Speakers
Plenary Session
Denise M. Robinson is the 108th President of the American Correctional Association (ACA). ACA is the oldest and largest association of corrections professionals in the world. Robinson is the association’s first President from the field of Community Corrections. She previously served as Treasurer and as both the Chair and as a Commissioner for ACA’s Commission on Accreditation for Corrections.
Robinson is an internationally recognized, award-winning practitioner and advocate of evidence-informed practices across the continuum of care for individuals with justice involvement, behavioral healthcare needs, IDD, etc. She has been published in numerous professional journals and presented at conferences from Columbus, Ohio to Bangkok, Thailand. Robinson’s professionalism, hard work, dedication to program excellence and to the underserved, and determination to succeed have earned her respect and admiration from stakeholders around the globe. Robinson works with public and private officials on a local, state, national and international level to educate them about continuity of care in correctional systems, promote the expansion of behavioral health treatment services and family-focused services, and advocate for person-centered services for individuals with IDD.
Robinson is also the President and CEO of Alvis, Inc., a nonprofit human services agency that has been turning lives around since 1967. Alvis has five service lines: 1) Programs for individuals with justice involvement; 2) Behavioral healthcare treatment; 3) Services for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD); 4) Workforce development services; and 5) Services and support for families impacted by their loved one’s justice involvement and/or behavioral health care treatment needs.
Since becoming CEO in 2005, Robinson has grown Alvis at a rapid pace to meet the increasing need for the agency’s services. Today’s Alvis has an annual budget of more than $42 million and 500 staff, more than a six-fold increase since 2005. Under Robinson’s leadership, Alvis has received numerous awards for the high quality of its programs, including the Crystal Eagle Award from the American Correctional Association, Clifford Skeen Award for Excellence in Community Corrections (from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction [ODRC]); and earning the prestigious Columbus Foundation Award in 2019.
Robinson contributes her expertise to many organizations, including serving on the Advisory Board for Columbus State Community College and serving on the Board of the International Community Justice Association (ICJA). Robinson is a Past President of ICJA and Past Chair of the Community Corrections Network for the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA). Robinson’s commitment to community includes serving on the Columbus Women’s Commission; Board of Directors for Homeport; Board of Directors for LifeCare Alliance; Columbus Rotary Club; and Franklin County Community Corrections Planning Board. Robinson is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Columbus (OH) Alumnae Chapter.
Robinson's personal professional recognition includes the ER Cass Award from ACA; Margaret Mead Award from ICJA; Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Service from President Obama; President's Award from ICPA; C-Suite Award from Columbus Business First; Jonathan Jasper Wright Award from the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice; Pillar Awards for Community Service; and she is a member of the YWCA-Columbus' Academy of Women of Achievement.
Robinson is proud to be a Buckeye, having earned her degree at The Ohio State University (OSU). Being a Buckeye runs in the family: Milton Robinson, Denise’s husband, is an OSU alum and their son is a student at OSU.