Presenters
DPO III La Tasha Jones, MSW
Moderator
La Tasha Jones currently serves Contra Costa County Probation Department in California as a Juvenile Court Officer. During her 17 years in the department, she has enjoyed several roles including Recruitment and Retention Committee member, Unit Trainer, Thinking for a Change Facilitator, Core Correctional Practices Trainer, Peer Support Member, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee member, and Employee Recognition Committee member. Ms. Jones also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Probation and Parole Association. She is a regional representative and a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She gives back to her community by volunteering as a cheer coach, a girls empowerment speaker, and a presenter on the topic of women in law enforcement.
Director Jack Martin
Panel Speaker
Director Jack Martin of the Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services has served over three decades in law enforcement both in the adult and juvenile arenas. Mr. Martin began his career in California before transitioning to both Arizona and Hawaii as a subject matter expert to assist those states successfully rebuild their troubled youth correctional systems. In 2009, Mr. Martin began a new role as Chief of the Nevada Youth Parole Bureau and is currently the Director of the Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services, also in Nevada. He is a national speaker on operational issues surrounding cultural change initiatives in law enforcement agencies and an expert in designing and teaching required classes for those working in the justice system both adult and juvenile. Mr. Martin holds degrees in Criminal Justice Administration and Communications.
Tony Brown
Panel Speaker
Tony Brown is currently incarcerated at Campus Kilpatrick. He was born addicted to cocaine due to his mother being under the influence of crack cocaine during her pregnancy. Tony was in and out of the foster care system until the age of two when he was adopted. He grew up in a single mother home with his biological brother and two adopted sisters. Tony was doing well at home and in school until his middle school years when he began spending time in the streets, doing drugs, and running away from home. At the age of 14, Tony committed a felony charge of murder. While incarcerated, he turned his life around and graduated from high school, obtained his Associates Degree in Sociology, and received acceptance letters from four universities – Southern New Hampshire, Chico State, Arizona State, and Oregon State. He currently attends Oregon State University online. Upon release from the facility, he plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a concentration in Social Advocacy while working full-time. Tony has written a dog training proposal to be offered to youth, and his goal is to continue doing work with Paws4Life. He plans to help create opportunities for those in the juvenile justice system.
Chef Jeff Henderson
Panel Speaker
A motivational tour de force, Chef Jeff Henderson is an award-winning chef, critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author, philanthropist, television personality, and highly sought-after leader in personal and professional development of formerly incarcerated workforce talent. Known around the country for his dynamic and life-changing best practices, he illuminates probation and parole officers with proven, high-impact strategies that empower change, inspire fulfillment, and help them better inspire those on the caseloads they manage.
A southern California native, Jeff started his groundbreaking culinary career in the unlikeliest of places – federal prison. While serving nearly 10 years, he would discover a previously untapped passion for the art of cooking after fortuitously landing a job as a cook while behind bars. Using prison as a catalyst for self-transformation, he was released in 1996 and worked his way up from a dishwasher to a cook, and then executive chef of the former Café Bellagio in Las Vegas.
When Jeff is not traveling the country teaching his life-changing lessons, he resides in Las Vegas with his wife Stacy and their five children.
Niki Martinez
Panel Speaker
Niki Martinez is a 43-year-old woman who was released on March 14, 2019, from Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF), the largest women’s facility in the world. She was sentenced to serve 45 years to life for murder and attempted murder that she committed at the age of 17-years-old. This crime created devastation within the community. Throughout her incarceration, she became a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor and worked as a Substance Abuse Counselor. She was the Co-Founder of an organization for juvenile offenders and sat as the Chairperson for a youth diversion program. She facilitated numerous self-help classes for her peers and received her Associate in Arts degree. Since reentering society 17 months ago, she has volunteered often by going into juvenile halls to speak about choices and consequences. She is currently employed with Youth Empowerment San Diego as a mentor for the youth reentering society, and also as a case manager for the adult reentry individuals. Niki is a co-founder of Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and a San Diego Chapter Lead, and she is working with The Old Globe Theater.
