April 2025

CWW Staff (from left to right):

Latorya Brandon, R3 Coach

Bridget Powell, Administrative Assistant

Amanda Cox, Campus Within Walls Coordinator

Crystal Baldwin, Project Manager

Diane Edmonds, R3 Coach

On January 10, 2025, Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) and Correctional Education (CE) worked collaboratively to start the first HVAC college course. The five-credit semester-long course is being taught by Mr. Foster, who primarily teaches at the Keysville campus for SVCC.

Starting with 11 students who had less than two years before being released, the students have made history for the facility. The curriculum for the program is based on the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), which is nationally recognized. Completers will have opportunities for gainful entry-level employment and apprenticeship positions following this workforce course.

The students pictured here are in the first cohort of the new HVAC class offered through CWW.

The Campus Within Walls Community Advisory Board convened on March 31, 2025, at the Lake Country Advanced Knowledge Center (LCAKC) in South Hill for a powerful and purposeful discussion on educational and workforce opportunities for justice-impacted individuals.

The meeting opened with an overview of Campus Within Walls, a Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Strengthening Community Colleges Grant. Attendees learned about the program’s growing impact and the collaborative work taking place to expand educational access to incarcerated learners.

Key presentations came from Jessica Lee and Dr. Adolph Brown of the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC), who shared insights into correctional education and the wide-ranging services available through their reentry programs. Their message highlighted the importance of education as a foundation for successful reentry. Adding a workforce perspective, Terra Napier, Executive Director of the Virginia Career Works South Central Workforce Development Board (SCWDB), discussed employment opportunities available to returning citizens and the incentives available for second-chance employers who help rebuild lives through meaningful work.

The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion on how regional stakeholders—from education to workforce and business sectors—can partner more effectively to support justice-impacted individuals approaching reentry. Several current and potential second-chance employers participated in the meeting, including Jones Electric, South Hill Glass, Sun Tribe, SHINE, Nucor, and Reiss Manufacturing, signaling strong regional support for inclusive hiring and reentry success.

Dr. Shayna Kendall-Maxey began her educational career as a high school math teacher in 2003 in Detroit, MI. She has taught college-level mathematics at Wayne County Community College, Macomb Community College, and the University of Michigan.

Dr. Kendall-Maxey holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in Mathematics from Tennessee State University and a Doctorate of Education from Virginia State University. She is a Professor of Mathematics and Education at Southside Virginia Community College. 

Classes are being offered in 5 institutions

22 individual classes are being taught

200 students are taking classes

Support Our Campus Within Walls Program

Carole Wallace does! Carole retired as warden at Lunenburg Correctional Center (LCC). While at LCC she supported Campus Within Walls and helped our staff build the program. Now she supports the program through a scholarship designed for students at LCC. A special thanks to Carole and many others who know the value of CWW.