In January 2023, the Prison Fellowship Board of Directors announced that it had unanimously selected Heather Rice-Minus to serve as the ministry’s next president and chief executive officer effective January 1, 2024, succeeding her mentor, James Ackerman.Heather, currently the executive vice president of strategic initiatives, first joined Prison Fellowship in 2013. In her role, she leads teams that build partnerships with churches, help strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children, foster partnerships with donors at every level, and advocate for restorative criminal justice reform. In her previous role as the head of Prison Fellowship’s advocacy team, she was a leading voice behind the passage of the FIRST STEP Act.A sought-after public speaker on the intersection of faith, justice, and incarceration, Heather has addressed audiences at national conferences and events including Wilberforce Weekend, Q Ideas Conference, and more. She has also contributed to Christianity Today, Slate, CBN News, The Marshall Project, PBS' Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, and many other media outlets.Previously, Heather managed prison reform advocacy efforts at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and taught English in East Africa.She graduated cum laude from Colorado State University with a degree in liberal arts and social work. After earning her J.D. from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, she became a member of the Virginia State Bar, a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network and Faith & Public Life Ideas Council, and a Colson Fellow.She resides in Southeast Washington, D.C., with her husband and two daughters.