Walter B. Ridley (Heavenly Emeritus)

WALTER B. RIDLEY was the Founder, President & CEO of The Ridley Group & Associates, LLC. His extensive work history covered services as a Warden, Parole Board Chair, Deputy Director and Director of Corrections in the District of Columbia and Church Administrator. With more than 44 years of public service and undaunted commitment to human service and community ministry, Mr. Ridley understood inter agency relations and the complex workings of the Federal, State and Local Governments. Mr. Ridley was a frequent lecturer, speaker, consultant and instructor of criminal justice and public safety issues. For his outstanding contributions to corrections, Mr. Ridley was awarded the highest honor in American Corrections, the E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award in 2006. Walter B. Ridley will forever remain in our hearts and in every aspect of human service that we provide.

Ghia Ridley Hobbs

GHIA RIDLEY HOBBS is the President & CEO of The Ridley Group & Associates², LLC. a criminal justice and corrections consulting firm providing technical assistance, project management, training, assessments, auditing of jails, prisons, community-based organizations and re entry support. A milestone accomplishment of TRGA² was serving as the Prime contractor on the design and construction of the new Richmond City Justice Center to ensure that the programming and operational aspects were conducive to a successful reentry for incarcerated individuals.

With a Criminal Justice and Corrections (Adult & Juvenile) career spanning over twenty-plus years and considered a notable subject matter expert; Ghia has provided guidance and leadership in the areas of evidenced-based correctional practice, leadership development, justice agency and facility assessments, gender responsive programming, mental health, trauma and reentry practices. Additionally she is a motivational speaker, provides correctional consulting, a cross section of training and workshop facilitation.

Ghia is active in several professional associations such as The American Correctional Association (ACA), Association of Women Executive in Corrections (AWEC), and the National Association of Blacks and Criminal Justice (NABCJ), Association of Women Executives in Corrections (AWEC), National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ), Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association (MASCA), American Jail Association (AJA), Correctional Education Association (CEA), Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNAD), National Anger Management Association (NAMA) and the Project Management Institute (PMI).

She holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from North Carolina Central University, a M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Bowie State University as well as National Certifications in Anger Management, Domestic Violence, and Project Management. Ghia was the 2014 recipient of the North Carolina Central University Alumnus Award for Excellence in Corrections.

Presently she is active in advocating for criminal justice reforms across the spectrum. Tirelessly she promotes, educates and speaks about the challenges and changes that are necessary to reduce recidivism thus increasing the probability of successful reintegration.

SPECIALTIES: (Adult & Juvenile)
Project Management, Reentry Practices, Program Development, Program Management, Training, Curriculum Development, Operational and Programs Needs Assessments, Audit Preparation, Cultural Sensitivity, Gender Responsiveness, Conflict Resolution, Mediation

John Bellassai

JOHN BELLASSAI, Senior Consultant, possesses extensive experience working with federal, state and local government agencies–courts and community corrections agencies, drug and alcohol treatment and prevention providers, and numerous community-based organizations–around issues of law and justice, public health and substance abuse, and housing and community development. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Bellassai is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the American Bar Association (ABA) and its Committee on Alternatives to Incarceration & Diversion, the American Evaluation Association (AEA), the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA), and the American Public Health Association (APHA). A graduate of the U.S. Army’s Military Police School at Fort Gordon, GA, he served as a Reserve Officer in the U.S. Army, Military Police Corps, advancing to the rank of Captain.

SPECIALTIES: Alternatives to Prosecution and Incarceration, Community Corrections, Community Policing, Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention for Justice Involved Youth, Community based Interventions.