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

Jeff is an ordained minister with over three decades of experience in crisis management, business, law, reentry, recovery (clean & sober 16+ years), and executive & religious leadership. He provides confidential pastoral and spiritual care and support to individuals, families and organizations in the areas of personal crisis management, criminal justice/prisoner reentry, opioid and substance abuse, bipolar disorder/mental illness, and interfaith religion. 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 first ministry in the United States created to provide confidential support and pastoral care to individuals, families and organizations with white-collar and other nonviolent incarceration issues. Jeff also serves on the ministry team at St. Joseph Mission Church (Cliffside Park, NJ) and as Chaplain to the Woodbury Fire Department (Woodbury, CT).

Jeff is also 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 has been the recipient of the Elizabeth Bush Award for Volunteerism, the Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative Advocate of the Year Award ’13, ’14, ’15 & the Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative Professional of the Year ’16, ’17 & ’18. JustLeadershipUSA recognized Jeff as one of fifteen National Leaders in Criminal Justice. He has also been recognized by the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence as a First 100 Plus Leader. Jeff has twice been selected as a Nantucket Project Scholar and has been selected as a Nantucket Project Keeper of the Commons.

Highlighted speaking venues include 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 Mason Street Project (Greenwich, CT), Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (NY, NY), Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT) and many houses of worship throughout the Northeast.

Jeff and Lynn have recently been the subject of a twelve-page article in Greenwich Magazine, March 2018 issue. Jeff has also been the subject of articles in national and regional media including Forbes.com, Inc.com, The Huffington Post, Absolute Return/HedgeFund Intelligence, Business Insider, 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.

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, and is Co-host of Criminal Justice Insider radio airing first and third Fridays from New Haven, CT. He also leads a weekly online confidential support group (the first in the country) for persons who have been prosecuted for white-collar and nonviolent crimes (link).

Link to Contact Info & Appointments.

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Selected Articles

  • The Hour, “Ministry Counsels People who Committed White Collar Crimes,” Subject of Article, 2016, https://prisonist.org/the-hour-ministry-counsels-people-who-committed-white-collar-crimes-by-jeff-eydt-hour-staff-writer/

  • 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, http://issuu.com/westonmagazinegroup/docs/greenwich_country_capitalist-52,

Selected Videos

Recent Radio Appearances & Podcasts

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