About
About
Mission
To offer direct financial assistance, essential public health resources, and educational resources to at least 10,000 women & girls impacted by incarceration nationwide by the year 2030.
Vision
To remove obstacles to success and ensure that every woman and girl impacted by incarceration has a chance to thrive and succeed.
About Master Sergeant Thurman Perry Jr.
The Thurman Perry Foundation is named in honor of Purple Heart recipient and retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant Thurman Perry Jr., whose profound courage and unending, well-known generosity are the pillars on which our organization still stands today.
Master Sergeant Perry was a Vietnam veteran, loving father, husband, businessman, and pillar of his community known for hiring men from the local prison work release program to work on his farm, giving a second chance to all those who needed it.
He lost his battle with head-and-neck cancer in 2008, leaving his daughter, Gabrielle Perry, to carry on his legacy of making a difference in the world around her. Both the flagship scholarship and the national organization that now bear his name are evidence of the indelible mark he left on this world.
As an organization that focuses solely on the needs of women and girls, especially those who have experienced incarceration, we aim to PRIORITIZE, DIGNIFY, and COMPENSATE this sensitive population.
Prioritize
Women who have been impacted by incarceration due to the lack of resources available to them that address the gendered trauma associated with incarceration.
Dignify
These women by giving them the support and resources to not only survive, but thrive and tell their story on their own terms to other people through our organization.
Compensate
Women and girls impacted by incarceration directly to ensure their most pressing immediate needs are adequately met and reduce the rate of recidivism.
The History of The Thurman Perry Foundation
First Round of The Perry 'Second Chances' Scholarship Launched
First Two PSCS Winners Announced
The Thurman Perry Foundation founded in Louisiana
Girl Code Initiative, the First of its Kind in the US, Launched
PSCS Chooses 15 Winners Including Currently Incarcerated Women
TPF Launches Mother's Day 365 Housing Relief Fund
Girl Code Initiative, Reaches 100K Products Donated
PSCS Chooses 21 Winners The Largest Class in Scholarship History
TPF Chosen as Finalists for Classy Nonprofit Awards
TPF Chosen as 2023 STAR Champions of Change Honoree
Girl Code Initiative, Reaches 200K Products Donated
Periods In Prison Curriculum Published in Conjunction with Period The Menstrual Movement
TPF Holds First Event: A Jazz Luncheon & Fundraiser for MD365
TPF Founder Gabrielle Honored By New Hour for Women & Children
PSCS Chooses 10 Winners Crossing $100K Awarded
The Thurman Perry Foundation Celebrates 4 Years
TPF Staff & Board of Directors
The staff and executive board of The Thurman Perry Foundation bring a diverse level of expertise from all sectors of the workforce and are passionate about criminal justice reform that centers the needs of the women and girls.
Key Leadership
Gabrielle A. Perry, MPH
Founder & Executive Director
Formerly incarcerated woman turned epidemiologist, published writer, and upcoming author, Ms. Perry is the award-winning founder and executive director of The Thurman Perry Foundation. She founded the organization to create more paths forward for women and girls just like her. She has been featured in The Washington Post, Essence, CBS Mornings, and New York’s The Cut, among many more.
TC Headley
TPF Executive Board Chair
Entrepreneur and founder of V3 Inbound, Ms. Headley serves as the chair of the Thurman Perry Foundation board, designed the TPF and PSCS websites, and manages the technological aspects of the organization. She is a brand strategist who focuses on helping small businesses, nonprofits, and creatives grow their brands authentically. She has been featured in the Howard University Magazine and on Microsoft’s Humans of IT blog. She is a Howard University and University of Pennsylvania alumna.
Executive Board Members
Shawanda Manuel, MPA
TPF Executive Board Vice-Chair
Ms. Manuel is an experienced Organizational Management Leader with a demonstrated history of success and effectiveness working within prominent non-profit organizations in New York City and South Florida. Being formerly incarcerated, ShaWanda has witnessed the strains that incarceration impacts on women and their families. ShaWanda is the Founder of Family Connections Travel, a multifaceted agency connecting the essential pieces of resources, referrals, and direct and tangible services to aid families dealing with the impacts of incarceration. She is passionate about creating opportunities to empower and strives to find avenues for “helping others help themselves.”
Nailah Starks
TPF Executive Board Secretary
Ms. Starks is a graduate of Dillard University and one of the 2022 winners of The Perry ‘Second Chances’ Scholarship. She is the resilient daughter of an incarcerated woman who is passionate about helping other families impacted by incarceration and poverty. By nature, she is a leader who aims to inspire and transform the lives of youth and women through her teachings, writings, and personal experiences. Nailah has a soft heart for women, mothers, and children and dedicates her time to serve in whatever space she can as often as she can.
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Founded in memory of late U.S. Army Master Sergeant Thurman Perry Jr., The Thurman Perry foundation was created by his daughter, Gabrielle Perry, MPH, to support women and girls impacted by incarceration. We are a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. EIN 86-2519876.
