Faculty Profiles

Please scroll down to meet some of our past and current faculty.

Madelaine Bartlett, Math 50 Tutor
PhD student in plant biology at UC Berkeley.

Justin Bledin, Math 50 Tutor
PhD student in the Group in Logic & the Methodology of Science at UC Berkeley

Teaching mathematics at San Quentin has been a challenging and rewarding experience. The students are highly motivated and I am continually inspired by their work ethic and intellectual curiosity. And working with students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles has helped me become a better teacher.

Ben Boudreaux, English 99B Instructor
Graduate Student in Philosophy, UC Berkeley

Nancy Bourne, English 99A Instructor
I am a retired lawyer with an educational background in English and American literature. Prior to law school, I taught English both in college and in high school. Once retired from the law, I received a Masters degree in English literature at San Francisco State. (I already had a Masters in American History and Literature from George Washington University and an undergraduate degree in English from Duke. I like school.) Read more

Dom Brassey, Writing Lab Tutor
Dom Brassey is a San Francisco-based poet, artist, Internet citizen and communications junkie.

I've taught: Introduction to Human Communication & Friday PM Study Hall.
Orientation: Populist.
Education: B.A. Creative Writing - San Francisco State University (2004)
M.A. Communication Studies - San Francisco State University (2007)
Quote: Poets are the physicians of sense. -- Basarab Nicolescu

Corey Michael Brooks, American History Instructor
Doctoral student in history at the University of California, Berkeley.

Edward Clapp, Independent Mathematics Study
Retired software developer.

Amy Cook, Math 50 Tutor
Graduate student, UC Berkeley, Psychology dept, studying cognitive biology.

Teaching in SQ is the best thing I do with my week. It isn't often that we get to make a direct and measurable difference in the world with our actions.

Kathryn Crim, English 99B Instructor
I'm a writer and the Deputy Editor of The Threepenny Review. As a first-time teaching assistant in San Quentin, I've been buoyed by the sheer generosity of our class. It's a privilege to have the students' enthusiastic attention.

Liz Epstein, Writing Lab Tutor
Recent graduate, MA English Literature, SFSU.

"Learn something from everyone you meet." I think that's good advice for teachers and students!

Krish Eswaran, Geometry Instructor
Graduate student in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) department at UC Berkeley.

Lindsay Glesener, Math 50 Tutor
PhD student at Berkeley, physics department.

As a student myself, I am inspired by the hard work, motivation, and inquisitiveness I see from my math students!

Ted Grantham, Math 50 Tutor
Graduate Student, Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, UC Berkeley.

Nick Grener, Algebra Instructor
Middle school math teacher (pre-algebra & algebra) by day, working on master's degree in math at night.

Nigel De Juan Hatton, Journalism Instructor
Nigel De Juan Hatton has volunteered as a tutor and teacher with the Prison University Project since 2003. He has also taught writing and literature courses at Berkeley Community College, the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, and the Richmond Hills Family Center in San Francisco. His own work focuses primarily on aesthetic and ethical forms of solidarity as a means to end cultures of homicide, discrimination, sexism, homophobia and economic inequity. In other words, he likes novels. Read more.

Kathleen Jackson, Writing Lab Tutor
7th and 8th grade English teacher.

Victoria Kahn, English 102 Instructor
Chair, Department of Comparative Literature, UC Berkeley

Roshni Kasad, Math 50 Tutor
I am in my 5th year of my PhD at Berkeley in the department of Molecular and Cell Biology.

I have been a Math50 tutor at San Quentin for the past couple months, and so far, it's been an incredible opportunity. I like to be challenged and to be put in situations where I have to connect with individuals who have had life experiences that are drastically different from mine. Being able to forge connections with San Quentin students reaffirms my belief that as individuals, we really are all the same; and as individuals, we all deserve the same opportunities--like the opportunity to learn. I have worked with students of all ages in the US and abroad, and the classroom in San Quentin is essentially no different from any of the other classrooms I've worked in. There are students who are committed to learning; there are students with discipline issues; and there are students who struggle against odds to succeed.

Brian Kessler, Pre-Calculus Instructor
Graduate student in physics at the University of California – Berkeley.

I've been extremely impressed with the enthusiasm the students show for the material and their general eagerness to learn.

Jason Koenig, Philosophy Instructor
Graduate Student, sixth year at Berkeley in Political Science, specifically Political Theory, Political Philosophy, and the History of Political Thought.

Beth Kostrzewa, Math 50 Instructor
2009 J.D. Candidate at the School of Law, University of California, Berkeley.

Maureen Lahiff, Pre-Calculus Instructor
Lecturer of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley.

My PUP involvement at least for the last few years was being a Co-ordinator of Math 50; this past summer, I was part of the Math 50 and PreCalculus team; this fall, I work in the PreCalculus team; and I will go back to Math 50 in Spring Semester 2009. I have also taught a Statistics course for PUP.

Steven Lanzisera, Math 50 Tutor
Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical Engineering, UC Berkeley.

Jennifer Lifshay, Public Health Instructor
MBA, MPH, Planner-Evaluator, Community Health Assessment, Planning and Evaluation (CHAPE), Public Health Division, Contra Costa Health Services.

Karen E. Lovaas, Writing Lab Tutor
Dr. Karen E. Lovaas (Ph.D. in American Studies, University of Hawaii) is Associate Professor of Communication Studies with an emphasis in Critical Theory at San Francisco State University. Her teaching and research are in the areas of gender, sexuality, culture, the prison industrial complex, conflict, and critical pedagogy.

John Lurz, English 101 Instructor
John Lurz is a PhD candidate in the English Department at UC Berkeley. Originally from Baltimore, MD, John has taught in a wide variety of settings -- swimming lessons at his community pool, English at a high school in Austria and literature courses at Berkeley. He is currently working on a dissertation on the relation between sense perception and the novels of the early twentieth-century and hopes to be a literature professor one day.

Rick Luttmann, Independent Mathematics Studies
I am a Professor of Mathematics at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, where I have taught since 1970. I have been involved in the Prison University Project for over five years. I taught a couple of semesters, but mostly I have been one of the two supervisors (with Edward Clapp) of the Independent Study program. In this we'll teach a student any mathematical topic he wants to learn about. This could include subjects we teach as classes, but that the student would rather study at his own pace (faster or slower than the regular course goes). We've also supervised some students through very advanced material on occasion. There are some prisoners who already have advanced degrees, but they like hanging around our classroom just for the intellectual stimulation provided by other people with mathematical interests. Read more.

Annie McClanahan, English 101 Instructor
I am a 6th-year Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley in the department of English, completing a dissertation on 21st century American fiction and film.

This is my sixth semester teaching in the English Department at the San Quentin program, and I have loved just about every minute of it. My students at San Quentin are incredibly dedicated and committed—they rarely take for granted the opportunity for an education, and they are always willing to question the assumptions of a text, their fellow students, and their instructors!

I have found that my experience at San Quentin has enriched my teaching at Berkeley and improved my awareness of my strengths and challenges as a teacher, and the opportunity to do a lot of co-teaching, to learn from more experienced professors and to mentor instructors and TAs new to teaching has also been an incredibly valuable opportunity. I hope very much that wherever my work takes me in future years there is a program similar to the Prison University Project, but I know that this is an experience and opportunity that it will be very difficult to match. I want to express my profound gratitude to the (tireless) organizers and administrators of this program, and to the absolutely crucial generosity of its funders and supporters.

Tom McEnaney, American History Instructor
Graduate student in UC Berkeley's department of Comparative Literature.




Adam Megacz, Algebra Instructor
Graduate Student, UC Berkeley.

Helen Min, English 99A Instructor
Student in the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley.

Working at San Quentin has been a very rich and rewarding experience -- I continue to be impressed with and moved by the students.

Kater Murch, Pre-Calculus Instructor
Currently a postdoctoral fellow at UC berkeley in physics. Studying degenerate quantum gasses.

Blaine Nelson, Algebra Instructor
Graduate student in Computer Science at UC Berkeley.

Geoffrey O'Brien, English 102 Instructor
Assistant Professor of English, UC-Berkeley

Keramet Reiter, Math 50 Tutor
Joint JD-PhD Student in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at the University of California Berkeley. Keramet teaches in Math 50, and has also taught Algebra at San Quentin.

Teaching with PUP is one of the most rewarding things I do; the students are dedicated and inspiring. I have particularly enjoyed both learning to teach math as a kind of second language to students who have not encountered the material in many years and watching student confidence build as they what they can actually accomplish.

Randy Reyes, American Government TA
Talent and Outreach Programs Specialist - Marketing at Google, Inc. MPA in Social Policy with an emphasis in Law and Public Policy - Columbia University

I always believed that there should be a restorative justice component to the Prison System and that education should be at the core -- the Prison University Project does just that and gives me the opportunity to put my ideals into action.

Will Rockett, Math 50 Tutor
Will Rockett works at a hedge fund in San Francisco and is a student in a Counseling Psychology Masters Program at the University of San Francisco.

Julie Setele, English 99A Instructor
Teaching Assistant Coordinator, Dept. of Sociology, UC Davis

Helene Silverberg, American Government Instructor
I'm currently a Staff Attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and was previously a professor of American Politics at Princeton University and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

I volunteer for the program because I believe everyone deserves a good education and it's in part because our educational system failed these guys that they are now in San Quentin. And it is also a wonderful education for me to teach in the program.

Sonal Singhal, Pre-Calculus Instructor
Graduate student in UC-Berkeley's Department of Integrative Biology.

I have taught each Precalculus I and II as well as I tutored one semester of Math 50.

SpearIt, Philosophy Instructor
3rd year law student, UC Berkeley School of Law.

Working at San Quentin is not easy--there are challenges at every step of the way. My experiences as a volunteer, however, have only worked to validate why I commit myself to the PUP in the first place; no good can ever come by intentionally keeping anyone ignorant--everyone deserves the chance to improve through education.

Carly Stair, Math 50 Tutor
Psychology Lecturer.

I am proud of each of my students and all those involved with the Prison University Project!