Speakers
Jette Birkeskov Mogensen
Parallel Workshops
This plenary session explores how collaborative partnerships can transform correctional systems, using the San Quentin Learning Center as a leading example of innovation in practice. Moderated by project leaders, the panel includes five key contributors, including representatives from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, nonprofit and volunteer partners, and design team leadership; this talk offers a multi-sector perspective on advancing normative models like the California and Nordic models of rehabilitation and normalization.
The discussion will highlight how system-level alignment between CDCR leadership, the Governor’s Advisory Council, and San Quentin’s established volunteer ecosystem created the conditions for meaningful change. Panelists will examine how collaboration with partners including San Quentin Media Center and the Pollen Initiative ensured that voices often excluded from traditional design processes—including both operational staff, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people—were meaningfully incorporated into the design process, strengthening both relevance and impact.
The session will also explore partnerships with private industry exemplified by The Last Mile, demonstrating how employment-focused programming can support rehabilitation and reduce recidivism. Additionally, the panel will address the role of research and data-sharing, drawing on pre- and post-occupancy evaluations to illustrate how evidence-based insights can inform continuous improvement.
Finally, the session will consider how collaborative delivery models, including Progressive Design-Build, supported co-creation and innovation at every stage, and how the Learning Center provides a scalable framework for adapting Nordic-inspired correctional principles within large prison systems.
Attendees will gain actionable strategies for leveraging partnerships to drive systemic and localized human-centered change across corrections environments.
Jette Birkeskov Mogensen, Office Director Aarhus, Schmidt Hammer Lassen:
Jette Birkeskov Mogensen is an experienced architect and senior project manager of complex civic projects across the world. She brings deep knowledge and experience leading international large-scale projects with a collaborative, proactive approach and holistic design methodology across all phases from conception to delivery.
All of which applies to the project work Jette recently delivered on the new educational facility for the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. In working with California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation in advancing the transformation of San Quentin and setting new standards for the ‘California Model’ for correctional institutions in California towards a rehabilitation-focused approach anchored in better support for the incarcerated population in strengthening learning skills, job training and programs for reintegration into society.
As key member of the executive group in the large multidisciplinary DBE team together with McCarthy Building Companies and DLR Group, Jette was leading a team of architects from Schmidt Hammer Lassen in designing the new San Quentin Learning Center. Bringing expertise from Nordic precedents of Correctional and Higher Education projects to the table in co-creating a human-centred, stimulating learning environment.
Jette has deep affiliation for projects with social aspects, engagement with diverse user groups and stakeholders. Her portfolio reflects a commitment to architecture as a catalyst for positive change and includes key projects such as the Correctional Facility of Nuuk in Greenland, Gellerup Sports- and Culture Campus, State Library Victoria in Melbourne and other community libraries as learning hubs.
Lori Coppenrath is an expert in justice facilities planning with over 30 years of experience creating environments that support safety, rehabilitation, and effective operations. Her work spans a diverse range of facility types, including detention centers, adult secure treatment facilities, juvenile campuses, courts, and public safety and law enforcement facilities. She is particularly focused on designing supportive spaces that advance alternatives to incarceration and improve reentry outcomes, such as work release housing, mental health step-down programs, pretrial services, and education programs.
Lori’s approach centers on early and meaningful stakeholder engagement. She collaborates closely with clients, operators, and community partners to identify operational needs and opportunities to strengthen system performance. Her holistic methodology clarifies relationships and interdependencies within correctional environments to enhance staff effectiveness and quality of life for those in custody.
Her project experience includes the Puerto Rico Facilities Optimization Assessment and Plan, Hawaii Women’s CCC Ho‘okipa Cottage, Oregon Youth Authority MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Green Hill School Juvenile Recreation Building, the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs Tecumseh Campus Masterplan, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, and the Oregon Department of Corrections 10-Year Strategic Plan.
Lori holds a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Memphis and dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Philosophy of Religion from Ithaca College. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and a frequent speaker on innovative correctional planning and programming.