Heather Erwin

Heather J. Erwin, JD, EdD, currently serves as a TA Consultant with American Institutes for Research (AIR), a Senior Fellow, Justice Involved Learners, at Arizona State University, and an adjunct professor in the College of Social Work, Department of Sociology & Criminology, and the College of Education for the University of Iowa.  Dr. Erwin champions access to high quality education resources for students who are incarcerated and conducts research pertaining to such access. She previously directed the University of Iowa’s Liberal Arts Beyond Bars (UI LABB) college in prison program and initiated establishment of the Big Ten Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (Big Ten CHEP), which serves as a supportive network for faculty and staff at Big Ten Institutions as well as a repository for collaborative ideas in support of success for students returning to college campuses. Dr. Erwin serves on advisory boards for Inside Out Reentry Community, the Iowa Justice Action Network, Hope Street Scholars, Iowa CURE, and Ithaka S+R.

As a Senior Program Associate for the Vera Institute of Justice Dr. Erwin provided training and technical assistance to colleges and universities participating in the Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative.  She also served as a Senior Advisor to the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) where she worked on research examining issues of equity and access to education for marginalized populations, especially for those students impacted by the criminal legal system.  Dr. Erwin received her BA and JD from the University of Iowa, and her EdD from Northcentral University.