A Volunteer Visitation Program to Federal and Military Prisoners Throughout the United States
Our Board
Tom Slick
Board Chair; PVS Visitor - FCI Sheridan
Tom has been a PVS visitor at FCI Sheridan in Oregon since 2009 and joined the board in 2020. Tom says “PVS visitors, staff and board members make up a wealth of talent so it is my hope in serving on the board that we can garner sustainable financial resources to support these individuals as they work to achieve our mission which is to provide prisoners with regular, face-to-face, contact from the world outside of prison to help them cope with prison life and prepare for a successful re-entry into society.”
Shazad Carbaidwala
PVS Visitor - MCC Chicago
Shazad has been a visitor with PVS for over 7 years supporting FMC Devens in Massachusetts and MCC Chicago in Illinois. Shazad leads a Philanthropy organization, Project Rise, through his Masjid. They focus on community upliftment initiatives in the Chicago land area. He also serves the Village as an Emergency Management Association official. Shazad currently resides in Westmont, Illinois with his wife and beautiful daughter.
Ken Cottrell
PVS Visitor – FMC Lexington
Ken is a volunteer optometrist at Mission Health Lexington and Nathaniel Mission Vision Clinics and Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity in Central and South America and Mexico. He is a team member with Kentucky Refugee Ministries and a member of Board of Trustees at Lexington Theological Seminary. Ken is married to the Rev. Dr. Jan Cottrell.
Eileen Gilkenson
Board Vice Chair; PVS Visitor - FDC Philadelphia
Eileen first became involved with PVS in 1980, when she encountered PVS Visitors while incarcerated for 10 days at FPC Alderson. She was employed with PVS, first as the National Recruiter for 7 years and then as the interim Executive Director. She currently visits and is the Local Coordinator for FDC Philadelphia. Before joining PVS, Eileen worked as a licensed social worker and nonprofit administrator for over 30 years. She worked for 16 years as a clinical social worker in residential programs for those living with severe mental illnesses. Eileen most enjoys spending time with her husband Ray (who is also a PVS Visitor) and her extended family which includes three active grandchildren.
Luis "Suave" Gonzalez
Artist, Activist, Podcaster
Suave graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Education and Marketing. He is the subject of the national, IDA and Pulitzer Prize award winning podcast “Suave.” He is also the creator of the “Death by Incarceration” podcast, a podcast that addresses the criminal justice system from the inside out. Suave is currently an Administrative Reentry Coach at Community College of Philadelphia, where he assists returning citizens getting into college.
Michael Guerra
Attorney
Mike has been a PVS board member since 2020 and serves on the Board’s Personnel Committee. Mike is an attorney and lives with his wife and two children in Connecticut.
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Leila Richards
PVS Visitor – FCI Elkton
Leila is a retired physician with a writing background. She worked overseas for many years in humanitarian and public health programs. She lives in Pittsburgh. She has volunteered with PVS since 2019, visiting prisoners at FCI Elkton in Ohio.
Linda Roberts
Board Treasurer; PVS Visitor - FCC Coleman
A PVS Visitor at FCC Coleman in Florida, Linda is a prominent activist and advocate for the LGBTQI community, especially transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Her activism took her to the Florida legislature in Tallahassee, where she met with lawmakers and testified before several committees considering anti-transgender legislation. In 2018, Linda received the Engendered Spirit Award as a Capital Pride Hero from Capital Trans Pride and the Capital Pride Alliance of Washington, DC, an honor bestowed annually upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the transgender community and positively impacted the lives of transgender people and their community.
Linda has served as a Board Member for over five years and as Treasurer for over four years at DignityUSA. She has been on eleven volunteer trips with Global Volunteers, where she has given lectures on Transgender 101 and shared her personal journey in Costa Rica and Appalachia, West Virginia.
Retired from a 40-year career in finance and accounting, including nearly 29 years as a senior executive with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Linda has three adult children and six grandchildren. Additionally, she sponsors two young girls in India and the Philippines through Unbound.
Steve Schwab
CEO - Elizabeth Dole Foundation
As the CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Steve leads the nation's foremost organization dedicated to empowering, supporting, and honoring military and veteran caregivers. Over the past eight years, he has expanded the Foundation's staff, programs, development, and partnerships, overseen the launch of the Hidden Heroes campaign, initiated the Hidden Heroes Cities program, introduced a nationwide, cost-free respite program for military caregivers, and advocated for the broadening of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers to include caregivers from all war eras. In 2021, Steve directed the inception of the Hidden Helpers Coalition, uniting the White House and more than 60 public and private entities to aid children in military and veteran caregiving families. He has provided guidance to senior leaders across various sectors, engaged with audiences nationwide, testified before Congress on the challenges confronting America's military families, and pushed for legislative and regulatory measures in their support.
Dan Struble
Board Secretary; PVS Visitor – FCI Otisville
Dan discovered PVS after a long and rewarding career in state government and has been a PVS visitor at FCI Otisville in New York since his retirement in 2012. He finds being a PVS visitor can be a life-enriching experience for both the prisoners he sees and himself alike
Scott Sussman
District of Columbia Board of Elections; Former BOP Deputy Administrator, Community Reentry Affairs Branch
Scott retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2021, where for the last 10 years he served as the Deputy Administrator of the Community Reentry Affairs Branch, but more importantly to us, was PVS’s primary point of contact for the Bureau. Scott assisted PVS throughout its many iterations and wishes to be a part of its current evolution as he believes it’s more important than ever to link our incarcerated citizens with those outside the prison gates. Scott is currently working for the District of Columbia’s Board of Elections heading up a program that encourages incarcerated DC residents to register and vote in DC’s local and national elections.
Dr. Esther Zeledon
Independent Contractor - International Development/Coaching
Dr. Zeledon is a senior development advisor and strategist, localization expert and transformational coach. Esther works with governments, donors, NGOs, communities, businesses and individuals to define and integrate their shared vision into plans spanning business development, sustainability plans, communication strategies, project management, and more. Dr. Zeledón holds PhD and MS degrees in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from UC Berkeley, and a BA in Earth and Environmental Science from Swarthmore College and holds a certificate in change management and systems management.
