Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLRC Exec Comm Meeting Minutes_3.17.2026 ORANGE COUNTY LOCAL REENTRY COUNCIL P C Orange County Local Reentry Council (LRC) Executive Committee Meeting Minutes March 17, 2026 Danielle Carman, Director of the Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department (CJRD) and member of the Orange County LRC Executive Committee, convened the meeting at 2:30 pm by MS Teams. Executive Committee Members in Attendance • Amanda Cobb, Orange Correctional Center Warden • Danielle DeCaprio, Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Homeless Program Manager • Kathleen Ferguson, Hillsborough Board of Commissioners • Toni Lewis, Department of Adult Correction (DAC) Chief Probation Parole Officer • Julia Sendor, Justice United Lead Organizer • Joseph Whatley, Caramore Employment Specialist Executive Committee Members Unable to Attend • Crystell Ferguson, Inter-Faith Council (IFC) Community Service Navigation Manager • Paula Harrington, Oxford House, Inc. Special Projects Coordinator • Celisa Lehew, Chapel Hill Chief of Police • Candace Rashada, Durham Tech Human Resources Development Director Others Present • Tiffany Bullard, LRC Case Manager • Erin McGovern, CJRD Office Manager 1 1 P a g e Welcome and Introductions Everyone present introduced themselves. Approval of February 16, 2026 Meeting Minutes Ferguson moved to approve the minutes of the February 16, 2026 meeting and DeCaprio seconded. All Committee members present voted in favor of the motion. Officer Elections Executive Committee Officer nominations received at the last meeting and by email thereafter included the following: Officer Position Committee Members Nominated To Date Chair Candace Rashada Kathleen Ferguson Vice Chair Celisa Lehew Secretary Danielle Carman Basic Needs Subcommittee Chair Toni Lews Paula Harrington Housing Subcommittee Chair Julia Sendor, Co_Chair Danielle DeCaprio, Co-Chair Carman asked the Committee members whether they wanted to proceed with elections or table them because some nominees were not present. Ferguson asked if Carman or Bullard had asked the people who were nominated if they are willing to serve, and Carman said no. Ferguson moved to table elections until the next meeting so the staff could explore the nominees'willingness to serve, and Whatley seconded the motion. All Committee members who were present approved the motion. Sendor asked whether subcommittee co-chairs are allowed, noting that she would be more willing to serve if they are. Carman said the bylaws do not preclude co-chairs. Ferguson said her only concern about co-chairs would be if there is no tie breaker when a vote is evenly split. Carman said nothing in the bylaws specifies the size of subcommittees or whether they need to have an even or odd number of members. All Committee members agreed that co-chairs should be acceptable. Strategic Membership Discussions Carman said this agenda item was intended to give the Committee members an opportunity to discuss strategic recruitment of additional Executive Committee members, noting that suggestions at past meetings had included representatives of local chambers of commerce or business leaders, second chance landlords, more people with lived experiences, and medical/mental health/substance use providers. Carman said she distributed the Committee 2 1 P a g e member nomination form after the last meeting, and it is also posted on the LRC website, but she did not receive any completed nomination forms. She said that does not have to be done right away, but she wanted to give the Committee members an opportunity to discuss it. Ferguson said she has done some soft recruiting of interest in the business community but does not have any commitments. She added that she can be more active in recruiting if Committee members want her to do so. All Committee members agreed that people should feel free to recruit and submit nomination forms for the group's consideration. Carman said she would resend the link to the nomination form after the meeting. Carman asked if the Committee wanted to table a discussion of subcommittee membership until after subcommittee chairs are elected, and DeCaprio said she would prefer to move forward with that discussion so potential subcommittee chairs would have a better idea of the commitment involved. Carman said the bylaws are not specific about subcommittee membership but she assumes Executive Committee members would be free, but not required, to serve and that the subcommittee chairs would be able to include any full LRC members or members of the public. Bullard said, in the past, the Basic Needs Subcommittee was focused on outreach efforts to access hygiene materials, clothing, food, vouchers, and other items that would meet basic needs upon release, especially when funding levels were low. She said the Housing Subcommittee worked to identify potential partners for grant applications and looked within Orange County and adjacent counties for second chance landlords and intercounty placements. Bullard said the Housing Subcommittee also worked on systems for warm handoffs between providers and sent representatives to second chance landlord meetings. The Committee members discussed the availability of funding and vouchers for affordable housing. Carman asked Bullard about the time commitment for Subcommittees, and Bullard said the Housing Subcommittee met monthly at first and then moved to quarterly meetings with work groups advancing projects in the interim.Whatley said he would be happy to serve on either Subcommittee. Implementation Forms for Bylaws, Article VII Carman directed the Committee members to two draft forms in their materials that were designed to implement the Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Policies in Article VII of the approved bylaws. Carman said the proposed Confidentiality Form would be a simple means to record an acknowledgement and understanding of the policy in Article VII, Section 1, and is intended to be completed by Executive Committee members, LRC staff, LRC volunteers and interns, and funded service providers.This form would only need to be completed once and kept on file with the LRC's records. Carman said the Conflict of Interest Form is intended to record an acknowledgement of the policy in Article VII, Section 2, and to enable people to disclose conflicts of interest and potential 3 1 P a g e conflicts of interest; this form would need to be completed annually. Carman said the form as drafted would need to be completed and signed annually by the Executive Committee, full LRC, Advisory Group, and LRC staff because that is required by the approved bylaws. However, as she worked on the form and thought about implementation, and now that she understands better that the full LRC and Advisory Group do not actually make decisions or conduct votes, Carman said she thinks the bylaws and form should be changed to require annual completion only by Executive Committee members and LRC staff. Ferguson and DeCaprio agreed. Carman said she had hoped Shalishah Foster would be in attendance at this meeting to confirm that change would be acceptable to DAC, so she suggested that the Committee members table approval of this form until she could confirm that with Foster. If confirmed, Carman said the Committee could vote at the next meeting to change the bylaws to remove the requirements that the full LRC and Advisory Group members complete the form annually and then approve a revised form. All Committee members agreed to table approval of these forms until the next Committee meeting. Policies and Procedures Carman said she included the LRC in-reach procedure in the Committee members' materials as an example of an approved LRC policy; it is not one of the policies that DAC requires to be approved by the Executive Committee. Carman said she had hoped to provide a proposed referral and enrollment policy at this meeting but the draft needs additional work before it will be ready for the Committee's review. April Second Chance Month Events and Proclamation Bullard summarized three different events/initiatives she is planning for Reentry Month in April: 1. A writing workshop in March for formerlyjustice involved participants titled "What I Would Tell My Younger Self." Bullard said the workshop will be focused on reflection and personal growth, and participants will be given a $25 gift card. During April, the written products will be highlighted on the LRC webpage during"Transformational Tuesdays." 2. On April 22, there will be a panel discussion at the courthouse titled "Restoring More Than a License: Rebuilding Lives After Incarceration."Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson will provide opening remarks and the panel will be moderated by Philip Cooper from JustLeadership USA. Panelists will include CJRD's Restoration Legal Counsel, an Orange County Assistant District Attorney, the Director of the Fair Chance Project at the North Carolina Justice Center, and a justice-involved individual who recently had his driver's License restored. Lunch will be provided for attendees who register in advance. 3. LRC will be partnering with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to host a basic needs supply drive throughout the month of April. The goal is 4 1 P a g e to prepare 100 welcome bags with hygiene and personal care items for returning residents. Lewis complimented Bullard on the planned events. Carman asked if Committee members thought the staff should solicit contributions from LRC members for the panel lunch or other items. Sendor suggested inviting contributions from attendees during the event, preferably through a QR code that directs them to the county website. Bullard directed the Committee members to a proposed Second Chance Month Proclamation in their materials, noting that it would be before the Board of County Commissioners for approval that evening. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 3:20 pm. 5 1 P a g e