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Our Story of Hope & Transformation

Built by those who have walked the hardest paths, OAA turns lived experience into lasting community change.

Lee Lewis, graduate from Bibb Correctional Facility, circa 2014

Co-founders Drayton Nabers and Deborah Daniels

Built by Experience. Driven by Community.

We Are The Solution

Offender Alumni Association (OAA) is a non-profit, grassroots movement modeled after the concept of AA and NA: one offender helping another offender. The movement was founded by former Alabama Chief Justice, Drayton Nabers Jr., and former offender Deborah Daniels. The founders became inspired after many early Friday morning rides together to Bibb Correctional Facility where they co-facilitated Prison Fellowship Academy for a cohort of men who participated voluntarily in a 18-month discipleship program.

It’s almost like coming to the edge of the forest and the person wants to come to the other side because everything is so beautiful…and they just can’t make that step…and you just reach your hand in and say “I got you.”

Dena Dickerson

Years of Service
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Lives Impacted
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Community
Partners
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Active Mentors
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OAA Values

Integrity

We maintain the highest standards of accountability and confidentiality.

Productivity

We care enough to be consistent.

Restoration

We utilize the Credible Messenger approach to help others heal and gain skills that will assist them to a place of wellness.

Dedicated

We listen intently to learn, and practice unconditional love.

Give Back

We invest time to assist and empower our communities with resources.

Community

We work to reduce future incidents of violence and retaliation while promoting healing.

People Centered

We value and understand that people are the heartbeat of the world

Milestones of Impact

2014

Founded

Former Alabama Chief Justice, Drayton Nabers, and former offender Deborah Daniels started the movement and launched its first weekly support forum at Impact Family Counseling.

2015

Leadership

2016

501(c)(3) Status

OAA receives nonprofit status and launches support forums inside Alabama prisons St. Clair & Limestone, beginning reentry support before offenders left confinement.

2016-2017

Youth Initiative Summer Program

2017

Family Forums

We saw how deeply our choices and incarceration have impacted our families. As more families joined, we started family support forums twice a month.

2018-2019

Federal Recognition

OAA expanded to Georgia, earning its first government contract through Project Safe Neighborhoods. The President of the United States commended OAA’s impact at the 2018 National PSN Conference. Selected as lead organization for the US Attorney’s Office Northern District of Georgia for a two-year prevention/reentry strategy for high-risk adults and juvenile justice-involved youth.

2020

COVID Response

OAA members delivered groceries and essentials to vulnerable residents across the Birmingham area, serving as a critical community lifeline during the pandemic.

2021

Savannah Expansion

2022

Hospital Partnership

Jefferson County Dept. of Health declared gun violence a public health crisis. OAA is selected as a community based provider for an inpatient violence intervention program at UAB Hospital Trauma Division.

2023

A Home of Our Own

2025

Expanding Hospital Partnership

Recognizing the impact of community violence intervention and prevention partners, the City of Birmingham extends the hospital program to include the UAB Emergency Room, expanding reach to more victims.

2026

Public Health Champion

Who We Are

Milestones of Impact

2014

Founded

Former Alabama Chief Justice, Drayton Nabers, and former offender Deborah Daniels started the movement and launched its first weekly support forum at Impact Family Counseling.

2015

Leadership

Dena Dickerson was appointed Executive Director. OAA hosted its first Banished No More Conference at Gardendale First Baptist Church.

2016

501(c)(3) Status

OAA receives nonprofit status and launches support forums inside Alabama prisons St. Clair & Limestone, beginning reentry before offenders left confinement.

2016-2017

Youth Initiative Summer Program

2018-2019

Federal Recognition

2020

COVID Response

2021

Savannah Expansion

2022

Hospital Partnership

2023

A Home of Our Own

2025

ER Program

2026

Public Health Champion

Board of Directors

Stacy Moak – UAB Professor Political Science – President

Dr. Mark Wilson – Physician, Princeton Hospital

Dr. Hernando Carter – Medical Director and Physician, Archwell Health

Katricia Cleveland – Measures for Justice, Assistant Director Partnership Development

Brandon Blankenship – UAB Professor Assistant, Director Pre-Law Program

Beth Spencer – Director Local Outreach & Volunteer Service, Peachtree Road United Methodist Church

Erica Hille Rinker – Credentialed Course Instructor, PhD The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Meet the Team

Dedicated leaders driving our mission of community healing and empowerment

Stacy Moak

Board President - UAB Professor

Member Bio

Deborah Daniels

Executive Director & Co-Founder

Member Bio

Dena Dickerson

Chief Operating Officer

Member Bio

Toni Barnett

Administrative Director

Member Bio

Julius Campbell

Program Director — Savannah, GA

Member Bio

LaCrecia Day

Program Director — Birmingham, AL

Member Bio

Angela Wright

Program Manager, Atlanta, GA

Member Bio

Anca Hanson

Development Director

Member Bio

Stacy Moak

Board President - UAB Professor

Dr. Stacy Moak is a passionate advocate for justice, education, and global understanding. As a faculty member in Political Science and Public Administration at UAB, she brings the world into her work — leading students on transformative study abroad programs to Kenya, teaching international law in Graz, Austria, and partnering with Birmingham’s own Offender Alumni Association to create real community impact. Armed with a BS in Criminal Justice, a JD from Loyola University New Orleans, and a PhD in Urban Studies, Dr. Moak brings a powerful interdisciplinary lens to her expertise in constitutional law, juvenile justice, and offender reentry. She doesn’t just teach change — she lives it.

Deborah Daniels

Executive Director & Cofounder

Deborah Daniels cofounded the Offender Alumni Association (OAA) in 2014, growing it from a $30,000 budget to a multi-million-dollar agency serving Birmingham and Atlanta. After her own release from prison, she spent 19 years with Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship Ministries, rising from Alabama Field Director to Regional Director of the Southeast, where she launched the nationally recognized Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents program and developed “Communities Inside Prison Dorms” with the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Since becoming OAA’s Executive Director in December 2019, her mission has been to mobilize returning citizens and their families to reduce crime and restore communities — work recognized by Tyler Perry’s “Heroes Behind the Masks” award, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Presidential address, the Unsung Hero Award and more.

Dena Dickerson

Chief Operating Officer

Dena Dickerson brings a lived-experience perspective shaped by her own journey through incarceration and her prior work as a case manager at a men’s homeless shelter. She believes people with similar histories are uniquely equipped to guide newly released individuals toward stable, productive lives, describing OAA’s role as reaching out a hand to help someone take the hardest step toward a better life.

Toni Barnett

Administrative Director

Toni Barnett joined OAA in September 2023, bringing strong corporate project management, vendor relations, and budgeting experience to the organization. Holding an MBA and a 12-year U.S. Naval Reserves background, she combines operational discipline with personal insight into life’s major transitions, emphasizing trust-based relationships as key to successful reentry. Outside work, she’s an active community mentor, workshop leader, and curriculum developer.

Julius Campbell

Program Director, Savannah, GA

Julius Campbell spent over 26 years in the Georgia prison system, during which he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and developed skills in mentoring, coaching, and motivational speaking. Now a minister, TEDx speaker, and Founder/Director of OAA in Savannah, he serves as a Life Navigator at OAA, drawing on his transformation story to encourage, educate, and empower youth and returning citizens.

LaCrecia Day

Program Director, Birmingham, AL

LaCrecia Day leads program strategy and trauma-informed, client-centered service delivery, bringing extensive leadership in program management and finance — including securing millions in federal, state, and foundation grants. Her career spans case management, family strengthening, alternative sentencing, and financial/development leadership. A breast cancer survivor and 18-year Angel Tree volunteer coordinator, she blends operational expertise with deep compassion in advancing OAA’s mission.

Angela Wright

Program Director, Atlanta, GA

Angela C. Wright leads youth-focused programs at OAA, including the Supporting Youth Initiative, SOLID, Heroes in the Hood, the Credible Messenger Corps, and Project Safe Neighborhood. As a Credible Messenger, she works directly inside youth detention facilities, combining trauma-informed care with faith-based mentorship to help young women rebuild their lives. A Clark Atlanta University graduate and recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and an honorary doctorate, her mission is helping youth turn pain into purpose.

Anca Hanson

Director of Development

Anca Hanson brings 20 years of experience, both in the U.S. and Europe, focused on growing impact for mission-based organizations. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Along with her husband, Robert, they are raising three teenage daughters.