Senior Associate at Hattaway Communications, a mission-driven communications firm where she led the development of messages and communications strategies for nonprofits, social enterprises, and foundations across various issue areas. She also worked in internal communications for the World Wildlife Fund and spent a year on Capitol Hill working for Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), the Chair of the Armed Services Committee. Tess graduated from Brown University in 2009 with a BA in Classics and Political Science.

Assata Thomas, Executive Director of the Office of Reentry Partnerships for the City of Philadelphia. As Executive Director she sets a clear vision and direction for a comprehensive citywide approach to improving reentry outcomes, including the development of partnerships to create a citywide network of services that address a variety of social services needs among individuals returning from incarceration with a goal of reducing recidivism.

Immediately prior to her appointment as Executive Director Ms. Thomas served as Chief Community Justice Officer of the Institute for Community Justice (ICJ), a Program of Philadelphia FIGHT. As Chief, she oversaw the effective execution of ICJ’s aims to provide support, education and advocacy for individuals, families and communities who are impacted by mass incarceration.

Assata has over two decades of experience in the social services field which commenced with her training as a Corrections Officer with the State of New Jersey, during which time she held the distinction of having been the first female President of the Corrections Officers Training Academy of New Jersey. She received a BA Degree with honors in Africana Studies and Urban Studies from Rutgers University and her Masters of Restorative Justice from Vermont Law and Graduate School.

Assata maintains an unflagging commitment to social justice and building a society emancipated from the socially inequitable and profoundly destructive system of mass incarceration; a society where even the most vulnerable communities have equal and unrestricted access to healthcare, to justice and to unqualified protection of their safety and security.

She is a passionate advocate on behalf of those affected by mass incarceration; and, moreover, having lived through the experience of a felony conviction, is uniquely qualified to speak with credibility and authority to the issues facing all who have been affected by the system – such as the challenges faced by returning citizens for a fair chance at social rehabilitation, healthy reintegration back into society and the chance to (re)design their futures and destinies. Ms. Thomas’ personal trajectory and hard-won successes fuel her passion to help others and they offer a concrete and inspiring example for others that, despite the odds, success is possible.

Ms. Thomas has partnered with several grass root organizations rooted in social justice, criminal justice reform and ending death by incarceration. She continues to demonstrate her civic advocacy through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Celeste Trusty is so excited to return to her role as State Legislative Affairs Director for FAMM, where she will continue her work with impacted community members, lawmakers, and other stakeholders to advocate reforms to our overly-punitive sentencing laws and policies. 

During her tenure as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons in the final year of the Wolf and Fetterman administration, Ms. Trusty oversaw the commonwealth’s clemency process and supported the administration’s goals of an historic dedication to second chances.  Celeste also served as Political Director for John Fetterman’s U.S. Senate campaign in 2021 prior to her appointment as Secretary of the PA Board of Pardons. 

Ms. Trusty was appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf to serve on the Judicial Conduct Board of PA in 2020, where she served as a Board member from 2020 to 2022 as Board Secretary from 2021 to 2022, and on the personnel committee from 2020 to 2022. 

A proud former volunteer for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, you can see Celeste in “The Prosecution: Wrong Place, Wrong Time” episode of The Innocence Files on Netflix, which details the harrowing and powerful story of Chester Hollman’s 28 year fight for freedom from a wrongful conviction. 

Celeste is dedicated to the liberation of people impacted by the legal system, and is so grateful for the opportunity to work closely with so many incredible organizations, lawmakers, and community members to transform our system into one that more closely resembles justice. 

Founded in 2010, Ardella’s House is a service and advocacy non-profit organization committed to helping women and girls with criminal justice histories realize new possibilities for themselves and their families. Our programs make it possible for women and girls to obtain work, housing, and health care; to rebuild their families; and to participate fully in civic life. Through her Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, Tonie is realizing her vision as a tireless advocate for a rigorous policy, advocacy, and research agenda that brings new perspectives to public debates on women, girls and criminal justice and the enormous toll that mass incarceration has taken. Most recently she has been a vociferous advocate for the “Dignity Act,” a series of bi-partisan legislation provisions in Pennsylvania to bring dignity to incarcerated women;  to end shackling of pregnant women;  to provide adequate access to feminine hygiene products; to support keeping families together by limiting the distance of a woman’s incarceration so that she can be closer to her family;  and to recommend diversionary sentencing for women who have been convicted of non-violent crimes.

As a cut#50 Pennsylvania Dignity Ambassador, Ardella’s House has hosted the National Day of Empathy in Philadelphia to generate empathy and to humanize and uplift the stories of women and their families who have been impacted by the criminal justice system.  This work has created a new vocabulary that changes not only how we speak about incarcerated women, but also provides moral clarity about how with think about restorative justice.

As a visionary leader, Tonie’s advocacy supports access to transitional housing for family reunification. This has been a priority especially when as many as 60 percent of incarcerated women are mothers. Her work at Ardella’s House provides assistance to over 800 women and their families annually and offers a continuum of care in the areas of employment, housing, family, health and wellbeing, and criminal justice compliance. She is also the brainchild behind “Life Interrupted,” a 12-week  program to help women plan a productive post-incarceration life.

Tonie is no stranger to the hurdles that formerly incarcerated women face when they are released. As someone with lived experience, she knows that it takes support systems to get one’s live back on track after incarceration. Tonie’s own story of incarceration began over 30 years ago when she was incarcerated on drug charges. Following her release, she has never looked back. Ardella’s House is a beacon of light for women.  Through the programs at Ardella’s House, women learn to be their own advocates.  Of her experience she says, “being incarcerated is probably the lowest point in your life, when you’re stripped of everything and you become a number and treated like a caged animal, but many animals are treated far better than incarcerated women.”  Tonie inspires women to overcome the stigma of incarceration and to reach higher heights.

Over the years Tonie has received many honors including being selected as a “Game Changer” by CBS and has been honored by City Council for her compassionate advocacy for women. In 2016, Tonie was appointed by Mayor James Kenney to serve on the Philadelphia Commission for Women https://www.phila.gov/departments/mayors-office-of-engagement-for-women/philadelphia-commission-for-women  where she continues her advocacy on behalf of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been a leader in providing resources to women released from jails and prisons by providing food, masks, transportation, and housing referrals.

Tonie was recently appointed to the board of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment Opportunity https://www.phila.gov/2021-02-01-ceo-announces-the-appointment-of-13-new-board-members/ where she elevates the economic and employment needs of formerly incarcerated women. She is a former member of the Parole and Probation Advisory Board,  serves on the Incarcerated Women’s Working Group on behalf of the rights of incarcerated women, and is a member of the Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.

Dedicated to her late mother, Ardella Willis,  Ardella’s House is a place with a purpose to bring hope,  lift women’s spirits, and foster dignity for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. This was Ardella’s life’s work and now, it has become Tonie’s life’s work too.