Vera Institute of Justice

Heather J. Erwin, JD, is an education specialist and criminal justice reform advocate promoting education as a core element of successful reentry programming. Within The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technology and Adult Education (OCTAE) LINCS system, she served as a trainer and resource reviewer for Correctional Education, Technology, and Diversity. Heather also worked as a director of education at Vant4ge, ALISON.com, and Committed to Change consulting, where she focused on expanding access to educational resources through innovative online platforms using online and blended methods. As a consultant to the Correctional Education Association (CEA), Heather helped launch the first successful implementation of handheld mobile devices delivering educational resources to secure classrooms. She has participated in a number of Department of Education, White House, and foundation sponsored conferences, summits, and working groups focused on advancing the use of technology to deliver education content to incarcerated students, aiding reentry, and reducing recidivism rates. Heather is co-founder of the nonprofit Unlocking Education, Inc. and co-author of the Department of Education sponsored policy brief Education Technology in Corrections (2015). Heather is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and current Doctoral candidate, specializing in Correctional Education, at Northcentral University.