IPMW Staff
Jennifer C. Jackson, Executive Director. Jennifer has been working in and around nonprofit organizations throughout her career in both staff positions and as a consultant. A native of Atlanta, GA with family ties to Rocky Mount and Wilson, NC, she received a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University and Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Vocal Performance from Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She is an Ordained Interfaith Minister and supports alumni relations at her former seminary, One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York. Jennifer serves as an Affiliate Coach of the Rockwood Leadership Institute in Oakland, CA and has provided organizational development consulting, leadership development training, curriculum design and grant writing support for nonprofits, consulting firms and civic and spiritual groups in North Carolina, New York and California. She also speaks and leads workshops on prison ministry, reflective practice, self-care, servant leadership and other topics related to applied spirituality, transformation and healing. Jennifer sits on the Steering Committee of the Capital Area Reentry Council and is a member of the Community Resource Council for the Raleigh Unit of the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women as well as volunteering for other area organizations.
Willie Brazil, Chaplain. Rev. Brazil is a retired minister in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. In her first career, she was a computer programmer analyst. She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama where she was a member of the Baptist Church. As a young adult, she united with the Presbyterian Church while living in Knoxville, Tennessee. She received a BS in Mathematics from Knoxville College and an MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. While in seminary, she was awarded an urban internship by the Fund for Theological Education to work with homeless and indigent people in Miami, Florida. She has served as a pastor for churches in North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, and as Campus Minister at Albany State University in Albana, Georga. Willie enjoys shopping with her 12 year old granddaughter and playing indoor soccer with her 7 and 9 year old grandsons. .
Sarah Jobe, Chaplain. Rev. Jobe is an ordained Baptist minister. She studied religious studies at the University of Virginia, received her Masters in Divinity from Duke Divinity School, and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in biblical studies from Duke Divinity School. Sarah has served as a chaplain at the Raleigh Unit since 2011, and she has taught theology courses at the prison since 2009. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Durham at the Rutba House, an intentional Christian community that open its doors to people who need a place to stay. Sarah loves to garden in her spare time, and her garden is in the shape of a labyrinth in honor of a project that she did with incarcerated women at the Raleigh Unit creating canvas labyrinths for use in the Hope Center. Sarah is the author of Creating with God: The Holy Confusing Blessedness of Pregnancy.
Maria B. Rau, Transition and Reentry Specialist. Maria is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate. She received her BS in psychology from Kansas State University and her MSW from Boston University. Since arriving to North Carolina in 2012, Maria has worked with non-profit organizations including Catholic Charities and served as a committee chair within the Fayetteville Cumberland County Reentry Council. She grew up in Kansas where she was a member of the Catholic Church. Maria enjoys exercising and spending time with her husband and two children.
Kaye Ward, Program Assistant. Kaye comes to IPMW with over 30 years experience as an administrative assistant at organizations including NC State University. She attended Johnston Community College and NC State and is currently working toward certification in Chaplaincy. Kaye brings her skills and experiences in the nonprofit and business worlds to her new role as Office Assistant and will work on donor services and the paperwork side of the organization. Kaye’s goal is to become a Chaplain, but her calling is to service for women both in and out of prison.
