“The Minister to Hedge Funders”

EXPERT ON / TOPICS:

• Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Prison
• Finding Purpose and Happiness after Personal Tragedy
• Criminal Justice Reform
• Successful Alcohol and Substance Recovery (Jeff is clean & sober 16+ years)
• Successfully Navigating Life with Mental Health Issues
• Jeff’s Own Riches-to-Rags-to-Redemption story.

PHONE: 203-405-6249
EMAIL CONTACT: jgrant@prisonist.org
WEBSITE: prisonist.org
ADDRESS: Greenwich, CT & Nationwide

ABOUT JEFF GRANT:

Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div. is an ordained minister with over three decades of experience in crisis management, business, law, reentry, recovery (clean & sober 17+ years), and executive & religious leadership. Often referred to in the press as “The Minister to Hedge Funders,” he regularly uses his experience and background to guide people faithfully forward in their lives, relationships, careers and business opportunities, and to help them from making the kinds of decisions that previously resulted in loss, suffering and shame.
As an ordained minister, conversations and communications between Jeff and those he serves fall under clergy privilege laws. This is one reason that attorneys often allow and encourage their clients to maintain relationships with Jeff while in active prosecution or litigation situations.
After an addiction to prescription opioids and serving almost fourteen months in a Federal prison for a white-collar crime he committed when he was a lawyer, Jeff started his own reentry – earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, with a focus in Christian Social Ethics. After graduating from divinity school, Jeff was called to serve at an inner-city church in Bridgeport, CT as Associate Minister and Director of Prison Ministries. He, and his wife and partner-in-ministry Lynn Springer, then co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. (Greenwich, CT), the world’s first ministry supporting the white collar justice/economy exiled community. Jeff also serves on the ministry team at St. Joseph Mission Church (Cliffside Park, NJ) and as Chaplain to the Woodbury Fire Department (Woodbury, CT).
From 2016 – 2019, Jeff served as the Executive Director of Family ReEntry, Inc. (Bridgeport, CT), a 100+ person criminal justice organization with offices and programs in eight Connecticut cities. Jeff is the first person in the United States formerly incarcerated for a white-collar crime to be appointed as Executive Director of a major criminal justice nonprofit. A former practicing attorney and general counsel to major real estate organizations and closely held companies, he studied law at and earned a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School.
Jeff has served on a number of criminal justice related Boards including: The Mayor’s Advisory Council on Reentry Affairs, Co-chair, (Bridgeport, CT) ; Family ReEntry, (Bridgeport & New Haven, CT); Community Partners in Action (formerly the Connecticut Prison Association, Hartford, CT); , and Healing Communities Network, (New York, NY). Jeff has also served on the Editorial Board of the book, The Justice Imperative: How Hyper-Incarceration has Hijacked the American Dream, (Southport, CT), and on the Advisory Boards of Creative Projects Group, (Los Angeles, CA) and Reentry Survivors, (Bridgeport, CT).
Highlighted speaking venues include Main Stage Presenter at The Nantucket Project (Nantucket, MA), the Greenwich Leadership Forum (Greenwich, CT), the Corrections Ministries and Chaplains Association (CMCA) Correctional Ministry Summit (Wheaton College, IL & Philadelphia, PA), Salons at Stowe – Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (Hartford, CT), Community Health Network of Connecticut Social Determinants of Health Summit (Wallingford, CT), The Mason Street Project (Greenwich, CT), Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (NY, NY), Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT) and many houses of worship throughout the Northeast. Jeff is a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association.
Jeff and Lynn were the subjects of a twelve-page article in Greenwich Magazine (March 2018 issue). Jeff has also been the subject of or prominently mentioned in national and regional media including Vanity Fair (August 2019 issue), Forbes.com, Inc.com, The Huffington Post, Absolute Return/HedgeFund Intelligence, Business Insider, Institutional Investor, New York Magazine, Real Men Real Faith Magazine (cover story), Greenwich Magazine, Fairfield County Business Journal, Nonprofit Quarterly, Reentry Central, The Vision (the newspaper of the United Methodist Church NY Conference), Weston Magazine Group, Weston Forum, Hartford Courant, New Haven Register, New Haven Independent, Inner City News, Connecticut Post, Greenwich Sentinel, Greenwich Time, Greenwich Free Press, The Hour and many radio shows, televisions segments and podcasts including the Rich Roll Podcast (#440, May 2019).
Jeff is also the editor of the important and widely-read blog, prisonist.org, at which he authors, edits and curates content around national and international criminal justice advocacy/ministry themes, and is Co-host of the Criminal Justice Insider podcast airing live on the first and third Fridays from New Haven, CT. He also leads a weekly online confidential White Collar/Economy Exiled Support Group (the first in the country); with over 150 participants, it has held over 170 meetings.

DESIGNATIONS/AWARDS

Twice Selected as a Nantucket Project Scholar
JustLeadershipUSA Fifteen Inaugural National Leaders in Criminal Justice
Keepers of the Commons Fellow
Keepers of the Commons Senior Fellow
Elizabeth Bush Award for Volunteerism
Three Time Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative Advocate of the Year Award
Four Time Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative Professional of the Year
Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence Award
Connecticut NAACP Award
Selected as a Collegeville Institute Writing Fellow

CAREER:

Professional Speaker 20+ years
Practicing Attorney 20 years
Minister/Prison Minister 10 years
Reentry & Recovery Professional – Clean & Sober 17+ years

DEGREES:

Juris Doctorate, New York Law School
Master of Divinity, Union Theological Seminary

ASSOCIATIONS:

National Speakers Association, Professional Member
NSA – Connecticut
New York Law School Alumni Association
Union Theological Seminary Alumni Association
National Justice Impact Bar Association
Correctional Chaplains & Ministries Association
Westport/ Weston Clergy Association