Guest Lecture Series

Since 2018, the Prison Scholars Program has hosted a weekly guest lecture series, creating an opportunity for leaders in their fields to connect with students at the D.C. Jail. Distinguished lecturers, including activists, business executives, artists, academics, and media personalities including Kim Kardashian, have visited the jail to share their insights and experiences with the Scholars and to engage with the students.

Past Lecturers

Omar Alshogre, Georgetown University SCS ’23 and Syrian human rights activist

Anthony Arend, Chair of the Department of Government and Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown University

Laia Balcells, Provost Distinguished Associate Professor, Georgetown University

Thomas Banchoff, Vice President for Global Engagement and Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown University

Lawrence Bartley, Journalist for the Marshall Project and Founder of “News Inside”

Jason Bello, Leader of Leap by McKenzie & Company

Nolan Bennet, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin

Binio Binev, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Virginia Tech

Paul Blavin, Co-founder and CEO of Mercy Analytics

Marcus Board, Assistant Professor of African American Studies, Georgetown University

Nigel Boyle, Professor and Associate Dean, Pitzer College

Annalisa Butticci, Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Georgetown University

Christopher Celenza, Former Dean of Georgetown College

Melisande Colomb, Georgetown University C ’21 and GU272 Descendant

Jon Cooper, Adjunct Professor of Sociology, George Washington University

Jordan Davis, Motivational Speaker, JD Speaks

Donald Dell, Former Sports Agent, Attorney, and Professional Tennis Player

Elana DeLozier, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Center for Security Studies

Raj Desai, Professor of International Development, Georgetown University

Izuo-Ere “Mimi” Digifa, Pivot and Prison Scholars Alumna and Entrepreneur

Valentino Dixon, Artist, Exoneree, and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate

Damien Dwin, CEO and Founder of Lafayette Square

Michael Eric Dyson, Author and Former Professor of Sociology, Georgetown University

Heidi Elmendorf, Associate Professor of Biology, Georgetown University

Joshua Essex, Chief Technology Officer, Recidiviz

Zia Faruqui, U.S. Federal Magistrate

William Feely, Founder and Managing Officer of Barometer Trading, LLC

Jason Flom, CEO of Lava Records

Halim Flowers, Artist, Writer and Activist

Bianca Forde, Former Federal Prosecutor and Global Ethics and Compliance Executive

Rabbi Rachel Gartner, Former Director of Jewish Life, Georgetown University

Tarek Ghani, Assistant Professor of Strategy at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis

Desha Girod, Associate Professor of Government, Georgetown University

John Glavin, Professor of English, Georgetown University

Danny Gold, Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker

Dan Gordon, Managing Director of GLD Partners LP

Athena Grace, Human Behavior Analyst

Emily Hainze, PJI Assistant Teaching Professor, Georgetown University

Andrea Headley, Assistant Professor, Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy

Kristin Henning, Director of the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative and Professor of Law, Georgetown University

Mark Holden, General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Koch Industries

Marc Howard, PJI Director and and Professor of Government and Law, Georgetown University

Clementine Jacoby, Executive Director, Recidiviz

Patrick Johnson, Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics, Georgetown University

Kim Kardashian, Media Personality, Entrepreneur, and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate

Mary Katzenstein, Stephen and Evalyn Professor Emerita of American Studies, Cornell University

Rev. Raymond Kemp, Special Assistant to the President, Georgetown University

Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director of CIRCLE, Tufts University

Charles King, Professor of International Affairs and Government, Georgetown University

Ted Kinnaman, Director of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Philosophy, George Mason University

Matthew Kroenig, Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown Univeristy

Charles Kupchan, Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University, and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

Mark Lance, Professor of Philosophy and Justice and Peace, Georgetown University

Drew Leder, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University

Amanda Lewis, PJI Site Monitor at Patuxent Institution, Georgetown University

Michael Li, Data Scientist and Entrepreneur

Marcus Lilly, Community Outreach Coordinator and College Student

Kristen Looney, Assistant Professor of Asian Studies and Government, Georgetown University

Abbe Lowell, Defense Attorney and Partner at Winston & Strawn LLP

David Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business, American University

Joshua Miller, PJI Director of Education and Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University

Kimberly Nelson, Founder of Point and Discovery Coaching and Consulting LLC

Hans Noel, Associate Professor of Government, Georgetown University

Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution

Kelly Otter, Dean of the School of Continuing Studies, Georgetown University

Robert Patterson, Professor and Former Chair of the Department of African American Studies, Georgetown University

Deesha Philyaw, Author and Public Speaker

Jeff Reid, Founding Director of Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative & Professor of the Practice of Entrepreneurship, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University

Pietra Rivoli, Pivot Program Director, Georgetown Univeristy

Arthur Rizer, Vice President of Technology, Criminal Justice, and Civil Liberties at the Lincoln Network

Gerard Robinson, Executive Director of the Center for Advancing Opportunity

Sherrill Roland, Interdisciplinary Artist, The Jumpsuit Project

Adam Rothman, Professor of History and American Studies, Georgetown Univeristy

Nita Rudra, Professor of Government, Georgetown University

Mary Ryan, Assistant Professor and Chair of Public Service and Community Studies, Washington & Jefferson College

Alphonso Saville, Crossroads Associate Research Fellow, Princeton University

Marc Schindler, Executive Director of the Justice Policy Institute

Cathy Schneider, Professor of International Service, American University

Jamil Scott, Assistant Professor of Government, Georgetown University

Robert Sgarlata, Head Football Coach, Georgetown University

Aram Sinnreich, Professor and Chair of the Communication Studies Division at American University’s School of Communication

Olufemi Taiwo, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University

Martin Tankleff, Defense Attorney, Exoneree, and Mullen Distinguished Visiting Professor, Georgetown University

Joseph Trullinger, Assistant Professor of Honors and Philosophy, George Washington University

Lara Vaz, Technical Director, MOMENTUM Knowledge Accelerator

Alex Vitale, Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College

James Raymond Vreeland, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University

Eric Weaver, Founder and Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens

Vanessa Wills, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, George Washington University