Emily NaPier Singletary

CO-FOUNDER AND CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Emily has worked to dismantle systems of punishment for over two decades as an organizer, advocate, researcher, and educator. She spent 12 years with the Center for Community Alternatives, first as a research associate and eventually as Director of Justice Strategies, the agency's research, training, public advocacy, and policy division. There she played a lead role multiple local and statewide campaigns, most recently to remove the criminal history question from the admissions application for the State University of New York (SUNY) and to stop automatically prosecuting 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in New York. Emily has taught at Syracuse University, Ithaca College, Onondaga Community College, and Cornell University's Prison Education Program. She holds an MA in Sociology from Syracuse University. Her personal experience as a family member of incarcerated loved ones drives and informs her work.

Derek Singletary

CO-FOUNDER AND CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Derek Singletary has been incarcerated in New York State prison since 2010. He brings to the work a lifetime of experience navigating the criminal legal system, having been pushed out of several schools and first going to jail at the age of 16 where he earned his GED. Since 2015 he has pursued college education behind the wall through the Cornell Prison Education Program and Adams State University. His work has been featured in outlets such as The Progressive magazine, the New York Daily News, the Albany Times Union, and the Syracuse Post Standard. He is also a sought-after speaker, having delivered lectures from prison to audiences at Harvard Law School, New York University Law School, Syracuse University, and many community-based venues. In addition to his advocacy, Derek is a writer and an artist. 

Alan Rosenthal, Esq.

COUNSEL AND ADVISER ON SPECIAL PROJECTS

Alan is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney with over 40 years of experience. A graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, he has litigated cases involving serious felonies, police misconduct, and violations of civil rights in both jails and prisons. For seven years he served as the Director of Justice Strategies, the research, training and policy initiative of the Center for Community Alternatives. As the Director of Justice Strategies he supervised and provided mitigation services in capital cases as well as all levels of sentencing advocacy. He is currently in private practice providing sentencing consulting services to defense attorneys throughout New York State. Alan has served on the New York State Bar Association Special Committee on Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions and the Special Committee on Reentry. He has also written many practice articles on sentencing in New York. In March 2006 he was honored with the Outstanding Service to the Criminal Bar Award by the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and in 2014 he was the recipient of the Wilfred R. O’Connor Award presented by the New York State Defenders Association.

Alyeska Dronsfield

COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Alyeska Dronsfield is a proud Syracuse transplant originally from Durham, North Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University in 2022 with a BA in Women’s & Gender Studies. Her passion for justice and liberation weaves into her artistry to create compelling media narratives and eye-catching graphics that amplify Unchained’s mission.

Winston Scott

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Winston J. Scott is from the Bronx, NY, and is a Doctoral student in Sociology at Syracuse University. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and African & African American Studies from the University of Rochester. He also has his Master of Arts in Sociology and a certificate in Women's and Gender Studies. His research interests are education inequality, race/ethnicity, and health disparities. Winston is the founder of @DearBlackGrads on Instagram, which is dedicated to the experiences of Black graduate students. Since his time in Syracuse, he has noticed a multitude of injustices and inequities in this city. As a transplant in Syracuse, I want to be able to support my Black and Brown community! Being in this role as a research associate, Winston wants to be able to assist unchained researchers in community-based research.

UNCHAINNY COORDINATOR

Shaneya Nyasia Simmelkjaer (also known as Nyah) was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. She holds a BA in Criminology, a BA in Political Science, and a BA in African American Studies from SUNY Cortland. She is currently a doctoral student in the Sociology Department at Syracuse University, and her research interests include the Sociology of race and ethnicity, collateral consequences of mass incarceration, the Sociology of punishment, Criminology, and Black Feminist theory. Shaneya’s intellectual curiosities stem from her experiences with growing up in a heavily justice-impacted neighborhood in the Bronx. She grew up in a low-income neighborhood in the North-East area of the Bronx with predominantly Black and Latino residents who were subjected to over-policing and harassment from law enforcement. The rampant culture of harassment fostered tensions between law enforcement and members of her community, as some of her neighbors often expressed fears of their loved ones being racially profiled and abused by law enforcement. Shaneya also witnessed the impact of the school-to-prison pipeline within the public school system in the Bronx. She attended public schools throughout her earlier education, and she witnessed many of her peers receive punitive discipline and suspensions for minor behavioral infractions. Although Shaneya was only a child while witnessing firsthand the effects of criminal-justice contact, she still broadly understood that the criminal legal system disproportionately criminalizes marginalized individuals and communities. Furthermore, Shaneya has several family members that have been incarcerated for extensive periods of time and have experienced the structural barriers that hinder successful reintegration into society after they were released from prison. This includes the inability to access gainful employment, adequate housing, and community support due to stigmatization.

J. L. Anderson

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING APPRENTICE

J. L. Anderson was born in Utica, New York. She is a loving mother to three children and grandmother to five grandchildren. J. L. is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist in Utica, and she assists individuals with treatment for substance abuse and mental health challenges. She is passionate about helping individuals learn harm reduction skills, gain access to aftercare, and transition to stable housing. J. L. is also a long-time community advocate and activist. She utilizes her experiences with incarceration to advocate for the rights of individuals, families, and communities impacted by the criminal legal system. In her spare time, J. L. loves to drive, shop, sing, and dance! She also loves to spend time with her family!

Robin Brownlee

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING APPRENTICE

Robin Brownlee was born in Queens, New York. She has diverse work experiences, including her role as a home health aide in New Jersey and New York. In this role, she assisted elderly residents with everyday tasks, necessities, and entertainment. Robin is passionate about singing, writing poetry, dancing, and using her creativity as an outlet to express herself. She is excited about being a part of UnchainNY to further her knowledge of advocacy and to get involved in the Syracuse community!

Theodore Robinson

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING APPRENTICE

Theodore Robinson, also known as “Teddy,” was born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, New York. He is a loving father to two children. He is passionate about fighting for justice and seeing that individuals impacted by the criminal legal system get a second chance. In his spare time, he enjoys playing pool, reading, watching documentaries, and exercising. Theodore is excited to be involved in UnchainNY to learn, grow, and develop his intellectual curiosities!

Jirah Johnson

CONSULTANT

Jirah Johnson is a dedicated resident of Syracuse and a member of Unchained, as well as a passionate advocate for justice and equity. With over a decade of experience in the human services field, she has provided vital case management, service coordination, and counseling to individuals and families impacted by the criminal legal system, child welfare system, mental health and substance use disorders, homelessness, and poverty. Jirah holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Social Work (MSW). In her role as Associate Director of Program Operations at the Center for Justice Innovation in Syracuse, Jirah actively contributes to the betterment of individuals touched by the criminal legal system.

Shanice Johns

INTERN

Shanice Johns was born and raised in Camden, New Jersey. She is currently a student at Syracuse University seeking a BA in Sociology, BA in Law, Society, and Policy, as well as studying Political Science. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood and witnessing the prison system all her life, she grew a passion for wanting to help fix the system. Her career goals are to be a criminal defense attorney who advocates for all her clients and helps the deconstruction of mass incarceration.

Nadia Lyngdoh-Sommer

INTERN

Nadia Lyngdoh-Sommer is a senior at Syracuse University pursuing a BA in Sociology and Law, Society and Policy, with a minor in Anthropology. She is also currently finishing her 3 year long research project about how the use of AI in policing contributes to the further marginalization of Black and Brown communities in Syracuse. Being raised in an immigrant household exposed her to the challenges in the legal system from an early age. Because of this background, she plans to attend law school next year and hopes to pursue a career in civil rights and criminal justice.

Montwella Bufford

COMMUNITY RESEARCHER

Montwella Bufford (aka Tootsie) was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. She is a long time member of Unchained and a dedicated social justice advocate in the city of Syracuse. She has been involved in several organizations that engage in prison reform work, and advocacy around homelessness and the ongoing war on drugs. Montwella is also a proud mother of 3 children and 6 grandchildren!

Tashia Thomas Neal, Esq.

BOARD CHAIR

Director of Equity and Inclusion, Onondaga County Department of Children and Family Services

Syracuse, NY

Magen Solano

BOARD VICE CHAIR

Graduate Student, Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Susan Horn, Esq.

BOARD SECRETARY

Executive Director, Hiscock Legal Aid Society (retired)

Syracuse, NY

Dr. Hans Menos

BOARD TREASURER

Vice President, Center for Policing Equity

Philadelphia, PA