CARL J. FIELDS

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Bio

Many things can be said about Carl Fields, but lacking a transformative story isn’t one of them.  From starting a prison sentence as a broken vessel, to leaving it early as an accomplished returning citizen, you’d do well to get to know an EXPO Change Agent like him!  As the first-elected Vice President of Ex-incarcerated People Organizing, Carl has pushed hard to insure that people-first language, and not old-world pejorative speech, be the vernacular used to describe EXPO’s members and their experiences.

Becoming a leader entails one taking a stand where they are, and saying enough is enough!  While in prison, in the course of 5 years, Carl went from being a student in Cognitive-Behavioral and Conflict-Resolution classes, to facilitating them.  He worked as a Program Aide for: C.G.I.P., D.V., Anger Management, and the onsite ReEntry Programs; A Certified Tutor through PLA/LVA Learning Volunteers of America; and, a Braille Transcriptionist certified by the Library of Congress.  He also received his set of Community-Organizer tools from the Gamaliel National Leadership Training, which was hosted in 2016 @ UW Parkside.

Being a role model in prison for almost 16yrs taught him a powerful thing: that those who showed him humility in the face his previous bad behavior, were owed a huge debt of gratitude.   Peer-trained in Rational Emotive Therapy and Restorative Justice Principles and Practices, Carl has been able to work with some of Racine City’s vulnerable populations with informed grace. Currently works as the Director of Community Engagement at the Hospitality Center, which is a drop-in Day Shelter in Racine, WI. And he actively sits on the Boards of a number of organizations, including Racine and Kenosha Vocational Ministries, the ReEntry Programs that also serve as Job coaching and connectors for medium and high risk reentrants leaving Dept of Corrections facilities.  

Committees

Board Vice President, Racine Vocational Ministries (Currently)

Member, Youth Justice Advisory Committee, Racine Co. (Currently)

Presenter and Training-Facilitator for EXPO Cohort @ Gamaliel NLT, 2019

Gamaliel National Leadership Training (NLT), 2016 (Community Organizer School)