# White Collar Conference: full site content (llms-full.txt)

> The annual conference by and for people navigating the white collar criminal justice system. Presented by the White Collar Support Group (prisonist.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Founded 2024; thousands of attendees across three annual events.

## Next conference: 2027
The fourth annual White Collar Conference is planned for fall 2027. No date is set yet. Join the interest list: https://whitecollarconference.com/#signup

## 2026 Conference (held): "Ending the White Collar Life Sentence"
Third Annual conference, held October 10, 2026, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET. Virtual on Zoom. Tagline: "Every sentence should have a period." Recordings: https://whitecollarconference.com/2026/#agenda

### Program
- 9:00 AM · Welcome: Jeff Grant (WCSG Founder)
  Widely described as the only attorney in the U.S. who served time in federal prison for a white collar crime and returned to practice white collar law, Grant founded the White Collar Support Group in 2013. He now leads GrantLaw as private general counsel to executives and professionals facing high-stakes legal matters, and remains a longtime advocate for reentry and second chances.
- 4 min video, between sessions · Video: Group Welcome Video (White Collar Support Group)
- 9:15 AM · Keynote: Joshua J. Smith (Former Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons)
  The first person appointed to senior Bureau of Prisons leadership after serving time in its custody. He oversaw 122 facilities, 36,000 staff and the care of over 156,000 people, and founded the Fourth Purpose Foundation and Prison Life Media. He resigned from the BOP in August 2026. Read his full profile on Prisonpedia.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZLMfoRqXE
- 4 min video, between sessions · Video: Online Reputation Management (Drew Chapin, The Discoverability Company)
- 10:00 AM · Fireside Chat: Dickie Scruggs (Legendary trial lawyer, federal inmate, second-chance champion)
  The lead counsel behind the historic tobacco settlements worth more than $248 billion reached the very top of American law, then served six years in federal prison. Today he leads 2nd Chance MS, which has helped more than a thousand Mississippi adults earn the credentials to rebuild their futures. In conversation with fireside host Brent Cassity.
  Host: Brent Cassity, Fireside Host · Host, Nightmare Success Podcast.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXkngDIXiqU
- 4 min video, between sessions · Video: Restitution and Remission (Tanya Pierce, Founder of Life Unbolted)
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enH3gTmpkZM
- 10:45 AM · Featured Panel: Rebuilding Your Career After a Justice Journey (Moderated by Drew Chapin, with Rashmi Airan and Desmond Meade)
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDucy2HOvGM
- 4 min video, between sessions · Video: Fighting for Your Innocence (P.G. Sittenfeld)
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Xpq5t2fiU
- 11:30 AM · Panel: The Trauma of Asking for Forgiveness: Pardons, Clemency and Reliving the Worst Chapter of Your Life (Moderated by Gregg Johnson, with Mark Osler and Alex N.)
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhA3zkuiah0
- 4 min video, between sessions · Video: Sentencing, Appeals, Clemency and Pardons (Alex Little, Founder of Litson)
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=804AxHpxncY
- 12:00 PM · Closing: Closing Reflections

### Featured panel: "Rebuilding Your Career After a Justice Journey" (10:45 AM)
Rashmi Airan and Desmond Meade each rebuilt a career and a public reputation after a federal conviction. See Meet the Panelists below for how they did it, from starting companies to leading national movements.
Moderator: Drew Chapin, The Discoverability Company.
- Rashmi Airan (Keynote Speaker, Author and Consultant): Rashmi Airan is a keynote speaker, leadership expert, and transformation strategist who helps leaders and organizations navigate adversity and high-pressure moments with courage, clarity, and accountability. A first-generation Indian American, Columbia Law School graduate, and former Wall Street dealmaker, she draws on her own journey through failure, federal prison, and reinvention to help audiences rise stronger and lead wiser. Her story has been featured by ABC, PBS, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
- Desmond Meade (Civil Rights Leader and Voting Rights Advocate): Desmond Meade is a nationally recognized civil rights leader, voting rights advocate, author, and community organizer who led the effort to change Florida's Constitution to restore voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. He was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2019, received the MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship in 2021, and in 2023, under Meade's leadership, his organization was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. His personal journey of overcoming hardship, homelessness, and incarceration has shaped his message of redemption and opportunity, and his appearances on CNN, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, and Fox TV demonstrate his ability to appeal to and inspire people from all walks of life.
- Drew Chapin (Panel Moderator; Founder, The Discoverability Company): Drew Chapin is the founder of The Discoverability Company, a discoverability partner for individuals and businesses based in Philadelphia, with nearly two decades of go-to-market experience across Microsoft, Jomboy Media, Perplexity, and venture-backed startups. He sits on the White Collar Conference steering committee and moderated this panel.

### Panel: "The Trauma of Asking for Forgiveness: Pardons, Clemency and Reliving the Worst Chapter of Your Life" (11:30 AM)
Clemency asks something of the person seeking it that no other legal process does: tell us again, in your own words, about the worst thing you ever did. Gregg Johnson moderated a conversation about what that costs, and what it takes to ask anyway.
Moderator: Gregg Johnson, FocalPoint Business Coaching.
- Mark Osler (Professor, University of St. Thomas School of Law): Mark Osler is a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota and a former federal prosecutor who founded the nation's first law-school clinic devoted to federal commutations. The Clemency Resource Center he co-founded with Rachel Barkow produced 96 commutations under the Obama clemency initiative. He returned to the conference stage after the 2025 panel on pardons and expungement.
- Alex N. (Physician-Scientist): Alex N. is a physician-scientist and a member of the White Collar Support Group. He joined the 2026 panel to speak from his own experience with the clemency process.

## Speakers (https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/)
### Joshua J. Smith, Former Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/josh-smith/
Joshua J. Smith is the former Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, sworn in in June 2025 and the first person appointed to senior BOP leadership after serving time in its custody. He oversaw 122 facilities, 36,000 staff and the care of over 156,000 people, and resigned in August 2026 after just over a year in the role.
Before his appointment, Smith built a career as an entrepreneur, invested $10 million of his own money to found the Fourth Purpose Foundation, and launched Prison Life Media, both dedicated to making prison a place of transformation. He delivered the 2026 keynote.
Appearances: 2026 Keynote speaker, Keynote

### Dickie Scruggs, Trial lawyer & second-chance champion, 2nd Chance MS
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/dickie-scruggs/
Dickie Scruggs was the lead counsel behind the historic 1990s tobacco litigation, which produced settlements worth more than $248 billion and took him to the very top of American law. He later served six years in federal prison.
Today he leads 2nd Chance MS, a Mississippi nonprofit that has helped more than a thousand adults earn the credentials to rebuild their futures. At the 2026 conference he sat down for a fireside conversation with Brent Cassity.
Appearances: 2026 Fireside guest, Fireside Chat

### Jeff Grant, Founder, White Collar Support Group; Private General Counsel, GrantLaw
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/jeff-grant/
Widely described as the only attorney in the U.S. who served time in federal prison for a white collar crime and returned to practice white collar law, Jeff Grant founded the White Collar Support Group in 2013 with his wife Lynn.
He leads GrantLaw as private general counsel to executives and professionals facing high-stakes legal matters, and remains a longtime advocate for reentry and second chances. He has opened and hosted the conference every year since founding it.
Appearances: 2026 Host, Welcome · 2026 Host, Keynote: introducing Joshua J. Smith · 2025 Host, Keynote: introducing Jeffrey Toobin · 2025 Moderator, Panel: "Pardons & Expungement" · 2024 Moderator, Panel: "Careers and Reintegrating Into Society" · 2024 Host, Welcome

### Brent Cassity, Host, Nightmare Success Podcast
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/brent-cassity/
Brent Cassity hosts the Nightmare Success podcast and is a member of the White Collar Support Group. He draws on his own journey through the federal system to lead conversations about falling, rebuilding, and coming back.
He has led the conference’s marquee fireside chats across all three years: David Israel in 2024, Joe Bankman in 2025, and Dickie Scruggs in 2026.
Appearances: 2026 Fireside host, Fireside Chat with Dickie Scruggs · 2025 Fireside host, Fireside Chat with Joe Bankman · 2024 Fireside host, Keynote Fireside Chat with David Israel

### Gregg Johnson, Business Coach; Conference Steering Committee
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/gregg-johnson/
A lifelong Minnesotan, Gregg Johnson spent more than 20 years in senior finance and operations roles, including CFO and COO positions in manufacturing and petroleum, before becoming a FocalPoint business coach who helps owners and executives sharpen strategy, profitability, and team performance.
He hosts the BizTalk Weekly podcast, serves on the conference steering committee, and moderated the 2026 panel on pardons, clemency, and what the process asks of the people who go through it.
Appearances: 2026 Moderator, Panel: "The Trauma of Asking for Forgiveness"

### Rashmi Airan, Keynote Speaker, Author and Consultant
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/rashmi-airan/
Rashmi Airan is a keynote speaker, leadership expert, and transformation strategist who helps leaders and organizations navigate adversity and high-pressure moments with courage, clarity, and accountability.
A first-generation Indian American, Columbia Law School graduate, and former Wall Street dealmaker, she draws on her own journey through failure, federal prison, and reinvention to help audiences rise stronger and lead wiser. Her story has been featured by ABC, PBS, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. She joined the 2026 featured panel.
Appearances: 2026 Panelist, Panel: "Rebuilding Your Career After a Justice Journey"

### Desmond Meade, Civil Rights Leader and Voting Rights Advocate
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/desmond-meade/
Desmond Meade is a nationally recognized civil rights leader, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, and the community organizer who led the effort to change Florida’s Constitution to restore voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions.
He was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2019, received the MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship in 2021, and in 2023, under Meade’s leadership, his organization was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. His personal journey of overcoming hardship, homelessness, and incarceration has shaped his message of redemption and opportunity. He joined the 2026 featured panel.
Appearances: 2026 Panelist, Panel: "Rebuilding Your Career After a Justice Journey"

### Drew Chapin, Founder, The Discoverability Company
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/drew-chapin/
Drew Chapin is the founder of The Discoverability Company, a discoverability partner for individuals and businesses based in Philadelphia, with nearly two decades of go-to-market experience across Microsoft, Jomboy Media, Perplexity, and venture-backed startups.
He sits on the conference steering committee, presented "Reclaiming Your Online Footprint" at the inaugural 2024 conference, moderated the 2025 "Restoration Through Community" panel, and moderated the 2026 featured panel on rebuilding a career after a justice journey.
Appearances: 2026 Moderator, Panel: "Rebuilding Your Career After a Justice Journey" · 2025 Moderator, Panel: "Restoration Through Community" · 2024 Presenter, "Reclaiming Your Online Footprint"

### Jeffrey Toobin, Author of "The Pardon"; former CNN chief legal analyst
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/jeffrey-toobin/
Jeffrey Toobin is a lawyer, author, and former CNN chief legal analyst, and the author of "The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy" (Simon & Schuster, 2025).
His 2025 keynote was a sweeping discussion of presidential clemency power in America, delivered weeks before the hottest stretch on record for pardons and expungement.
Appearances: 2025 Keynote speaker, Keynote

### Joe Bankman, Professor, Stanford Law School
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/joe-bankman/
Joe Bankman is the Ralph M. Parsons Professor of Law and Business at Stanford Law School, a legal scholar and clinical psychologist, and the father of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
In his 2025 fireside conversation with Brent Cassity, he spoke about the impact of his son’s high-profile prosecution on his family and his own experience navigating public scrutiny.
Appearances: 2025 Fireside guest, Fireside Chat

### Mark Osler, Professor, University of St. Thomas School of Law
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/mark-osler/
Mark Osler is a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota and a former federal prosecutor who founded the nation's first law-school clinic devoted to federal commutations. The Clemency Resource Center he co-founded with Rachel Barkow produced 96 commutations under the Obama clemency initiative.
He joined the 2025 "Pardons & Expungement" panel on the distinction between presidential pardons and expungement, and the push for federal expungement legislation, and returned in 2026 for the panel on what the clemency process asks of the people who go through it.
Appearances: 2026 Panelist, Panel: "The Trauma of Asking for Forgiveness" · 2025 Panelist, Panel: "Pardons & Expungement"

### Tanya R. Pierce, Founder, Life Unbolted; Legislative Chair, RemissionNow
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/tanya-pierce/
Tanya Pierce, MBA founded Life Unbolted in 2018, a New York City advocacy and reentry organization working to dismantle the barriers to programs, housing and employment that people impacted by the federal system run into after release. She spent more than two decades in real estate development beforehand, and is now a JD candidate focused on restitution reform.
She chairs the legislative committee of the RemissionNow campaign, which took the little-known clemency remedy of remission to the Office of the Pardon Attorney and worked with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on the Fairness in Restitution Act. She led the support group's town hall on restitution and remission, and presented on the same subject at the 2026 conference.
Appearances: 2026 Presenter, "Restitution and Remission"

### Alex N., Physician-Scientist
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/alex-n/
Alex N. is a physician-scientist and a member of the White Collar Support Group. He joined the 2026 panel to speak from his own experience with the clemency process.
Appearances: 2026 Panelist, Panel: "The Trauma of Asking for Forgiveness"

### Craig Stanland, Author & speaker
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/craig-stanland/
Craig Stanland is a keynote speaker and the author of "Blank Canvas: How I Reinvented My Life After Prison."
He emceed the inaugural 2024 conference and returned to open the 2025 program.
Appearances: 2025 Emcee, Opening remarks · 2024 Emcee, Welcome & Keynote Fireside Chat

### David Israel, Founder, GOOD PLANeT Foods
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/david-israel/
David Israel is a serial food entrepreneur who built his first food business, POP! Gourmet Foods, after federal prison in 2011, then founded GOOD PLANeT Foods in 2018 and grew it into one of the fastest-growing plant-based cheese companies in America.
He delivered the inaugural conference’s keynote fireside chat with Brent Cassity in 2024.
Appearances: 2024 Keynote guest, Keynote Fireside Chat

### Bill Baroni, Former New Jersey State Senator
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/bill-baroni/
Bill Baroni is a former New Jersey State Senator and former Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority. His conviction was overturned unanimously by the U.S. Supreme Court in Kelly v. United States (2020).
He moderated the 2024 "Out of Isolation" panel at the inaugural conference.
Appearances: 2024 Moderator, Panel: "Out of Isolation"

### Erika Cheung, Theranos whistleblower; Executive Director, Ethics in Entrepreneurship
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/erika-cheung/
Erika Cheung is one of the whistleblowers who reported Theranos to regulators, and the co-founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Ethics in Entrepreneurship.
She joined the 2024 "Out of Isolation" panel at the inaugural conference.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Out of Isolation"

### Todd Haugh, Professor, Business Law & Ethics, IU Kelley School of Business
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/todd-haugh/
Todd Haugh is a professor of business law and ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
He joined Mark Osler on the 2025 "Pardons & Expungement" panel, moderated by Jeff Grant, on pardons, expungement and the push for federal expungement legislation.
Appearances: 2025 Panelist, Panel: "Pardons & Expungement"

### Elizabeth Kelley, Criminal Defense Attorney
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/elizabeth-kelley/
Elizabeth Kelley is a criminal defense attorney with a national practice focused on representing people with mental disabilities, and a longtime board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
She has edited a series of American Bar Association guides on defending clients with autism, dementia, and other conditions, and joined the White Collar Conference to speak about dignity in the justice system.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Out of Isolation"

### R. Seth Williams, Former District Attorney of Philadelphia
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/seth-williams/
R. Seth Williams served as the District Attorney of Philadelphia, the first African American to hold that office in the city and in Pennsylvania.
Following his own journey through the criminal justice system, he has worked on reentry and vocational training, and joined the White Collar Conference to speak about second chances.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Out of Isolation"

### Jeff Wertkin, Chief Compliance Officer, The Fortune Society
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/jeff-wertkin/
Jeff Wertkin is Chief Compliance Officer at The Fortune Society, a New York nonprofit that supports people returning home from incarceration.
A former U.S. Department of Justice attorney who, following his own journey through the criminal justice system, rebuilt his career in compliance and reentry, he shared that story at the White Collar Conference.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Careers and Reintegrating Into Society"

### Jeffrey Abramowitz, Chief Executive Officer, The Petey Greene Program
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/jeffrey-abramowitz/
Jeffrey Abramowitz is the Chief Executive Officer of the Petey Greene Program, which supports education for people who are incarcerated or returning home.
A former attorney who rebuilt his career following his own journey through the criminal justice system, he chairs the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition and works across Pennsylvania on reentry and workforce development.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Careers and Reintegrating Into Society"

### Portia Louder, Author & Speaker
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/portia-louder/
Portia Louder is an author and speaker whose memoir, Living Louder, reflects on resilience and the people she met following her own journey through the criminal justice system.
She speaks widely about redemption and second chances, and joined the White Collar Conference to share her story.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Healing Through a Supportive Community"

### Kaysia Earley, Trial Attorney; Founder, Earley Law Firm
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/kaysia-earley/
Kaysia Earley is a South Florida trial attorney and founder of Earley Law Firm, and a frequent legal analyst on Court TV, Law & Crime, and NewsNation.
Following her own early journey through the criminal justice system before she built her practice, she speaks candidly about second chances and the law, and joined the White Collar Conference to do the same.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Careers and Reintegrating Into Society"

### William Sansing, Licensed Professional Counselor; Author, Beyond Prison
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/william-sansing/
Dr. William Sansing is a licensed professional counselor and author of Beyond Prison who has spent nearly three decades in advocacy following his own journey through the criminal justice system.
He runs Resilient Life Counseling Services and moderated the White Collar Conference panel on healing through supportive community.
Appearances: 2024 Moderator, Panel: "Healing Through a Supportive Community"

### Erin L. Frey, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, Yale School of Management
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/erin-frey/
Dr. Erin Frey is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management, where she studies failure, recovery, and second chances across organizations and industries.
At the White Collar Conference she presented early findings from her Professional and Personal Restoration study, conducted with the White Collar Support Group.
Appearances: 2025 Presenter, Research: "Professional and Personal Restoration"

### Naia Wilson, Educator; Housing Director, Justice 4 Housing
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/naia-wilson/
Dr. Naia Wilson spent roughly three decades in urban education working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, leading a Boston high school to national honors.
Now directing housing-justice work at Justice 4 Housing following her own journey through the criminal justice system, she joined the White Collar Conference panel on healing through supportive community.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Healing Through a Supportive Community"

### Pamela Winn, Founder & President, RestoreHER US.America
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/pamela-winn/
Pamela Winn is the founder and president of RestoreHER US.America, a policy-advocacy organization led by and for justice-involved women, and a nationally recognized reform advocate whose work followed her own journey through the criminal justice system.
A Soros Justice Fellow and Forbes 50 Over 50 honoree, she joined the 2025 White Collar Conference panel on restoration through community.
Appearances: 2025 Panelist, Panel: "Restoration Through Community"

### Joseph Ciccone, Priest; Founding Pastor, Saint Joseph Mission Church
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/joseph-ciccone/
Father Joe Ciccone is a priest of the Order of Franciscan Servants and the founding pastor of Saint Joseph Mission Church in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, a mobile ministry for people who are homebound, marginalized or shut out of traditional congregations, including people inside and adjacent to the criminal justice system. He also serves as a chaplain for the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police.
Before his ordination he spent two decades in law enforcement, rising to Sheriff of Bergen County. He holds a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, and he joined the 2024 White Collar Conference panel on healing through a supportive community.
Appearances: 2024 Panelist, Panel: "Healing Through a Supportive Community"

### Michael Gaines, Member, White Collar Support Group
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/michael-gaines/
Michael Gaines is a member of the White Collar Support Group and works at the Center for Employment Opportunities, helping people coming home from prison re-enter the workforce and find meaningful employment. He came to that work after a career in banking and his own justice journey.
On the 2025 White Collar Conference panel on restoration through community he talked about pride, asking for help, and what second chances look like when employers mean them.
Appearances: 2025 Panelist, Panel: "Restoration Through Community"

### Gina Pendergraph, Member, White Collar Support Group; Moderator, Justice Impact Support Forum
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/gina-pendergraph/
Gina Pendergraph is a leader in the White Collar Support Group, active in its related women's groups and meetings, and one of the primary moderators of the Justice Impact Support Forum. She draws on her own experience as a justice-impacted person to support others going through the system.
On the 2025 White Collar Conference panel on restoration through community she talked about why she always picks up the phone, and about staying connected to people who are still inside.
Appearances: 2025 Panelist, Panel: "Restoration Through Community"

### Alexander P.G. Sittenfeld, Former Member, Cincinnati City Council; Writer
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/pg-sittenfeld/
P.G. Sittenfeld served on the Cincinnati City Council from 2011 to 2020, elected at 27 as the youngest person ever to win a seat on the council. A Princeton graduate and Marshall Scholar, he is now a writer working on a memoir.
He fought his public corruption case from the first day to the last: a 2018 FBI sting, a three-week jury trial, four and a half months in 2024 at a federal prison camp in Kentucky, and early release by a panel of three federal judges. He received a full and unconditional presidential pardon in 2025, and in April 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously vacated his convictions. He told that story at the 2026 White Collar Conference.
Appearances: 2026 Presenter, "Fighting for Your Innocence"

### Alex Little, Founder, Litson; Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Profile: https://whitecollarconference.com/speakers/alex-little/
Alex Little is the founder of Litson, a Nashville federal litigation and white-collar defense firm. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in two federal districts he led national security and white-collar investigations and tried dozens of cases before federal juries. He clerked for a federal judge, and earlier worked at The Carter Center and as a CIA political analyst.
At the 2026 White Collar Conference he walked through the back half of a federal criminal case: sentencing, post-conviction motions, clemency and pardons. His through line is that there is no such thing as "the system," only people making decisions.
Appearances: 2026 Presenter, "Sentencing, Appeals, Clemency and Pardons"

## 2025 Conference (held): "Pardons, Expungement & Restoring Our Dignity"
Held Saturday, October 11, 2025, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET. Virtual on Zoom. Recordings: https://whitecollarconference.com/2025/#agenda

### Program
- 9:00 AM · Keynote: Jeffrey Toobin (Author of "The Pardon"; former CNN chief legal analyst)
  A sweeping discussion of presidential clemency power in America, from the author of The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy (Simon & Schuster, 2025). Introduced by host Jeff Grant, after emcee Craig Stanland opened the program.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVGm7dH_ZR4
- 9:45 AM · Fireside Chat: Joe Bankman (Professor, Stanford Law School)
  The Stanford Law School professor and father of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on the impact of his son’s high-profile prosecution on his family, and his own experience navigating public scrutiny.
  Host: Brent Cassity, Fireside Host · Host, Nightmare Success Podcast.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciuXcdR07r0
- 10:30 AM · Panel: Pardons & Expungement
  The distinction between presidential pardons and expungement, and the push for federal expungement legislation.
  Moderator: Jeff Grant, White Collar Support Group.
  Panelists: Mark Osler, Todd Haugh.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51WzLaj4tRc
- 11:15 AM · Panel: Restoration Through Community
  Personal stories of restoring a life through community, from a national reform advocate and two members of the White Collar Support Group.
  Moderator: Drew Chapin, The Discoverability Company.
  Panelists: Pamela Winn, Michael Gaines, Gina Pendergraph.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73K4-4l6uAI
- 5 min video, between sessions · Research: Professional and Personal Restoration Study: Early Findings (Dr. Erin Frey, Yale School of Management)
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lxfC3SznJQ
- 12:00 PM · Closing: Closing Remarks (Jeff Grant)

## 2024 Conference (held): "Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community"
Held Saturday, October 19, 2024, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET. Virtual on Zoom. Recordings: https://whitecollarconference.com/2024/#agenda

### Program
- 9:00 AM · Fireside Chat: David Israel (Founder and CEO, GOOD PLANeT Foods)
  David Israel went from incarceration to building one of the fastest-growing plant-based cheese companies in America. The morning opened with remarks by emcee Craig Stanland and a welcome from host Jeff Grant.
  Host: Brent Cassity, Fireside Host · Host, Nightmare Success Podcast.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bktFnTiXA-k
- 10:00 AM · Panel: Out of Isolation
  The opening panel of the inaugural conference, on its theme: moving out of the isolation that follows a case and into community.
  Moderator: Bill Baroni, former New Jersey State Senator.
  Panelists: Erika Cheung, Elizabeth Kelley, Seth Williams.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bg63BGSgI
- 10:45 AM · Panel: Healing Through a Supportive Community
  A counselor, a Franciscan priest, an educator and an author on healing through a supportive community.
  Moderator: William Sansing, Licensed Professional Counselor.
  Panelists: Fr. Joseph Ciccone, Naia Wilson, Portia Louder.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6n0qZO3a4E
- 11:30 AM · Panel: Careers and Reintegrating Into Society
  Three people who rebuilt careers in law, education and compliance after their own cases, on returning to work and to society.
  Moderator: Jeff Grant, White Collar Support Group.
  Panelists: Kaysia Earley, Jeffrey Abramowitz, Jeff Wertkin.
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdzX8ZFfi-s
- 5 min video, between sessions · Video: Reclaiming Your Online Footprint (Drew Chapin, The Discoverability Company)
  Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWF2az7rlPc
- short video, between sessions · Video: Making a Difference (Entrepreneurship after prison)

## Past conferences
- 2026: "Ending the White Collar Life Sentence" (October 10, 2026): Joshua J. Smith · Dickie Scruggs · Desmond Meade. 7 recorded sessions. Recap: https://whitecollarconference.com/2026/
- 2025: "Pardons, Expungement & Restoring Our Dignity" (October 11, 2025): Jeffrey Toobin · Joe Bankman · Yale Research. 5 sessions. Recap: https://whitecollarconference.com/2025/
- 2024: "Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community" (October 19, 2024): David Israel · Erika Cheung · Bill Baroni. Inaugural · 5 sessions. Recap: https://whitecollarconference.com/2024/

## Organizer & contact
White Collar Support Group (WCSG), a program of Progressive Prison Ministries, 501(c)(3). Founded 2013 by Jeff and Lynn Grant. Website: https://prisonist.org · Contact: https://whitecollarconference.com/contact/