2026 ACA 156th Congress of Correction Pittsburgh_Program Book

The Success Blueprint: Empowering New Officers through Peer Support and Success Coaching. Room 316 Primary Community of Focus: Staff Wellness Overview: The correctional recruitment crisis is often compounded by high attrition rates during the Academy phase, driven by academic struggles, disciplinary challenges and voluntary withdrawals. When cadets feel overwhelmed or disconnected from the long-term vision of their careers, they leave before they even begin. This session introduces The Success Blueprint, an intervention strategy that utilizes Peer Success Coaching to stabilize the Academy pipeline and build a foundation for career longevity. This presentation explores how specifically trained Peer Success Coaches intervene at critical “drop-off” points in training. By providing academic support, behavioral accountability and professional mentorship, these coaches help cadets navigate the rigors of the Academy while building the resilience necessary for the field. We will examine how this program goes beyond “survival,” helping officers map out their future career paths within corrections early on. Participants will learn how a peer-led framework can significantly decrease turnover, increase academic success, and foster a sense of purpose that transforms a “job” into a lifelong career. Moderator: Sabrina Henry , Peer Success Coach Program Manager, Georgia Department of Corrections, Forsyth, Georgia Speakers: Nichole Cooke , Peer Success Coach, Georgia Department of Corrections, Hazlehurst, Georgia; Sabrina Henry , Success Coach Program Manager, Georgia Department of Corrections, Forsyth, Georgia How Off-Site Construction Can Shape Your Corrections Environment Room 317 Primary Community of Focus: Adult Corrections Overview: Modular construction offers significant benefits to the correctional industry, including off-site construction, greater cost efficiency and rapidly deployable timelines.

and how programming was organized to support access and consistency. The workshop will also review the infrastructure required to support this model, including the formation of implementation teams, structured resident onboarding processes, and the use of phased rollout, fidelity monitoring, and continuous feedback. The session will include applied discussion and examples to help participants translate the model into their own operational context, regardless of facility size, staffing structure, or existing programming. Moderator: Greg Welch , Research Director, Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Lincoln, Nebraska Speakers: Carrie Pettus , Chief Executive Officer, Wellbeing & Equity Innovations, Longmont, Colorado; Dawn-Renee Smith , Deputy Director, Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Lincoln, Nebraska From Struggle to Success: Creating a 4 Day GED Math Bootcamp That Works Room 310 Primary Community of Focus: Adult Corrections Overview: The workshop will focus on the struggles of creating a 4-day Mathematical Reasoning Boot Camp for correctional inmates. We will discuss how behind-the-scenes preparation and careful planning can create an engaging and interactive math boot camp that equips students with the knowledge needed to pass the GED ® Mathematical Reasoning Test. Moderator: Rodney Spruill , Assessment & Remediation Specialist, Virginia Department of Corrections, Richmond, Virginia Speaker: Majorie Charles-Ramos , Assessment & Remediation Specialist, Virginia Department of Corrections, Richmond, Virginia DON’T FORGET TO VISIT THE SPONSORING BOOTHS IN THE EXHIBIT HALL TO GET YOUR TICKET STAMPED FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A VIP CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE!

WORKSHOPS Friday, July 31 ▼ 2–4:30 p.m.

120 — ACA 156 th Congress of Correction | Pittsburgh