Board Members
Al Hays - Founder and Chair
Richard Allen Hays, Jr. is Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Northern Iowa. From 1979 to 2013, he served as Professor of Political Science and from 1994 to 2013 he served as the Director of the Graduate Program of Public Policy. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters and PhD from the University of North Carolina. He is the author of two books: The Federal Government and Urban Housing, with SUNY Press,(3rdEdition 2012) and Who Speaks for the Poor? with Routledge Press. His recent research has been in the area of citizen participation and neighborhood engagement. From 2000 to 2007, he administered a federal Community Outreach Partnership Center grant, in which university expertise was utilized to assist low and moderate-income neighborhoods in Waterloo. He completed a Fulbright Fellowship at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2008. He is the recipient of the Ross Nielsen Outstanding Service Award and the Regent’s Award for Faculty Excellence from the University of Northern Iowa. In 2015, he helped form the Iowa Justice Action Network to advocate for criminal justice reform in Iowa.
Sue Hutchins - Co Chair
Sue is a retired family therapist and substance abuse counselor. She was born and raised in Iowa. She is the Co-chair of IJAN, Vice president of Iowa CURE and founder of Living Beyond the Bars of Iowa. Sue is dedicated to making and supporting positive change in the Justice system.
Lisa Ambrose
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Heather Erwin
Heather J. Erwin, J.D., Ed.D., is the Director of the University of Iowa’s Liberal Arts Beyond Bars (LABB) College in Prison program, and a Senior Advisor to the Institute of Higher Education Policy (IHEP). She is an education specialist and criminal justice reform advocate promoting access to higher education as a core element of success for people who are incarcerated. Heather worked previously as a Senior Program Associate at the Vera Institute for Justice where she was a part of the Sentencing and Corrections team to deliver technical assistance and training to colleges and universities participating in the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative. Heather is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and Northcentral University.
Pam Hays - Co Founder and Secretary
Pam Hays managed two nonprofits in Waterloo dedicated to justice issues from 1980 to 2008. She has an MSW and a M.A. and has taught as an adjunct instructor at UNI. Since retiring, she has volunteered for several justice groups. Her main areas of concern are helping to prevent and remedy the many harmful effects of racism and sexism to society and to individuals. She was a co-founder of IJAN and has served as its board secretary for several years.
Chuck Lane
Rev. Chuck Lane, Deacon in the Episcpal Church. Chuck retired in 2019. He has lived in Waterloo Iowa since 1972. He has been married to his beautiful wife Debbie Lane for 53 years. He has four children, eight grandchildren and one greatgrand daughter. Along with being on the IJAN Board he is also Vice-President of the Hope 4 Healing Board, Treasurer of the Eastside Ministerial Alliance Board, Waterloo Housing Trust Fund Board, and the Jesse Crosby Center Board. He is also on the Episcpal Diocese of Iowa Multicultural Commission. He serves on the Episcpal National Episcpal Urban Caucus Board of Directors and the Episcpal Network of Economic Justice Advocacy Committee. He has done prison ministry at Anamosa State Prison and the Black Hawk County jail for over 30 years. He is amentor to men getting out of prison and the County jail. He has been involved with social justice for over 40 years.
Doug Marshall
Doug Marshall of Waterloo is a newly retired Iowa Workforce Development Workforce Advisor who has helped ex-offenders find employment and resources towards successful re-entry into their communities. He is trained and certified by DOJ and NIC as an Offender Workforce Development Specialist.
Gina Mallet
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Jacob Shepard
Jacob has been serving in the IJAN board since 2017. He is a formerly incarcerated person who is active in justice reform. He has served passionately with IADP, IOWA HARM REDUCTION COALITION, CELEBRATE RECOVERY, Angel tree ministries and CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER OUT OF WASHINGTON DC , on the Restore Your Vote Project. Jacob is husband to his best friend Julie and is father to nine wonderful children and two amazing grandchildren.
Wendy Wittrock
Wendy lives in Des Moines Iowa with her daughter. She has a diverse background in education. She attended Xenon International in Omaha Nebraska and assumed the profession of Master Cosmetologist. After a few years, she graduated from College of Coastal Georgia in Saint Marys, Georgia. She started working for Nationwide Insurance in 2008. Since her employment with Nationwide, she has obtained her Paralegal degree from Kaplan University and a Bachelor of Science in Justice and Human Relations from the University of Iowa. She has also obtained her crime scene investigation certification and criminal justice degree. She is currently enrolled at Mount Mercy obtaining her Masters in Criminal Justice. At Nationwide she is currently a Claims Specialist for property claims. Wendy is an advocate for human rights. She is involved with several advocacy groups involving prisoner rights and rehabilitation. She is the Facilitator for Iowa Coalition for Juvenile Justice, President of Iowa C.U.R.E, and founder of Kolbe Hospitality House of Hope. In her spare time, she loves to camp, research her family genealogy, and remodel homes.