Operation Restoration Hires Higher Ed Administrator
Tracy Pratt returns to New Orleans to join nonprofit staff
NEW ORLEANS —Tracy Pratt, a longtime criminal justice reform advocate, joins Operation Restoration as the new higher education administrator. The New Orleans-based organization, recently recognized as one of five “Nonprofits of the Year” in the city, was founded by and for women and girls impacted by incarceration.
In this role, Pratt oversees the organization’s higher education programs, which include College-in-Prison at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW) in St. Gabriel. The program, in partnership with Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement, offers college credit toward a bachelor's degree for students during and after incarceration. It is the only in-person, secular higher education program for incarcerated women in the state.
“We’re redefining and expanding higher education for clients,” says Pratt. “Having Pell Grants reopen for incarcerated students after 26 years provides more opportunities for them.”
As administrator, she plans to work onsite at LCIW a couple of days each week. There are currently 30 incarcerated women enrolled in the College-in-Prison program and 6 additional students continuing their education post release.
A Michigan native who earned an undergraduate degree at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, Pratt attended law school at Loyola University. This actually marks her third return to New Orleans. Pregnant with her first child in 2005, she and her husband, who trained as a medical resident at LSU Health, moved back to Florida just three weeks before Hurricane Katrina. They returned when he got the opportunity to help rebuild the city’s community health system.
“We’re excited to welcome Tracy to our team at Operation Restoration,” says Founder, President & CEO Syrita Steib. “Her background combined with a passion for our work to remove barriers for justice-impacted women and girls points to exciting new growth for education programs.”
Pratt brings an extensive resume of experience in higher education and social justice. While in law school, she volunteered with the New Orleans Innocence Project. She also worked with Sarasota’s Project 180, a residential program that provides reentry to formerly incarcerated persons. Most recently, she served as program director of legal studies at Keiser University, named as one of the top institutions in the country for social mobility.
“There are a lot of barriers to higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. It’s not just physical barriers but also psychological barriers of people feeling they don’t belong. I like working with students who never saw college as an option,” Pratt says. “I’m a first-generation college graduate. Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who was going away to school; they were all going to work in the factories. I did that for a while too, but I had to get out of there—one community college course at a time.”
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About Operation Restoration: Operation Restoration is a New Orleans-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering justice-impacted women and girls. Committed to removing barriers to reentry, they provide vital support and resources including education, employment, housing and social services. Operation Restoration supports women and girls impacted by incarceration to recognize their full potential, restore their lives and discover new possibilities. https://www.or-nola.org/