BOARD MEMBERS
Phyllis H. Trettien, M.Ed., OWDS Treasurer and Program Director
Co-founder of The Center, where her work is centered on social justice issues and reentry. She is retired from the State of Maryland where she spent 18 years working in Maryland prisons throughout the state as well as juvenile justice as a special education teacher, adult basic education teacher, employment readiness teacher, transition specialist, and supervising teacher. After retiring, Phyllis continued to work with women as they made their way back to their families and communities from incarceration, documenting their challenges as seen through their eyes in the Marigold Project. She is currently managing The Center’s online resource for reentry, Navigating Barriers to Reentry. Phyllis holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University where she focused her work on educational leadership and leadership in technology. She is certified by the National Institute of Corrections as an Offender Workforce Development Specialist (OWDS) and is passionate about social and economic justice for reentering citizens.
Kenneth C. Eidel, BS Computer Science Board President and Executive Director
After a long career as a computer programmer and consultant, Ken moved on to work full time on the issues he is most passionate about: environmental and social justice. He has worked on behalf of environmental causes, opposing trash incinerators, suburban sprawl, and urban gentrification. Ken worked closely with Quakers, NAACP, the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, and others fighting police profiling and misconduct in Frederick, Maryland where he lived for many years. In 2010, Ken was a candidate for Lt. Governor for the Maryland Green Party. The 4 decades he spent opposing social injustice was frustrating and seemed to accomplish little; the “system” remained intact. So in 2010 he co-founded The Center; its mission would be to help local communities and organizations Implement The Alternatives to existing social, economic, and political systems and help move toward a more just and sustainable community.
Affiliations: Current: Sierra Club, life member; Pinellas County Green Party member; Sierra Club liaison to Suncoast Rise Against Plastics Coalition; former president Peace Resource Center of Frederick, Maryland, past co-chair, Frederick Green Party
Advisory Board Members