STAFF
Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood
Priest & Founder
The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood is a nationally recognized priest (Old Catholic) and public theologian. Dr. Hood holds advanced degrees from a wide diversity of institutions, including Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Candler School of Theology at Emory University, the University of Alabama, Creighton University and Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. In addition to formal degrees, Dr. Hood has studied throughout the world at alternative centers of meditation and theological exploration. Author of over 100 books and countless significant articles, Dr. Hood’s work and activism has also appeared extensively in the national and international media, including extended profiles in Rolling Stone, Newsweek, USA Today and GQ, a plethora of other print interviews and appearances on the BBC World Service, NBC Nightly News, NPR’s Morning Edition, CNN, MSNBC and Good Morning America amongst a whole host of outlets.
Dr. Hood has received awards for his work against the death penalty, for the rights of LGBTQ persons and for leadership during the Black Lives Matter Movement. A participant in history, Dr. Hood organized and led the July 7, 2016, Dallas, Texas rally against police brutality that tragically ended in the shooting deaths of five police officers and appeared extensively in the media afterward calling for a revival of both love and justice.
In his primary work as a national death row spiritual advisor, Dr. Hood regularly accompanies individuals that he works with to their executions and comforts them as they are executed. There is no other spiritual advisor in the country who has been present in the execution chamber to provide comfort during as many executions as Dr. Hood. In Alabama during the execution of Kenneth Smith, Dr. Hood was the first spiritual advisor to be present in the execution chamber for a nitrogen hypoxia execution in January of 2024, an unbelievably horrific moment. As both advocate and priest, Dr. Hood ensures that the guys he serves are at the center of the abolition conversation.
With many arrests, various assaults endured, near constant threats and thousands of miles marched, Dr. Hood is not afraid to give his body over to the struggle for justice.
Krista Shaw
Director of Finance and Operations
Krista Shaw has over 17 years of experience in public accounting and in private industry nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining a large firm, Krista operated her own fractional CFO and outsourced accounting solutions practice specializing in servicing nonprofit entities. Prior to that, she served in high-level roles for several 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, including as the Director of Finance of Palm Beach Symphony. Krista received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Multinational Business Operations from Florida Atlantic University and Florida State University, respectively. She is a CNAP (Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional).
Kat Bodrie
Director of Publications
Kat Bodrie is a writer, editor, and publisher in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (NC). She is founder and editor-in-chief of bramble press and bramble, an online poetry lit mag; Book Editor for BleakHouse Publishing; and former president and Communications Chair of the nonprofit Winston-Salem Writers. Since 2021, she has worked with death row prisoners and others to edit and publish their creative writing. In 2025, she read poems from her microchapbook The Executioner’s Book of Prayer at the annual abolition gathering for NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Through her work, Kat seeks to give prisoners a platform to express themselves and reclaim their humanity.
Kat is a former community college instructor, writing center coordinator, and magazine editor. She is the author of Toward a Unified Theory of Self (2nd edition). co-author of Bone Orchard: Reflections on Life under Sentence of Death (2nd edition), and co-author of the therapeutic prompt book Digging Deep: Writing for Self-Discovery, Healing & Transformation. Her poems have been published or featured in Painted Pebble Lit Mag, Poetry South, West Texas Literary Review, Poetry in Plain Sight, and elsewhere. Her poem “Injections,” which compares pet euthanasia to death row lethal injection, was a finalist in NC Poetry Society’s Poet Laureate Contest. She has written about sexuality, spirituality, mental health, religious trauma, suicide, grief, prison conditions, and nature-as-metaphor. She regularly participates in Cascadia Poetics Lab’s Postcard Poetry Fest. Kat has her Master of Arts in English literature from UNC-Wilmington and her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from UNC-Greensboro. Learn more at katbodrie.com and brambleonline.com.
Ashley Randolph
Director of Family Support
Ashley Randolph is a dedicated advocate for restorative justice and systemic reform, bringing over a decade of service in criminal justice and international advocacy to her work. Her career is rooted in the conviction that empathy and sacredness for humanity must be the foundation of our legal system.
Ashley holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento. Her commitment to those impacted by the legal system has taken her inside the walls of California’s most notorious prisons and to the headquarters of the United Nations. As a former caseworker at San Quentin and a
volunteer for restorative justice programs at California State Prison, Sacramento, Ashley provided a compassionate presence for incarcerated individuals, helping them prepare for re-entry while fostering a deep understanding of the human impact of their actions.
Her academic work on property injustice and gender-based violence in Kenya is internationally recognized; she presented her findings while advocating at the United Nations 69th Commission on the Status of Women in 2025.
In her professional work, Ashley focuses on re-entry and employment readiness for incarcerated individuals preparing for release. Whether navigating high-threat environments in Nairobi to support HIV-positive widows or analyzing data to identify re-entry gaps, Ashley’s ability to remain calm, proactive, and empathetic in high-stakes situations makes her an anchor for supporting families in crisis.
Ruth Longnecker
Publicist
Ruth Longenecker is a compassionate and steadfast advocate. Based in Brunswick, Maine, she brings both heart and conviction to her work, blending her background in healthcare, her military service, and her deep faith to advance a mission grounded in love, mercy, and justice.
Ruth’s journey began in service to others: as a nurse in the military, she provided care in moments defined by vulnerability, courage, and humanity. Those years forged within her a profound understanding of the value of every life and a quiet strength that continues to guide her work today. At EIP, she combines her passion for justice and faith-based advocacy to shine a light on the human cost of the death penalty.
Guided by a belief in the sacred worth of every person, Ruth works to ensure powerful stories of compassion, redemption, and hope from the ministry of Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood are shared. Through her outreach to media, faith communities, and the public, she helps build understanding and inspires collective action toward a more just and merciful society.
Wendy Ramage
Assistant to Dr. Hood
Wendy Ramage was educated at Sonoma State University, where she earned a double major in Psychology and Sociology, and later received her MSSW from the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. Her professional life centers on helping others find and use their voice. She works as an empowerment life coach with a focus on grief and life transitions. Wendy has previously served as an advocate in domestic violence service programs and in emergency psychiatric services, supporting individuals who require consistent and comprehensive care. She came to abolition work through her commitment to ending the death penalty and confronting the systemic injustices faced by those condemned to die. Wendy is committed to amplifying marginalized voices and working toward systems grounded in dignity, compassion, and human rights.
Sarah DeArmond
Podcast Host
Sarah DeArmond resides in Alabama with her husband, Sean, where they co-direct the nonprofit Voiceless Behind Bars. The organization is dedicated to supporting individuals who have been wrongfully convicted by helping raise funds for legal representation, ensuring they have a meaningful opportunity to challenge their cases. Their work has extended to cases involving individuals such as Timothy McGruder, Fredrico Lowe-Bey, and Paul Brock.
Voiceless Behind Bars is also committed to seeking accountability and justice in cases of violence within the prison system. This includes advocacy on behalf of families who have lost loved ones while incarcerated, such as the case of Kedric Buie, who was killed while serving time in a federal prison in Atlanta.
In addition to her organizational leadership, Sarah is the longtime host of Voiceless Behind Bars, a long-running podcast that features interviews with currently incarcerated individuals. Through these conversations, she has helped create a rare platform for people inside prison walls to share their experiences in their own words, bringing greater public awareness to the realities of incarceration.
Greg Gardner
Religious Liberty Attorney for Dr. Hood
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Greg Gardner has devoted his professional life to helping prisoners and other marginalized people facing the power of the state. He started his career an assistant public defender in Maryland. He then accepted court appointments under the Criminal Justice Act in the District of Columbia. Since that time, Mr. Gardner has represented men on death row in habeas and civil-rights litigation, including being involved in the Ramirez v. Collier decision that solidified the right of the condemned to have their spiritual advisors present with them during executions.