Hudson Link to Award 500th Degree
Hudson Link is thrilled to announce that Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, a noted advocate for increased access to higher education, will serve as the keynote speaker at the organization’s June 7th commencement ceremony at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where 36 students will graduate with associate and bachelor’s degrees in Behavioral Science from Mercy College.
Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Dr. Reed has led a distinguished career promoting higher education for all Americans. She was previously the deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education, coordinating policies, programs, and activities related to postsecondary education, career technical educational, adult education, federal student aid, and a variety of White House special initiatives.
“This is an incredible honor for Hudson Link,” said Executive Director Sean Pica. “Dr. Reed has been at the forefront of efforts to level the playing field for low-income students and students of color who dream big and reach high to attain a college degree. And now she’s championing the need for incarcerated people to have access to undergraduate and graduate-level degrees.”
A native of Louisiana, Dr. Reed is a two-time graduate of Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a master’s degree in public administration. She holds a doctorate in public policy from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Reed deliver the graduation keynote address. It’s such an important statement to the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people that we serve every day that they have worth, that they have something positive to contribute … that their lives matter too,” Pica noted.
Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison is a 501c(3) non-profit that provides college education, life skills and re-entry support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women to help them make a positive impact on their own lives, their families and communities, resulting in lower rates of recidivism, incarceration and poverty.
