The PREA Resource Center (PRC) is pleased to announce the virtual Communities of Practice for PREA Practitioners (CoP) for 2025-2026. CoPs provide space for peer engagement, idea generation, cross-pollination of innovative solutions and practices, and resource-sharing of tools and strategies for community partnerships. This year, PRC will host two CoPs, one for adult practitioners and another for juvenile practitioners.
If you are a PREA practitioner (such as agency/facility leadership, PREA Coordinator, PREA Compliance Manager, security, training, medical or Investigations staff who help to implement the PREA Standards), please join an upcoming discussion session of one of these growing communities of practice that are working to implement the PREA Standards and ensure sexual safety in confinement settings! You are welcome to join at any time and do not need to have attended an earlier session.
Details
What to expect
- Sessions are held virtually via the Zoom platform. These sessions are facilitated discussions and are not virtual training or webinars. Further, note that given the format of these sessions, we will not be providing “certificates of completion" after any of the sessions. Sessions are designed to allow everyone to share and ask questions. Therefore, participants are highly encouraged to use video and audio features to experience the sessions fully whenever possible. In addition to video and audio, sessions may use chat, voting, polling, raising hands, or breakout room functions to enhance participation. Please come prepared to ask questions, share stories, and collaborate with one another.
Update to this year’s Adult Facilities Community of Practice
- The adult facility CoP is open to all practitioners from local, state, and tribal, prisons, jails, lockups, and community confinement facilities. This CoP aims to maximize networking opportunities among this diverse cohort of practitioners while balancing the varied missions, operations, and resources of different adult facility types. Attendees will have the opportunity to break out into small groups specific to their facility type (depending on the number of attendees) to discuss specific facility-type issues.
Frequency of Sessions
- Virtual discussion sessions for each CoP will be held quarterly, (dates and registration information are at the end of this announcement); participants are encouraged to attend as many of the relevant sessions (adult facility or juvenile facility) in their series as possible, and ideally the full series, in order to build a sustainable community of practitioners.
How discussions are facilitated
- All sessions will be facilitated by subject matter experts from the PREA Resource Center or by our national partner, Activating Change. The complete biographies of facilitators are available at the end of this page.
How discussion topics are determined
- Discussion session topics are informed by the issues and interests expressed by participants and will focus on peer problem-solving discussions about PREA and implementation. Participants will have the opportunity to suggest future topics for discussion and share specific PREA challenges and promising practices during the discussion. Due to how topics are chosen, each session’s topics will be shared with registrants within a few days of the sessions. Possible topics include staffing plans, external partnerships to support PREA implementation, external reporting, and sustainability/succession planning.
Transparency
- Discussion topics may be sensitive in nature; therefore, to encourage the fullest participation of attendees, sessions will not be recorded. For those who are interested in this community discussion but unable to join a session, the facilitator will take notes (without personally or facility identifiable information) and share them after the session with registrants.
How to Register
Participants must register for each individual session within a community of practice to attend each session. Please note that if multiple people from the same facility/agency want to register, they should do so independently to receive separate links. The PRC will send reminder announcements before each session. As a reminder, the intention is for all participants to attend as many of the relevant sessions (adult facility or juvenile facility) as possible – ideally, the full series. Registration for each session will open after the prior session has concluded.
Please click the link below to register for the upcoming discussion session applicable to your facility type.
Adult Facilities Community of Practice Discussion Series:
Juvenile Confinement Community of Practice Discussion Series:
Save the Date for Future Sessions
Adult Facilities Community of Practice Discussion Series:
- Session 2: Thursday, July 17, 2:30-4 p.m. EST / 11:30-1 p.m. PST
- Session 3: Thursday, October 2, 2:30-4 p.m. EST/ 11:30-1 p.m. PST
- Session 4: Thursday, January 29 2026, 2:30-4 p.m. EST / 11:30-1 p.m. PST
Juvenile Confinement Community of Practice Discussion Series
- Session 2: Wednesday, July 16, 2:30-4 p.m. EST / 11:30-1 p.m. PST
- Session 3: Wednesday, October 1, 2:30-4 p.m. EST / 11:30-1 p.m. PST
- Session 4: Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 2:30-4 p.m. EST / 11:30-1 p.m. PST
Faculty Bios
Maren Arbach is a program manager with the National PREA Resource Center working with the Field Training Program team. Maren previously worked for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a training director, PREA compliance manager, PREA investigator, and then as agency PREA coordinator and the safety officer for the North Dakota State Penitentiary. As PREA coordinator, she oversaw the efforts in adult and juvenile facilities to maintain compliance with the PREA standards, created content for the training of staff, contractors, volunteers, and residents on the requirements under PREA legislation, and worked as a resource for the county and regional jails and community confinement facilities on issues pertaining to PREA compliance.
In addition to her employment at the ND DOCR, Maren operated a private auditing and consulting business.
Maren’s background spans many areas of the criminal justice system including direct resident care in a community confinement facility and juvenile group home, pre-sentence investigations, fingerprint identification, and training for law enforcement and court personnel. She has extensive experience in policy review and ensuring policy aligns with all applicable standards and case law.
Maren received certification as a PREA auditor for adult and juvenile facilities in November 2014. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Daniel Bean is a senior program associate working with the National PREA Resource Center (PRC) working primarily with the Field Training Program.
Prior to joining the PRC, Daniel was the assistant jail superintendent at the York County (ME) Sheriff’s Office and was responsible for overseeing training and conducting investigations. During his last year with the Sheriff’s Office, Daniel was the acting jail superintendent.
Previously, Daniel was a police officer for the Wells Police Department where he worked for nearly 18 years. During this time, Daniel worked a number of assignments which included detective, school resource officer, and patrol sergeant. Daniel worked to create and maintain positive relationships between young people and law enforcement to help reduce the likelihood of them becoming involved in the justice system.
Daniel holds an Associate’s Degree in criminal justice. He earned his Department of Justice PREA Auditor certification for adult facilities in May of 2018.
Brad Harvey is a senior program associate for the National PREA Resource Center (PRC). Prior to joining the PRC, Brad was employed with the Baker County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Macclenny, Florida, for a total 25 years, retiring as the Director of ICE Operations for the Baker County Detention Center. Brad also served as the agency’s first PREA coordinator in 2013, serving in that role until his retirement.
As the PREA coordinator, Brad helped to write and revise facility policies in reference to sexual abuse and sexual harassment, developed facility practices associated with prevention, intervention, and response to reports of PREA allegations, constructed and conducted new hire orientation and annual PREA training with security and contract staff (medical and food service providers) and volunteers, and built relationships with community partners to include the local rape crisis center.
Brad oversaw three successful audits conducted at the facility under the DOJ PREA standards as well as one conducted utilizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) PREA standards. Before retiring from BCSO, Brad was asked to join the Florida Model Jail Standards (FMJS) PREA Advisory Board to help incorporate basic PREA provisions into the Florida state standards for all Florida county jails. Brad is a certified PREA auditor for adult prisons and jails where he has served as both lead and secondary auditor in both types of facilities since his initial certification.
Allison Hastings is a Project Director at Activating Change, where she works to promote healing and dignity behind and beyond bars. For more than 15 years, she has led efforts to address sexual abuse and victimization of currently and formerly incarcerated people. She accomplishes much of her work through Activating Change’s partnership with the National PREA Resource Center (PRC). For over a decade, Allison has managed the organizational partnership with the PRC, developed resources, provided technical assistance to many correctional facilities, and served as faculty for virtual and in-person trainings. Prior to joining Activating Change, Allison spent over 15 years at the Vera Institute of Justice working to eliminate sexual abuse in jails and prisons and improve conditions of confinement, including reducing the use of solitary confinement. In all of her projects, Allison seeks to uphold the humanity and reduce the suffering of people who are incarcerated, particularly those who have disabilities and those who are Deaf. She holds a Master of Science in Justice, Law and Society from American University and a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in English from Southern Methodist University.
Tracy Hill is a Senior Program Associate with the PREA Resource Center, working as faculty in the Field Training Program (FTP). Prior to her role in the FTP, Tracy worked 23 years at the Travis County Sheriff’s Office in Austin, Texas, mainly for the Corrections Bureau. Tracy was paramount in the Sheriff’s Office’s implementation and certification of the PREA Standards in 2016 and served as the PREA Compliance Manager for the agency’s Del Valle facility which housed over 2,600 incarcerated people.
The PRC’s FTP was part of Tracy’s journey to PREA Auditor Certification and helping her agency obtain PREA Compliance. The knowledge, professionalism, and genuine dedication to sexual safety Tracy witnessed from the PRC staff during her agency’s hosting of the FTP was predominant in Tracy deciding to join the PRC team in 2023.
Tracy’s experience in the sheriff’s office included policy development, contract negotiations/approvals and implementation, capital budgeting, investigations, and compliance oversight for the office’s programs for PREA, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, and FBI/Texas Criminal Justice Information Systems. Tracy also owned and operated a private PREA auditing and consulting business as well as a ranching business for her hay and cattle farm in Texas. Tracy holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Biology from Texas State University.
Kayla Houser is a senior program manager focusing primarily on the PREA Targeted Implementation and Planning Support (TIPS), to which supports smaller confinement facilities to become PREA compliant. She joins Impact Justice with over a decade of experience in the victim services field, with specific focus on addressing sexual violence through an anti-oppression framework.
Most recently she coordinated the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape’s projects to reach survivors who are under- and un-served by the anti-sexual violence movement. Her work primarily focused on expanding sexual assault services to older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals who are incarcerated through training and technical assistance to rape crisis centers and allied professionals. Kayla spearheaded a multi-year project with Pennsylvania county jails and rape crisis centers to enhance services to incarcerated survivors. Her other work has focused on domestic violence services and supporting crime survivors through the post-sentencing process. She has a particular interest in trauma-informed approaches to corrections and survivor-centered paths to healing.
Kayla has received sexual assault and domestic violence counselor/advocate, and community crisis response training. She has BA in political science with pre-law and a certificate in diversity and social justice from Lebanon Valley College; and, holds a Masters of Public Administration from California State University at Dominguez Hills.
Talia Huff is a senior program manager with the National PREA Resource Center (PRC), overseeing the Field Training Program. Starting in 2014 and prior to coming aboard full-time with IJ in 2018, she served as a consultant for the PRC as a field training auditor, grant coach, grant reviewer, auditor certification faculty, and training and technical assistance provider. Talia got her start in PREA work as the first PREA coordinator for the Kansas Department of Corrections where she directed PREA efforts statewide in both adult prisons and juvenile facilities. Talia is a dual certified PREA auditor, ran a private PREA auditing business in which she conducted many PREA audits in the field in prison, jail, juvenile, and community confinement settings, as well as many PREA field training audits.
Talia’s background spans many facets in the corrections field; from direct care of confined persons to leadership in the juvenile, adult, and community corrections fields. She has worked directly with youth delivering cognitive-based sex offender programming, managed grant programs, and worked with community-based corrections on revocation reduction strategies. Talia holds a Master’s degree in Liberal Studies.
Phebia Moreland serves the National PREA Resource Center as a Program Director for the Training and Support Division. Prior to the PRC, Phebia served as the PREA director, Contract Compliance, at The GEO Group, Inc. for six years. In this role, she was responsible for PREA oversight for more than 100 facilities in U.S. Corrections & Detention, Residential Reentry Centers, and Youth Services. She directly managed the company’s overall effort to comply with the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security standards to prevent incidents; worked with facilities when incidents occurred; developed policies; and implemented best practices in training, identification, investigations, treatment, and reporting.
Phebia has been a certified PREA auditor since July 2015. She served briefly as the quality assurance/accreditation manager at Community Education Centers. Prior to this role, she spent 20 years at the Atlanta Department of Corrections serving in various assignments ranging from correctional officer, sergeant, and lieutenant/accreditation manager. Phebia received her Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Georgia State University.
Melissa Rodriguez is a senior program associate at Impact Justice working with the National PREA Resource Center (PRC), primarily with the Field Training Program (FTP).
Prior to joining the PRC, Melissa worked in the corrections field for 29 years, starting her career with the Florida Department of Corrections prison system before transitioning to the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department’s county jail system. Melissa has worked with the implementation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards since 2013. She worked with the Marshall Project to discuss the fight against sexual abuse in local jails and worked to provide technical assistance to agencies throughout the country with implementation efforts of the PREA standards.
Melissa oversaw compliance with PREA standards for adult jails, the American Correctional Association (ACA) standards, as well as state jail standards, local ordinances, and policies and procedures. She also served as the department’s PREA Coordinator where she assisted in gaining compliance with PREA standards, developing PREA related policies and procedures, facilitating PREA training, and spearheading sustainable PREA compliance efforts. Using her passion to educate and train, she mentored employees allowing them to grow in their profession to become future leaders.
Melissa holds a Bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in education leadership. She has been a certified PREA Auditor for adult facilities since 2016.
Welcome Rose (Program Director) manages Auditor Training and Certification for the National PREA Resource Center (PRC). She oversees PREA Auditor Training, the Field Training Program (FTP), auditor certification, and recertification. Welcome holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice, with emphases in corrections and law enforcement, and has over two decades of experience in adult correctional settings.
She started her career as a correctional officer in a Wisconsin prison and later spent ten combined years as a probation and parole agent in urban and rural Wisconsin communities. From 2007 to 2017, Welcome worked as an inmate appeal examiner. There, she reviewed climate issues raised by adults confined in Wisconsin's prisons. She investigated appeals regarding their grievances and recommended final decisions to agency leadership, focusing on liability protection and mitigation.
Welcome gained experience in raising accountability through rule development and staff training and promoted sexual safety as a mechanism for fostering safe and secure correctional climates. In 2014, she joined the team responsible for steering PREA implementation in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and became a certified PREA investigator. In 2015, she became a certified PREA auditor for adult facilities and continuously engaged in auditor learning opportunities, including participation in the PRC’s FTP for certified auditors. She later began consulting with the PRC in the Peer Review Pilot and Technical Assistance programs until she joined the PRC at Impact Justice in 2017.