Rev. Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div.

Rev. Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div., Co-founder/Minister, Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., Greenwich CT & Nationwide. 203-405-6249, jgrant@prisonist.org, Mailing: PO Box 1, Woodbury, CT 06798

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Jeff is an ordained minister with over three decades of experience in crisis management, business, law (former), reentry, recovery (clean & sober 17+ years), and executive & religious leadership. He provides confidential pastoral and spiritual care and support to individuals, families and groups in the areas of personal crisis management, criminal justice/prisoner reentry, opioid and substance abuse, bipolar disorder/mental illness, and interfaith religion. Sometimes referred to in the press as “The Minister to Hedge Funders,” he regularly uses his experience and background to guide people faithfully forward in their lives, relationships, careers and business opportunities, and to help them from making the kinds of decisions that previously resulted in loss, suffering and shame.

As an ordained minister, conversations and communications between Jeff and those he serves fall under clergy privilege laws. This is one reason that attorneys often allow and encourage their clients to maintain relationships with Jeff while in active prosecution or litigation situations.

After an addiction to prescription opioids and serving almost fourteen months in a Federal prison for a white-collar crime he committed when he was a lawyer, Jeff started his own reentry – earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, with a focus in Christian Social Ethics. After graduating from divinity school, Jeff was called to serve at an inner city church in Bridgeport, CT as Associate Minister and Director of Prison Ministries. He, and his wife and partner-in-ministry Lynn Springer, then co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. (Greenwich, CT), the world’s first ministry serving the white collar justice/economy exiled community. A verified Psychology Today professional, he also serves on the ministry team at St. Joseph Mission Church (Cliffside Park, NJ) and as Chaplain to the Woodbury Fire Department (Woodbury, CT).

From 2016 – 2019, Jeff served as the Executive Director of Family ReEntry, Inc. (Bridgeport, CT), a 100+ person criminal justice organization with offices and programs in eight Connecticut cities. Jeff is the first person in the United States formerly incarcerated for a white-collar crime to be appointed as Executive Director of a major criminal justice nonprofit. A former practicing attorney and general counsel to major real estate organizations and closely held companies, he studied law at and earned a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School.

Jeff has served on a number of criminal justice related Boards including: the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Reentry Affairs, Co-chair, (Bridgeport, CT) ; Family ReEntry, (Bridgeport & New Haven, CT); Community Partners in Action (formerly the Connecticut Prison Association, Hartford, CT); , and Healing Communities Network, (New York, NY). Jeff has also served on the Editorial Board of the book, The Justice Imperative: How Hyper-Incarceration has Hijacked the American Dream, (Southport, CT), and on the Advisory Boards of Creative Projects Group, (Los Angeles, CA) and Reentry Survivors, (Bridgeport, CT).

Among other recognitions, Jeff was twice selected as a Nantucket Project Scholar (2012, 2014). JustLeadershipUSA recognized Jeff as one of fifteen Inaugural National Leaders in Criminal Justice (2015). He was selected as a Keepers of the Commons Fellow (2017) and as a Keepers of the Commons Senior Fellow (2018). He has been the recipient of the Elizabeth Bush Award for Volunteerism (2011), received the Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative Advocate of the Year Award (2013, 2014, 2015) and received the Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative Professional of the Year (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). Jeff has also been recognized by the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2017) and by the Connecticut NAACP (2017). He was selected as a 2019 Collegeville Institute Writing Fellow.

Jeff is a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association, and is an in-demand keynote, speaker, panelist, moderator and guest preacher. Highlighted speaking venues include Main Stage Presenter at The Nantucket Project (Nantucket, MA), the Greenwich Leadership Forum (Greenwich, CT), the Corrections Ministries and Chaplains Association (CMCA) Correctional Ministry Summit (Wheaton College, IL & Philadelphia, PA), Salons at Stowe – Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (Hartford, CT), Community Health Network of Connecticut Social Determinants of Health Summit (Wallingford, CT), The Neighborhood Project (Greenwich, CT), U.S. Small Business Administration Conference (Fairfield, CT), Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (NY, NY), Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT) and many universities, colleges and religious institutions throughout the Northeast. Jeff will be speaking at the Michigan State University White Collar Conference in May 2020. For information or to book Jeff to speak, guest preach, for a panel or other presentation, please click here.

Jeff and Lynn were the subjects of a twelve-page article in Greenwich Magazine (March 2018 issue). Jeff has also been the subject of or prominently mentioned in national and regional media including Vanity Fair (August 2019 issue), Entrepreneur.com (May 2020), Forbes.com (July 2020), Inc.com, , Medium, The Huffington Post, Absolute Return/HedgeFund Intelligence, Business Insider, Institutional Investor, New York Magazine, Real Men Real Faith Magazine (cover story), Greenwich Magazine, Fairfield County Business Journal, Nonprofit Quarterly, Reentry Central, The Vision (the newspaper of the United Methodist Church NY Conference), Weston Magazine Group, Weston Forum, Hartford Courant, New Haven Register, New Haven Independent, Inner City News, Connecticut Post, Greenwich Sentinel, Greenwich Time, Greenwich Free Press, The Hour and many radio shows, televisions segments and podcasts including the Rich Roll Podcast (#440, May 2019).

Jeff is also the editor of the important and widely-read blog, prisonist.org, at which he authors, edits and curates content around national and international criminal justice advocacy/ministry themes, Co-hosts with Babz Rawls Ivy the Criminal Justice Insider podcast and hosts the White Collar Week podcast. He also leads a weekly online confidential White Collar Support Group (the first in the country); with over 200 participants, it held its 200th weekly online meeting on April 13, 2020.

Rev. Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div. (he, him, his) 
Co-founder, Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., Greenwich CT & Nationwide

Mailing: P.O. Box 1, Woodbury, CT 06798
Website: prisonist.org
Email: jgrant@prisonist.org
Office: 203-405-6249
Donations (501c3): http://bit.ly/donate35T9kMZ

Link to Contact Info & Appointments.

Link to Testimonials page here.

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Selected Articles

  • Westchester Country Capitalist, Hamptons Country Capitalist, Long Island Country Capitalist, Greenwich Country Capitalist, New Canaan Country Capitalist, Westport Country Capitalist, Litchfield Country Capitalist, Weston, Rye, Alpine NJ, Soho NYC, TriBeCa, Central Park West & The Upper East Side Magazines [14 titles], “Last Stop Babylon: The Art of Surviving Prison,” Author of Article, 2014, https://prisonist.org/last-stop-babylon-in-weston-magazine-group-by-jeff-grant/

Selected Videos

Recent Radio Appearances & Podcasts