Keynote Address
Friday, April 21, 1 pm.
Service Learning and Experiential Learning: Avenues for Remapping the Cradle to Prison Pipeline to a Cradle to College Pipeline in Louisiana
Dr. Michelle Fazio Brunson, Brett Brunson, and Faith Stanfield
Dr. Michelle Fazio Brunson directs the graduate program in Early Childhood Education at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She and her husband, the District Defender for Natchitoches Parish, are committed to remapping the Cradle to Prison Pipeline to a Cradle to College Pipeline in Louisiana through Early Childhood service learning and experiential learning projects. Over the last eight years, they have worked with numerous families and donated approximately 5,000 family literacy bags across five parishes.
Brett Brunson is the District Defender for the 10th Judicial District in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Since 2007, he has operated the 10th Judicial District Public Defender Office to provide effective representation to those who qualify for services. He is a past president of the Public Defender Association of Louisiana.