Board

Dr. Anne Reissner is a founding member and past president of the Board of Directors for Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. She has been a part of Hudson Link from its early beginnings in 1998, when state and federal funding for college education in prisons stopped and incarcerated men at Sing Sing Correctional Facility reached out to religious and academic volunteers for help. Dr. Reissner believes in the power of education and was instrumental in shaping the vision and mission of Hudson Link.

“Hudson Link has shown that education for persons incarcerated is transformative,” she says. “Hudson Link has helped to transform the lives of individuals, families, and even the criminal justice system in New York.”

As Director Emeritus, Dr. Reissner hopes that Hudson Link will continue to flourish as a not-for-profit working with a dedicated staff, a committed Board, and many supporters. “These are all necessary to accomplish the important mission of transformative higher education for those incarcerated, as well as providing continuous life-sustaining support for them upon their release back to society.”

Dr. Reissner began her professional career as an elementary school teacher. After completing a Master Degree in the Administration of Religious Education, she served as a Director of Religious Education in various Roman Catholic parish settings in New Jersey. In the early 1980’s, she enrolled in graduate studies at Andover Newton Theological School and earned the Master of Divinity degree and the Doctor of Ministry degree. She then joined the faculty of St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, WI where she served as Director of Supervised Ministry for seven years. She then assumed the position of Academic Dean at the Maryknoll School of Theology in Ossining, NY. Although this graduate theology program closed in 1995, she remained at Maryknoll serving as the Director of Study at the Center for Mission Research and Study at Maryknoll until retiring in 2004.

Throughout her career, Dr. Reissner has served on local and national boards including a term as president of the Association of Theological Field Education, membership on the Association of Theological Schools Committee on Globalization, a term as president of the American Society of Missiology.

Since moving to Tucson in June 2007, Dr. Reissner has become involved in outreach to the homeless and in education concerning the plight of immigrants crossing the Sonoran desert in search of a better life. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for BorderLinks, and Poverello House, a day shelter for the homeless.

The accounting firm of the future does much more than traditional accounting. It’s Jason’s mission to help Citrin Cooperman grow and become a full service professional services firm, delivering traditional accounting services as well as advisory and consulting services that provide additional value to the firm’s clients. As such, Jason is responsible for the identification, acquisition/ combination, and integration of other consulting and advisory firms into Citrin Cooperman.

Jason is also a leader in the firm’s Business Process Outsourcing practice where is he tasked with organic and external growth, operational efficiency, and providing great client service.

Jason sits on the Board of Directors of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. He holds multiple positions on the board including Treasurer, board chair for development and marketing, and member of the strategy committee, and in doing so has lead multiple projects to help grow the organization’s capabilities while maintain financial discipline.

Previously, Jason was the Global Sector Leader for Aerospace at Mazars, leading a group of more than 50 professionals in more than 20 countries worldwide. He led the discussion on the sector group’s vision and coordinated the team globally, ensuring excellence with a focused strategy. The group’s attest, tax, accounting and advisory clients included companies throughout the aerospace ecosystem including the supply chain (manufacturers, suppliers, OEMs and MROs), airport ecosystem (infrastructure, concessionaires and security), operators (airlines, charters, air taxis and other), and financiers (lessors and insurers).

David Rubin is an experienced real estate attorney with a depth and breadth of experience in real estate law co-extensive with the types of transactions that one confronts in a major real estate practice.

His practice includes internal contract negotiations, representation of purchasers and sellers of commercial buildings, warehouse and office structures, shopping centers, and ground leases. He has negotiated the purchase of properties out of bankruptcy and negotiated extensive office, manufacturing, retail and restaurant leases, along with extensive ground leases.

Mr. Rubin has, in the course of his practice, represented parties in a substantial real estate litigation involving lease and audit disputes, trespass and brokerage fees.

Mr. Rubin has been recognized by City Bar Justice Center’s 2010 Jeremy G. Epstein Award for Pro Bono Service, for work on City Bar’s Foreclosure Project.

Jason Slivka
Board Member

“Hudson Link provides an opportunity for currently and formerly incarcerated people to access the most important tool to participate in the advancement of society, an education.”

Rosemarie Murray is one of the original Board Members of Hudson Link, which was founded during her tenure as Dean of Students at Mercy College.

“Hudson Link’s greatest strength is the commitment of all of our stakeholders: the students, professors, staff, board, DOC’s and our supporters. They have all contributed to the effort to change lives and thereby change our world. We are united in our belief that individuals can be transformed through education. These people make the necessary sacrifices and have the resiliency to return to the mission no matter how difficult the challenges we face.”

Ms. Murray is an Assistant Professor of Literature, Language, and Communication at Mercy College. She served as Vice President of the Hudson Link Board of Directors for two terms and has had the pleasure of teaching literature courses at Sing Sing on several occasions. For several years she was also a member of the Board of Providence House, an organization that provides transitional and supportive housing for women released from prison so they can begin their new lives with their children.

In 2009, after meeting young people with spinal cord injuries who are institutionalized in nursing home for the elderly, Ms. Murray resolved to help make appropriate housing available for this large group of forgotten—even “invisible”— individuals; hence, she helped found Wheels of Progress, a nonprofit organization.

“My sincere hope is that Hudson Link will continue to expand to other correctional facilities and will lead the effort to change minds and hearts regarding incarcerated people who desire to become educated so that they can make a difference while incarcerated and after they are released.”

John Minks has been a board member of Hudson Link since 2010, and has served on the Development, Communications, and Governance Committees. He is also active on his church board, where he has been a Warden and Vestry member the last six years. He has led the Outreach Committee for a number of years at his church and is passionate about mentoring and helping people achieve their potential.

Professionally, Mr. Minks is an International Director with Jones Lang LaSalle, an international real estate services and investment company, where he has held a variety of management and leadership roles during his 24 years with the Firm. Mr. Minks and his family moved to New York in 2004 following four years in London, where created and led a regional corporate business across 18 countries. Prior to London John lived in Southern California with his family and enjoyed the Southern California lifestyle. Mr. Minks’ previous work experience includes five years with Smith Barney Corporate Finance and five years with Deloitte as a management consultant. John received an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and his BA from Stanford University

Mr. Minks and his wife Michelle live in Rye Brook New York, and have three grown children. In his free time he enjoys golf and travel and spending time with his family.

At Mercy University’s 2016 commencement ceremony, as graduation caps traced the heavens, none surpassed the altitude of Ismael Diaz, a graduate of Hudson Link.

Mr. Diaz, with a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science with Honors, extensive entrepreneurial experience in administrative operations and business strategy, and memberships in Psi Chi and Pi Gamma Mu Honor Societies, consistently credits Hudson Link for positively changing his life. “The opportunity provided by Hudson Link came at the opportune moment," he affirms. “Upon finishing my degree, I had a sense of achievement that was previously unimaginable.”

Organizations like Hudson Link, Center for Community Alternatives, The Clean Slate movement, and many more have received positive impact from his guidance, bravery, and wisdom. Mr. Diaz’s involvement in the #CleanSlate movement and steadfast commitment to justice and equality influenced the New York State legislature to pass a bill that removes barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals by sealing their prior records (if eligible), enabling them to progress in life and obtain employment, housing, and higher education.

Mr. Diaz, a native of New York City, looks forward to serving Hudson Link in a different capacity as a board member. Mr. Diaz currently serves as a Community Organizer at the Center for Community Alternatives, where he advocates for and advances legislative efforts related to outpatient treatment for substance use disorders. Mr. Diaz enjoys spending time with his family, spreading joy, and exploring life's opportunities with resilience.