Who We Are
Leadership
Zelda Roland
Founding Director, YPEI
Zelda is a Yale alumna (BA `08 PhD`16) who conceived of and created YPEI after working with students enrolled in Wesleyan's Center for Prison Education at Cheshire Correctional Institution. She coordinates YPEI's partnership with the Connecticut Department of Corrections and its facilities; relationships with other national and statewide prison education programs and criminal justice organizations; and a passionate and broad assembly of Yale faculty, administrators, staff, and students who believe that our program represents the best of Yale's values and visions for the future.
Tracy Westmoreland
Danbury Site Director / Transfer Counselor
Tracy Westmoreland is the Site Director for YPEI’s Danbury campus and also serves as the Reentry/Transfer coordinator for returning students. Tracy completed his Master’s in political science at the University of Connecticut, and is currently pursuing his EdD in Social Justice in Higher Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A long time resident of New Haven, Tracy saw first hand the effects of over policing in his community and is committed to providing a high quality, rigorous education to those who need it the most. Previously Tracy worked for the Missouri Department of Higher Education expanding prison education programming in the Midwest and was part of the Vera Correctional Education Leadership Academy’s 2022 Cohort.
Emme Magliato
Program Coordinator, YPEI
Emme Magliato is the Program Coordinator for the Yale Prison Education Initiative supported by a fellowship through Dwight Hall at Yale. They graduated from Yale in 2023 where she studied both the History of Science and Evolutionary Biology. Emme first started with YPEI as an Academic Strategies Mentor through the Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. Emme has also worked in harm reduction and community organizing for people who use drugs and unhoused people in New Haven. She is overjoyed to be a part of the YPEI team and continue to support incarcerated students pursuing and building college in prison in Connecticut.
Vanessa Estimé
Deputy Director, YPEI
Vanessa Estimé serves as Deputy Director for the Yale Prison Education Initiative at Dwight Hall at Yale. Since 2016, Vanessa has worked in higher education, focusing on student retention, academic advising, coaching, and mentoring. Her undergraduate studies were completed at the University of New Haven, and graduate studies at Simmons College School of Social Work. Vanessa is also a licensed social worker dedicated to supporting under-resourced communities and fostering well-being. She is delighted to be a part of the Yale Prison Education Initiative and help expand access to education to all people.
James Jeter
Founder, Dwight Hall Civic Allyship Initiative
James Jeter is a New Haven native and alum of the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education at Cheshire Correctional Institution, where he spent nearly 20 years incarcerated. With Wesleyan, he completed 20 credited college courses, and was a member of the Lifers Program, where he worked with at-risk youth, helped raise money for local food banks, and worked with the Hartford Police Chief to address gun violence in Hartford. Through this work, while still incarcerated, he fostered relationships with the Mayor of Hartford’s Chief of Staff, members of the Department of Justice’s Project Longevity Task Force, and the CEO of the Hartford Community Loan Fund, his employer post-release.
At the HCLF, James worked as a policy analyst, working on state and federal policy around banking and housing. In the time since his release, he has served on the board of Wesleyan’s Center for Prison Education, has been honored with the 100 Men of Color Distinction, led participatory budgeting with Hartford City Council, and has returned to Cheshire Correctional Institution to speak to residents of its TRUE Unit. James is dedicated to the cause of prison education and has sought opportunities to apply his own experience to benefit those still incarcerated or returning home.
Emilia Thornton
Program Assistant, YPEI
Emilia is a Program Assistant for YPEI at Dwight Hall. She graduated in 2024 from Wesleyan University with a double major in Mathematics and History. Before joining the YPEI team, Emilia worked with the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education for two years. Before that, she interned at the Vera Institute of Justice. Emilia has a deep passion for education and carceral reform and is thrilled to be a member of the YPEI team.
Faculty Advisory Committee
Paul North
Chair, Faculty Advisory Committee (Spring 2023)
Elizabeth Hinton
Faculty Advisory Committee Member
Mira Debs
Faculty Advisory Committee Member
Roderick Ferguson
Chair, YPEI Faculty Advisory Committee
Caleb Smith
Faculty Advisory Committee Member
Paul Tipton
Faculty Advisory Committee Member
Sarah Mahurin
Faculty Advisory Committee Member
George Levesque
Faculty Advisory Committee Member
Team
Alexandra Kleinman
Academic Strategies Mentor
Alexandra Kleinman is an undergraduate studying Linguistics through Yale’s Eli Whitney Students Program for non-traditional students. She is passionate about supporting the success of YPEI students in her role as an Academic Strategies Mentor. As an adult returning student, Alexandra has found immense value in peer mentorship and the Academic Strategies Program on Yale’s campus, and is dedicated to expanding these resources within YPEI.
Emily Horning
YPEI Library Coordinator
Emily Horning (she/her) is YPEI’s Library Coordinator and an academic librarian with over 30 years of experience working with college students. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, as well as a master’s degree in library science, all from UCLA. With colleagues from UNH, she oversees library and research support for YPEI students, helping them access resources for their academic work. She also teaches a series of workshops inside called College-Level Research Skills, which are designed to help YPEI students think critically and make judgments about any information they find and use – skills that will empower them as citizens, to express informed views and engage fully with society. She is honored to work with the students and team at YPEI and looks forward to the day when a college education is readily available to anyone who wants it.
Devin Wu
Urban Fellow
Devin Wu (he/him) is a Yale College junior majoring in Global Affairs, in addition to a certificate in Education Studies. He previously served as a Language Fellow at New Haven Public Schools, helping Chinese language learners at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School. This past summer, he served as a counselor for the First-Year Scholars at Yale Program, supporting incoming first-generation, low-income students on their matriculation to Yale College. When on campus, Devin is involved in the residential college community, serving as the activities chairman and intramural sports secretary in Saybrook College. After volunteering with YPEI this past summer, Devin is excited to continue his work with the team throughout the school year as a Dwight Hall Urban Fellow.
Han Pimentel-Hayes
Academic Strategies Mentor
Han Pimentel-Hayes is an Academic Strategies Mentor with YPEI. She is a GED graduate & community college transfer from Kansas majoring in American Studies at Yale. Han has previously worked to prepare students for the GED examination as an adult literacy volunteer, as a journalism mentor in New Haven public schools, and as a member of the Poorvu Center for Teaching & Learning Advisory Board. They joined the YPEI team during the 2023-2024 academic year, helping to facilitate study halls and math club. Han is honored to continue working with YPEI this year and is thrilled to step into the role of transcription network co-coordinator, serve as a research assistant for capstone projects, and provide additional academic support as an ASP mentor.