About
Support TPFMission
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.
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.
TPF Staff & Board of Directors
The founding members 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.
Current Board & Staff
Gabrielle A. Perry, MPH
Founder & Executive Director
Formerly incarcerated woman turned epidemiologist, published writer, and aspiring medical provider, Ms. Perry is the 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.
TC Headley
TPF Executive Board Chair
Entrepreneur and founder of V3 Inbound Marketing LLC, 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. Dedicated to helping her community grow and thrive, she also volunteers her time with Black Girls Code, and The Urban League of Broward County. She is a Howard University and University of Pennsylvania alumna.
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 graduating senior English major at 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.
Santee Ezell
Ms. Ezell is a native of Calhoun City, MS and serves as the Director of Health Promotion & Wellness at Mississippi State University. She is also the Founder of Black Girls Rock of MS, Inc. which is a support vessel to young girls and women to help them reach their full potential. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to serve others through philanthropy, prevention, peer education, policy development, and public health. Santee believes the greatest person you can ever be is a servant and to always leave a place better than you found it.
Modena Stinnette, PhD
Dr. Stinnette has worked in social services since 2004 and is one of the 2022 winners of The Perry ‘Second Chances’ Scholarship. Her contributions include a combination of lived experience, education, and professional development. Dr. Stinnette is dedicated to advocating and working with communities that are experiencing challenges related to carceral systems. Her current roles include: Social Worker/PRC for University of Illinois Chicago, Reducing Opioid Mortality in Illinois project, Project Coordinator for the Recovery Support for Justice Involved Individuals w/ Northern Illinois Recovery Community Organization (NIRCO), Adjunct Faculty with National Louis University, Chicago, IL, and Dominican University, River Forest IL,mand a plethora of other community based projects and volunteer efforts. Dr. Stinnette serves as the Executive Director for Peace and Justice Solutions.
Board Members Emeritus
T. Greg Doucette
Former Senate candidate and trial attorney in Durham, North Carolina, Mr. Doucette runs a law practice focused on protecting young people from the government, helping aspiring entrepreneurs, and defending the First Amendment.
Kimberly Haven
Ms. Haven is a focus-issue expert and frequently called upon speaker regarding issues such as women’s incarceration, reproductive justice, conditions of confinement, mass incarceration and reentry, pre-trial reform, and parole and probration reform.
Jordyn Wilson
Ms. Wilson ensures the voices of those most impacted by the legal system are incorporated into all decisions regarding legal policy, practice and reform. She seeks to build opportunity-rich communities, where all families and youth have the support they need to thrive.
Want to Interview Gabrielle or Feature TPF?
View and download our Media Kit or complete Gabrielle's speaker/interview request form below. Please request interviews at least one week ahead of preferred publication date. Expect a response to your inquiry within 24-48 hours of submission.
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.
