Staff

John Bae joined the CI team in May 2014 as the Data Manager. While attending college, John was awarded the Pinkerton Community Fellowship where he was placed in a non-profit agency as a college counselor and instructor. He has research experience in higher education and reentry, sex trafficking, and international black markets; he has co-authored publications and manuscripts on all three topics. He has volunteered in rural Honduras providing medical assistance, and was part of the first cohort of John Jay students to participate in the Prisoner Reentry Institute's Prison-to-College Pipeline program. A former CI student and mentor, he holds a BA and an MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College.

CI Executive Director, Michael Carey, has been working with the program since its founding. He facilitated the design of a pilot peer mentoring program for CI. He also helped to design and implement the college preparation program, including providing direct instruction in reading and establishing the volunteer tutor component. He is responsible for the development and management of all CI programs. He holds a BA with a dual major in Philosophy and Fine Arts from the University of Sydney in Australia and a MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research. Prior to joining CI, Michael worked in publishing in Australia and in New York City.

Alvaro Cumberbatch joined the CI core staff in March 2012 as an Academic Counselor. Anthony first came to CI as a student looking to enroll into college. After being accepted and enrolled into SUNY Empire State, he became a CI mentee for one year. He then took the training and became a mentor himself, and ultimately a member of the core staff. Anthony has experience working with other non-profits as a case manager for HIV-positive people and their families. He has successfully completed his CASAC-T training hours, and holds a BS from Empire State College in Community and Health Services and a Masters in Social Work from Lehman College.

Cassandra Nelson-Torres joined the CI team as an Academic Counselor in March 2013. She has ten years' experience working in mental health and substance abuse counseling, servicing diverse populations in outpatient and inpatient treatment settings.  She holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Michigan and an MA in Psychology from the New School for Social Research. She is a credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselor (CASAC).

Ray Tebout is CI's Director of Counseling and Mentoring. Prior to joining the core staff, Ray was a co-creator, along with four other students, of CI's mentoring program and an active member of the CI community. He has worked as a non-profit and criminal justice transitions consultant since 2005. Prior to working with CI, he managed the Volunteer and Work Readiness programs at The Fortune Society. Ray's practice areas include college access counseling, HR management, program planning, professional development, volunteer management and performance improvement planning. Ray holds a BA in Counseling Psychology and Economics from the City University of New York, and is credentialed in strategic human resources, addiction counseling, and strength-based human service practices.

Francis Washington has been CI's Correspondence Coordinator  since 2012. She oversees CI's extensive correspondence program with those incarcerated in the New York State system and also provides administrative and office support. Francis is also a CI student, studying for her BA at Brooklyn College.