Meet the OurJourney
Board of Directors
Brent Bailey is the Program Coordinator for the Buncombe County Reentry Council, which provides assistance to anyone returning from prison, giving them the resources they need to overcome the challenges they face, such as housing, transportation, education and employment.
Brent has been working in reentry for over 14 years. His experience as a formerly incarcerated man who served over 5 years offers him a unique perspective when it comes to navigating reentry. His greatest joy comes from helping the returning citizens of Buncombe County down the path to self-sufficiency.
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Brent is also the Regional Coordinator for the NC Second Chance Alliance, an advocacy group that seeks to address the causes of criminal records and the barriers they create to successful reentry.
April Barber-Scales served over thirty-one years of incarceration, beginning at age fifteen, before Governor Roy Cooper commuted her sentence in 2022. Today she works at Freedom House Recovery Center in Chapel Hill as a Peer Support Specialist, assisting those in their recovery from mental health and substance use disorders.
April is a published author of five books, all written during her incarceration, and is also a motivational speaker who travels the state speaking on resilience and perseverance. She also continues to provide support and encouragement to the many incarcerated women she impacted during her time in prison, and is a steady source of strength for her formerly incarcerated sisters across North Carolina.
April has a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice.
Board President Dr. Heidi Coleman earned her B.S. in Biology from St. Andrews University and her Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her research focused on centering student voice through a qualitative evaluation of lived experiences in correctional education.
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Heidi currently serves as the Education Administration Specialist at Operation Restoration, where she manages a College in Prison program and supervises workforce training initiatives, including the Women First Clinic and Lab Assistant Program.
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She brings extensive experience across education systems and has held roles in program evaluation, grant development, and policy analysis.​​
Ben Finholt is the Director of Second Chances and Legal Advocacy at the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law.
Ben began his second chances work as a staff attorney at North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, where he spent nine years litigating civil conditions of confinement and criminal post-conviction cases. The project seeks to increase awareness of extreme sentencing, reduce long-term incarceration, and promote fair outcomes through data analysis, collaboration with stakeholders, and strategic litigation.
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Ben earned his B.A. from Williams College and his J.D. from the University of Iowa. In a prior life, he was a high school math teacher.
He enjoys disc golf, basketball, and ribeyes.
Board Treasurer Josh Gibson served over 26 years in prison, entering at the young age of 15. He was released in 2019. Today Josh works with his uncle installing wallpaper by day, but at night and on the weekends, he is usually either crisscrossing the state of North Carolina helping guys when they're released from prison or coaching youth sports.
Josh is also actively involved in mentoring young people, sharing the lessons he's learned in life in hopes that they can avoid the struggles he faced. He is the recipient of the 2022 Greater Life GO US Missions Influence Award.
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Josh lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife Magdalena. He has one son and one granddaughter. He enjoys Tar Heel basketball, Kansas City Chiefs football and playing golf. His favorite food is a rack of ribs, dripped in BBQ sauce, and tacos.
Board Vice President Bianca Harris found her passion for helping the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated while working for more than 25 years in the North Carolina prison system. She served as the Warden of the NC Correctional Institution for Women and then as the district manager of the Division of Alcohol and Chemical Dependency unit of the state Department of Public Safety.
After her retirement from state service, Bianca transitioned to the position of Program Director for the MA in Criminal Justice Program at Meredith College, bringing the same passion for a people-centered graduate program. She also serves on the board for NC-CURE (Citizens United for Restorative Effectiveness).
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Bianca lives in Raleigh.
Antionne Lyles, better known as Lee, served over 15 years in prison for drug trafficking and possession. He was released in 2018. Today Lee is the Program Manager for OIC Wilson.
OIC operates in 22 states and 19 countries, helping economically disadvantaged persons, regardless of race, creed, gender or criminal record, to complete or resume their education and obtain employment. He oversees the SOAR 4 and SOAR 6 reentry programs, which are designed specifically to reduce recidivism.
Lee is an accomplished singer and musician and serves as the Minister of Music at Greater Harvest Ministry in Tarboro, NC. He and his wife of 32 years, Danisha, live in Wilson, where Lee was born and raised. In his free time, Lee enjoys spending time with family and fishing.
Kimberly R. Stone is the Director of the Women's Reentry Project for Arise Collective in Wake County. Kim earned an Associate's Degree in Business Management and a Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Science through the CAPE Program at Shaw University while incarcerated. She is currently completing a Master of Science in Applied Leadership at Campbell University (May 2026) and pursuing certification through Durham Tech to become a Substance Abuse Counselor.
With nearly two decades of lived experience within the criminal justice system and another two decades in the nonprofit sector, Kim is passionate about serving others—particularly women returning from incarceration. She says "it's hard work and heart-work." Having experienced firsthand what it's like to feel lost and alone, Kim is dedicated to shining light on the darkness for others walking similar paths.
Jake Sussman is the Chief Counsel, Justice System Reform, for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. Jake leads a cross-disciplinary team engaged in legal and policy advocacy to support campaigns and communities fighting to end mass incarceration and its latent effects, including the overcriminalization of Black and Brown youth.
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After graduating from NYU School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar, Jake completed a federal clerkship and moved to North Carolina.
Jake has spent over 20 years working on civil rights and criminal justice issues, handling everything from indigent defense in federal court, juvenile proceedings in family court, complex criminal cases under the glare of intense public scrutiny, and death penalty cases.
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Jake has also prosecuted scores of civil rights cases ranging from excessive force by police, unlawful conditions of confinement, First Amendment violations, and race discrimination.
LaNarda N. Williamson has more than a decade of experience building partnerships for programs that serve vulnerable communities. She believes all people should have an opportunity to thrive and she has dedicated her life work to this belief.
LaNarda was the Reentry Coordinator for the Wake LocalReentry Council until the summer of 2023. Under her guidance, the Council was awarded the Arise Collective Angel of Hope award.
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Currently, she is the Site Manager for the Eckerd Connects Pathways Home II reentry program.
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LaNarda is a member of the Johnston County Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee, the Second Vice President of the Democratic Women of Johnston County. She has a Master of Science in Business from Strayer University.