Andy Eisen has worked in the field of higher education in prison for the past decade, starting as a graduate student at the University of Illinois where he earned a PhD in History. His experience teaching incarcerated learners with the Education Justice Project transformed his understanding of the role of higher education in enriching the lives of incarcerated students, instructors, volunteers, and our communities as a whole. In 2015, after moving to Florida, Dr. Eisen co-founded the Community Education Project (CEP), a college-in-prison program at Stetson University, where incarcerated students take credit-bearing courses, conduct and publish research, and have recently built an expansive community garden on the compound. Under Dr. Eisen’s guidance, incarcerated scholars created an award-winning traveling exhibit documenting histories of slavery and Indian Removal in East Florida.
CEP is currently supported by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Laughing Gull Foundation. In total, Dr. Eisen helped raise more than a million dollars for the program. Dr. Eisen is excited to bring his passion for working with incarcerated learners to the University of Utah.

Laura earned her M.S in the Environmental Humanities from the University of Utah. As a master’s student, Laura focused on reformation of youth environmental education, aiming to make it more inclusive to underserved populations as well as to those who don’t typically think of themselves as interested in or capable of participating in science through the inclusion of place-based interdisciplinary content. Laura currently works as the Associate Director for Initiative to Bring Science Programs to the Incarcerated (INSPIRE) and STEM Community Alliance Program (STEMCAP) for Youth-in-Care. These two programs bring local scientists to adult and juvenile incarcerated populations, respectively, to provide informal science education. Laura was drawn to these programs by their effort to engage underserved populations while expanding participants’ perception of science through interdisciplinary work and in-person contact with local scientists.

Jennah Mendivil is the Conservation Project Coordinator for the STEMCAP program, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a focus on Microbiology & Immunology from UT San Antonio.
She has worked in a forensic science lab and a molecular diagnostics lab, BioFire, here in Salt Lake. Since living in Salt Lake she has appreciated the close proximity to nature and outdoor recreation and has developed a passion for the conservation of our wildlife and natural areas.
She hopes to apply her knowledge of many different fields of science and how they apply to nature to this position, and when interacting with different conservation groups. Originally from El Paso, Texas a Mexico/U.S. border city, Jennah understands the importance of reaching out to and providing opportunities to underserved communities. She is excited to help provide opportunities to Youth-In-Custody to help them explore the fields of STEM.
Outside of work you can find her on the ski hills, hiking with her dog, or climbing. She also enjoys traveling to new places, experiencing new cultures, and trying different foods!