Jacy is currently the statewide Director of PREA and Assistant Agency-Wide PREA Coordinator for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has been with the department since August of 2007. Prior to her current position, she was an Assistant Deputy Superintendent for PREA in multiple correctional facilities. Her experience includes having worked with individuals with substance abuse and sexual offending behavioral issues providing therapy. Her highest level of education is a Masters in Forensic Psychology and has been an Adjunct Instructor teaching Forensic Psychology since 2011.

Jodi Upshaw is an Air Force Veteran and has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a double minor in Intelligence Studies and Forensic Psychology. She recently retired from the New Mexico Corrections Department, where she held the position of ACA/Compliance Officer. She has held numerous other positions within the department to include Classification Officer, Crisis Negotiation Team Instructor, Annual In-Service Instructor, Crisis Negotiation Team Leader, and was actively involved in the PREA program, in which she has participated as support staff in over 9 facility PREA audits and 33 attached CA Fire Camps.

Prior to the Corrections Department, Ms. Upshaw worked for the District Attorney’s Office and volunteered in the Victim Assistance Unit at the local police department. Today, Jodi is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the NM foster care system and works as a substitute teacher with the local school district.

Matthew Taylor is currently the PREA Coordinator for the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) where he has served in that role for more than 5 years. Matthew oversees PREA compliance in the 8 state run prison complexes, 2 community confinement facilities and 7 privately operated facilities. Matthew has worked with ADCRR for more than 25 years, starting as a correctional officer and working his way through the ranks as a parole officer, senior parole officer, and internal affairs investigator.

Michelle has been an Institutional Abuse Investigator in the Office of Professional Standards for the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families (DSCYF) for 13 years. She has over 19 years of experience investigating child sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect for DSCYF and is a PREA investigator for Delaware's juvenile detention facilities. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Delaware.

Matt is currently the Operations Manager for Pine Hills Correctional Facility (PHCF) within the Montana Department of Corrections, PHCF houses adult and juvenile male offenders as well as juvenile female offenders. He joined PHCF after serving as Chief Probation Officer for Montana's Sixteenth Judicial District for 15 years. Matt has over 27 years (2025) of supervision/compliance experience in community/institutional settings and was also a Commissioned Officer with the Food and Drug Administration.

Tyson is a deputy county counsel for the Los Angeles County Counsel's Office. He has been with the office since 2012. He is assigned as the point person for the Los Angeles County PREA Implementation Team assisting both the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Probation Department implement the PREA Standards throughout its adult and juvenile facilities. He also trains on PREA, SOGIE, and other topics.

Barbie Melendez presently serves as the Director of Public Accountability & Oversight at the NYC Board of Correction, bringing over 20 years of experience in the correctional field. Her expertise encompasses accountability, oversight, sexual safety, policy analysis, crisis management, legislation implementation, data gathering, investigations, evaluations, recommendations, problem identification, and policy implementation.

Before joining BOC, Barbie worked at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety in roles such as Correctional Officer, Correctional Sergeant, and Correctional Case Manager.

A native New Yorker from the Bronx, Barbie is bilingual in Spanish and a U.S. Army Veteran. She holds a Juris Doctor from New York Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from John Jay College.