Every name has a meaning. The name Gemma refers to ‘a bud ready to grow independently’. Appropriately, this name was chosen by the incarcerated women who originally founded The Gemma Project, a jail and prison reentry program to assist incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women with successful reintegration. While reentry should be mainstream for all incarcerated individuals who are returning to their communities, this important programming is still spotty across the United States, and isn’t always designed with consideration for each individual's needs. Cynthia Chase, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Gemma Project, has spent 25 years working within the criminal legal system as a dedicated leader and tireless advocate, including as Mayor of Santa Cruz, California. Cynthia highlights the importance of amplifying the voices of justice-involved women and uncovering the stories that challenge societal perceptions.

Jenifer McShane never planned on becoming an award-winning independent filmmaker, but life had other plans. From her early work on 'A Leap of Faith’, narrated by Liam Neeson, to her latest Netflix documentary, 'The Quilters', Jenifer shares her journey of storytelling that humanizes those behind both literal and figurative bars. But it is at the Missouri South Central Correctional Center, a Level 5 State Prison, where Jenifer explores the transformative power of art, the importance of empathy, and the stories that challenge our perceptions of justice and redemption, while bridging the gap between society and the incarcerated.

Lara Love Hardin is a NY Times best-selling author, including a 2024 Oprah Book Club pick, a 5-time NY Times bestselling collaborative author, a literary agent, a Mother, and a prison reform advocate. She’s also a former addict and justice-involved individual. Lara’s memoir, The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing, is the transformational story of her life, her experiences with the criminal justice system, and the stigma surrounding addiction. While her story contains notes of "Wild", "Orange is the New Black", and "Catch Me If You Can", it is the power of storytelling that offered her a means of healing and forgiveness, because as she says, "I want to do what's true to me".