From the inception of her own nonprofit organization at the age of nine, Anna has been committed to the livelihood of her community for over 25 years. After working in politics for almost a decade, Anna self-designed her major at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts focused on “Detroitology,” a field in which she examined the relationships between local mayoral politics and urban poverty in Detroit. Through her work in Detroit, Atlanta and New York City, she has raised over $2m in grant funds for startup projects and new program initiatives benefiting local governments and nonprofits. 

 

Anna holds a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from CUNY Baruch’s National Urban Fellows program. During the fellowship, Anna was recruited by Fulton County (Atlanta, GA), and assisted in the planning and development of the county’s jail reentry program,which offered innovative interventions for returning citizens. In her studies, Anna proposed and piloted an evidence-based approach to prisoner reentry.  She then became the development manager for a startup nonprofit in New York City which provides business startup training and seed capital to returning citizens.

 

As an adjunct faculty member of Jackson College's Prison Education Initiative, Anna taught Entrepreneurship courses at a state prison in Michigan where she supported the ideation and crafting of business plans for close to 100 MDOC inmates over three years.

 

Anna is a recognized strategist and fundraiser proficient in creating solutions for a challenged workforce, growing organizations, and providing solutions to complicated social challenges through evidence-based practices. She served as Chief Impact Officer from 2015-2020 at RecoveryPark, a for-impact company that existed to create jobs for people experiencing barriers to employment. RecoveryPark realized its mission by launching food-based businesses on Detroit's east side, beginning with RecoveryPark Farms, growing specialty produce for chefs in soil and hydroponic farms. 

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Currently, Anna is the Reentry and Parole Team Lead for the State Appellate Defender Office of Michigan, supporting Michigan's former juvenile lifers as they fight for freedom and return to the community.

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Anna is the President of Safe and Just Michigan (formerly the Citizen’s Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending (CAPPS); serves on the Board of Redeeming Kimberly; and is a member of Detroit's Returning Citizen’s Task Force. She has provided consulting services for dozens of organizations throughout the nation, most notably, those operating in Detroit who serve individuals with barriers to employment. 

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In 2019, Anna received the great honor of being appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Michigan Community Corrections Board which oversees community corrections spending statewide. Anna is humbled to have been named Chair of the committee in July of 2019.

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In 2023, Anna was elected to the Roeper School's Board of Trustees as Alumni Trustee.

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