Speakers
Natalie Boal
David Brown
Kim Ekhaugen
Diane Williams
Fatih Güngör
Heidi Washington
Kathleen Van De Vijver
Marayca Lopez
Nadya Radkovska
Pedro das Neves
Raphael Hamunyela
Rob Jeffreys
Plenary Session
Natalie is a highly skilled and experienced leader, with over a decade of experience delivering complex and strategic projects for government with a focus on the human services sector. She has a strong track record of success in managing teams, driving change, and implementing significant reform projects.
Prior to taking on the role of Executive Director, ICPA, Natalie ran the South Australian Department for Correctional Services’ Strategic Policy, Projects, and Partnerships Unit. She has also been responsible for successfully delivering significant operational reforms within South Australia’s prison system. Natalie has formal qualifications in project management and is an expert in program and project management methodologies.
David Brown graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts, double major in Government in 1992. In January 1993 he joined the Queensland Corrective Services Commission as a Custodial Correctional Officer. Mr Brown has enjoyed a wide and varied career in corrections with experience across three jurisdictions. He has worked in both the private and public sector in a range of senior management roles.
In summary, his experience includes:
His academic qualifications include:
Appointed as Chief Executive of the Department for Correctional Services in South Australia in September 2012, he has overseen a critical period of growth and reform across the Department. He has played a key role in strengthening security and emergency management standards across the system; placing a renewed focus on offender rehabilitation, education and vocation training; and building community partnerships to improve reintegration of offender back into society once they leave prison. Mr Brown is passionate about creating an integrated approach to offender management that involves meaningful activity combined with targeted rehabilitation.
The South Australian Department for Correctional Services is pursuing the ambitious goal of reducing re-offending by 20% by 2026. David Brown is focused on implementing strategies that drive down the rate of re-offending including increased investment in rehabilitation programs, strengthening alternatives to custody such as Home Detention and building better prison services. Leadership development and succession planning has been a key focus during his time in South Australia and he believes the Department for Correctional Services is well positioned with an experienced Executive and Senior Management group.
Kim Ekhaugen has held the position as Head of International Cooperation in the Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Service since 2014. This includes managing the EEA/Norway Grants for prison and probation service projects with a total value of 150 million EUR in 6 European countries – Romania, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Bulgaria. He is responsible for a bilateral programme with Russia, and a KDI project office in Ukraine. In addition to the abovementioned, Mr. Ekhaugen has the responsibility for the cooperation with USA through the joint programme with Amend, as well as overall international cooperation outside the given bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Mr. Ekhaugen has more than 30 years of experience from the Norwegian Correctional Service. His career includes working on all levels, starting as a prison officer, advancing to various management positions, including being a prison governor in Oslo prison (at that time the largest prison in Norway). Mr. Ekhaugen was also responsible for conducting a pilot project in a halfway house, focusing on interdisciplinary action between prison staff, probation staff and social workers. This model was introduced in year 2000 and became a model for all halfway houses in Norway. Mr. Ekhaugen has also held the position as lecturer at the University College of the Norwegian Correctional Service.
During the last 10 years, Mr. Ekhaugen has had an international career, which has included being seconded by the Norwegian MFA as Head of Mission to the Norwegian Rule of Law Mission to Moldova (Norlam) from 2010-2013. In Moldova, Mr. Ekhaugen was responsible for projects in the correctional field related to management and organizational structure, dynamic/organizational/static security, the role of prison officers and probation officers. Enhancing cooperation between prison and probation services were keywords, and establishing a pilot prison for minors with emphasis on European standards and values was his focus.
Mr. Ekhaugen likes to emphasize the principle of normality in the Norwegian Correctional Service, and is genuinely interested in making a difference to the better for people.
Diane was President and CEO of the Safer Foundation for almost 20 years. Annually, Diane and her team assisted 8000+ people with criminal records in their efforts to reconnect with family, community and work. Under her leadership Safer built strong partnerships with correctional agencies throughout the United States. Safer remains the only NGO to manage work release centers in Illinois. Diane also served on the Board of Safer for 10 years prior to joining the staff.
Diane has served and is serving on other boards of criminal justice organizations including, the National Institute of Corrections a U.S. Department of Justice agency providing training, development and technical assistance to state, county, and municipal Corrections and Pre-trial agencies throughout the United States, The Hire Network – a division of the Legal Center which assists public and not for profit organizations in developing and implementing polices supportive of justice-involved individuals securing employment, the International Association of Correctional and Forensic Psychology which is an association committed to “helping the helper” in correctional settings, the Illinois Facilities Fund which provides funding for community and program development targeting under resourced communities, and others. In conjunction with other professionals Diane has reviewed community corrections functions in multiple U.S. States and in other countries.
Prior to working at Safer Diane worked in the telecommunications industry in marketing and training. She served as Director of Marketing for the small and mid-sized businesses in the Great Lakes Region for AT&T. The skills she acquired in that setting will serve her in building partnerships, negotiating agreements, managing budgets to meet Association goals, and supporting accountability in finance.
Diane has an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education – English and Masters in Business Administration. Diane received the Champion of Change Award from President Barack Obama, an ICPA Offender Management and Treatment Award (granted prior to being elected to the board), and numerous other acknowledgements for her hard work in community corrections/re-entry work.
Governor Rick Snyder appointed Heidi E. Washington as the director of the Michigan Department of Corrections in 2015 and she was then reappointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019. As director, she is responsible for overseeing the administration of Michigan’s correctional system, which includes the state’s prisons, probation and parole supervision, the Parole Board, and other administrative functions, in addition to managing a $1.9 billion budget.
Director Washington has served in a number of leadership positions during her career with the Department of Corrections. Prior to her appointment as director, she was warden of the Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center and the Duane L. Waters Health Center. She also held positions as warden of Robert Scott Correctional Facility and administrative assistant to the department’s executive bureau and director, where she provided oversight for the Legislative Affairs Office and represented the MDOC before the Legislature. She has additionally served as acting assistant deputy director, overseeing the 19 prison facilities in the southern region of the state, and acting operations administrator for the Correctional Facilities Administration. She joined the MDOC in 1998 as a legislative assistant after working for the Legislature for several years.
Director Washington holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Michigan State University and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. In 2017, she was named Public Official of the Year by Habitat for Humanity of Michigan for her outstanding vision, dedication, and commitment to excellence, and she was also named the Newsmaker of the Year by the Grand Rapids Business Journal for creating the Vocational Village, the nation’s first skilled trades training center for prisoners. In 2018, she was honored to receive the national Tom Clements Award for her vision and innovation in corrections. Director Washington also serves on the Executive Committee for the Correctional Leaders Association as the Vice President. In 2023 Director Washington was appointed to the board of the International Corrections and Prison Association and in 2025 became the President of the North America Chapter for International Corrections and Prison Association. Director Washington is also a board member of the Association of Women Executives in Corrections and is a member of Law Enforcement Leaders.
Dr. Marayca Lopez i Ferrer devoted her entire career, both academic and professional, to the philosophy and practice of prison reform. She holds three advanced degrees in the field of Criminal Justice.
Marayca started her career in academia, completing her practical training as “jurist criminologist” at Can Brians Correctional Facility (Barcelona, Spain). After attaining her PhD, she moved to the USA in 2004, graduating from Rutgers University with a M.A. in Criminal Justice. As the granddaughter of a formerly incarcerated person, she always felt that, to some extent, there was a gap between the “teachings inside the classroom” and the “real field work”. As such, Marayca left academia and moved to the private sector where she has been providing services as justice planner since 2006, working for two architectural firms: CGL (Steve Carter/Bob Goble) and DLR Group (present job). In this capacity she has helped to plan and program juvenile and adult facilities that are holistic in their approach, preserve human rights, are safe and humane, promote rehabilitation, and are focused on innovative operational and programmatic initiatives for positive outcomes and successful re-entry.
Marayca’s experience is international in scope. She has visited facilities in Africa, America, Australia, and Europe, and has worked on justice reform projects and prison studies both domestically (USA) and abroad (e.g., Australia, Canada, Europe, Central and South America), resulting in a deep understanding of correctional best practices, operations, and prison management models worldwide.
Marayca is actively involved with different international organizations that share the common goal of advancing the field of corrections and elevating the rehabilitative ideal and have an on-going collaboration with the Correctional Association of New York, the UN Friends of Corrections, the Inter-American Development Bank, and Penal Reform International on issues related to restorative justice and the humanization of correctional facilities through right-sized, dignifying, and trauma-informed prison infrastructure.
Pedro das Neves is CEO of IPS Innovative Prison Systems, a research and consulting firm specialized on justice and correctional service. Board of the BSAFE LAB Law Enforcement, Justice and Public Safety Lab of Beira Interior University and vice-president of APROXIMAR (NGO) & founder of EASI the European Association for Social Innovation.
Holds a Sociology degree and an MA from the College of Europe in Bruges. Works on public administration reform for 20 years, and on Criminal Justice Innovation since 2002 in Europe and Latin America. Has been involved in the design and implementation of innovative pilot projects lately awarded and recognized as best practices and had the opportunity to visit and learn about the operation of 39 jurisdictions and more than 400 prisons and juvenile centres.
Pedro has extensive experience as policy and programme advisor for several prison administrations, government and multilateral organisations. Guest at meetings and frequently a speaker in international events organized by the European Commission, Council of Europe, EUROPRIS, ICPA, EPEA, COMJIB (Conference of Ministers of the Justice of the Ibero-American countries), the IADB Inter-American Development Bank, IDC HERZLIYA International Institute for Counter Terrorism, UNODC, etc.
Pedro is the founder and editor of JUSTICE TRENDS, a magazine on innovation and best practices in prison and probation systems distributed in 120 countries.
In 2017 has been recognized with the 2017 ICPA Correctional Excellence Award (Management and Staff Training).
Commissioner General Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela was born on 06 April1969 In Eeshoke village, Ohangwena Region, Northern part of Namibia. He grew up in Eeshoke and attended primary school at Oshlkango Combined school until standard four. In 1985, he completed standard five at Engela and moved to llpumbu Secondary School for standards six, seven and eight. In 1988, while in standard eight, he left the country and joined the Namibian liberation Struggle in Angola. In 1990, after the country’s Independence, he returned to school and completed standard eight, nine and ten at St Mary’s Odibo High School at Onekwaya West.
He joined the Namibian Correctional Service on 01 September 1994 as a prison warder. He worked in many areas within the organisation, I.e., guarding, logistics and the section Head. In 1998, he was promoted to Senior Prison Officer, responsible for Personnel Office at Grootfonteln Prison. In 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Chief Prison Officer and transferred to Hardap Prison, the second largest Prison In the country, as a Staff Discipline Officer.
In 2006, he was transferred to the Correctional Service Headquarters in Windhoek In the legal office as he registered for law at the University of Namibia. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws Degree In 2008 and a Bachelor of Laws Honors Degree In 2010. He was promoted to the rank of Superintendent In the Legal office in 2009 and later to the rank of Assistant Commissioner, responsible for Staff Discipline Division In the same year. In 2012, he was promoted to a rank of Deputy Commissioner General, Corporate Management. In 2013, he obtained a Diploma in Public Administration and Management at Institute of Development Management in Gaborone, Botswana. On 01 February 2014, he was appointed as the Commissioner General of the Namibian Correctional Service. He has carried forward a commitment to developing the Namibian Correctional Service as the best performing correctional service in Africa, dedicated to a progressive reintegration-oriented philosophy.
Steven Van De Steene is an Enterprise Architect and Technology for Corrections Expert. He works as a consultant and researcher in the area of innovation and technology strategy for prisons and probation services and is the coordinator of the Technology Solutions Network for the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA).
Steven studied Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Ghent. After his graduation he started working as a probation officer. With the growth of the organisation came the need for a better national IT support. As a project manager, Steven took the opportunity to establish good working IT solutions by trying to understand real business needs and enlarging his knowledge in Information Technology. In 2009 he became a certified Enterprise IT Architect at the University of Antwerp Management School. Now he’s concentrating on implementing the principles of IT Governance and Enterprise Architecture within correctional organizations and promoting research in this field.
Until 2015 he was the IT Director of the Directorate General Penitentiary Institutions in Belgium where he managed an IT service with a strong focus on developing innovative solutions as an answer to the variety of business needs within the complex penitentiary context. Prior to this current position, he established a shared services direction at the central ICT department.
Since 2004 he has been actively involved in different European and international projects, promoting the opportunities to use technology in a way it improves security, efficiency and rehabilitation at the same time and enhances national and international collaboration.
Steven is actively promoting more research in this field and works closely together with Universities across the globe to enhance our knowledge on the opportunities as well as the risks related to the use of technology in corrections.