CEP Team

Jelena Petrovic - Program Director and Co-Founder

Jelena Petrovic, who earned her PhD from the University of New Mexico, is an Associate Professor in communication and media studies at Stetson University. In 2015, she co-founded the Community Education Project with other Stetson professors. In her work with CEP, she focuses on strategic planning and partnerships, organizational culture, the development of new educational programming for CEP, and connecting current and former CEP students with needed academic and professional resources. In addition to this work, Petrovic also has been offering courses and workshops in media studies, migration and identity, cultural studies, interpersonal communication and public speaking to CEP students. Her research focuses on media representations of national identity and immigration in Europe as well as critical pedagogy in carceral spaces.

Denise Yezbick

Denise Yezbick earned her PhD in English from Wayne State University. She has taught as an adjunct professor at Eastern Michigan University and Lawrence Technological University. She has taught courses in Tomoka Correctional Institution both before and after CEP’s program became accredited. She currently works as an editor on projects which have included a French to English translation of Roger Caillois’ Pierres (Stones)(2018) and Community Education Project’s publications More Than Our Blues (2020) and What Grows There (2023).

Rick Wheatley - On-Site Program Coordinator

Rick Wheatley, who earned his BS from the University of Wisconsin, is the on-site program coordinator at Tomoka CI. In 2021, he was hired as the garden manager for the Community Education Project. In his work with CEP, he focuses on the development of a space within the prison to build and maintain a garden, provide education and resources about community gardening, bio-dynamic organic gardening, and developing partnerships with the community. In 2023, he became the on-site program coordinator, focusing on coordinating with the Tomoka Administration and CEP, providing support and logistics for students, volunteers, and CEP staff relating to work within Tomoka CI.

Sarah Cramer - Assistant Director for Curriculum and Faculty Relations

Sarah Cramer earned both a master of public health degree and a PhD in agricultural education from the University of Missouri. She is an assistant professor of sustainable food systems in the Department of Environmental Science and Studies at Stetson, and the CEP Assistant Director for Curriculum and Faculty Relations. She teaches a variety of sustainable food systems courses at Tomoka CI and supervises independent student research on relevant food systems/food studies topics. In 2021 she earned the pedagogy award from the Association for the Study of Food and Society for her teaching at Tomoka. Her research interests include garden-based learning, alternative food networks, gender and agriculture, and institutional food system change.

Sam Houston - Coordinator for Community Relations and Outreach

Sam Houston, who earned his PhD from Florida State University, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Stetson University. He serves as CEP's Coordinator for Community Relations and Outreach. He has given talks on American Islam and storytelling as ethics in Islam at Tomoka Correctional Institution. His research focuses on moral formation in Muslim and other faith-based forms of activism and community organizing, and has appeared in the Journal of Religious Ethics, the American Journal of Islam and Society, the Journal of Africana Religions, and Religion Compass.

Kedrick Redding - Academic Support Coordinator

Kedrick Redding, PhD, a native of Orlando, Florida, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman University, a Master of Music degree with a concentration in conducting from the University of Central Florida, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education with a minor in conducting from the University of Houston. Redding currently serves as the CEP. Academic Success Coordinator, where he is dedicated to supporting student achievement through intentional academic guidance, mentorship, and resource development. In this role, he focuses on helping students navigate their academic pathways by providing individualized advising, connecting them with institutional resources, and implementing strategies that promote academic persistence and success. His work emphasizes holistic student support, empowering learners to develop strong study habits, critical thinking skills, and a clear sense of academic goals.

Khushbu Mishra - Assistant Director of Grants

Khushbu Mishra earned her PhD in applied economics from The Ohio State University in 2017. Her work broadly focuses on gender and development economics, applied economics, and impact evaluation. She has managed field research projects funded through the USAID, USDA, and Feed the Future Initiatives. She has consulted for the World Bank Group, UNICEF, and UNDP. Born in a rural society in Nepal, where many families depend on agriculture for their livelihood, Dr. Mishra is passionate about formulating innovative solutions to reduce social inequalities in developing, agrarian economies. Dr. Mishra serves as the Assistant Director of Grants and Research for CEP and chair of the Department of Economics at Stetson.