Fellow – Justice-Impacted Student Coordinator, Workforce & Economic Development

Commonwealth of Kentucky; Frankfort (KY); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Commonwealth of Kentucky is seeking a Fellow – Justice-Impacted Student Coordinator in Frankfort to advance prison education initiatives and inform policy through research, events, and stakeholder engagement.

The role emphasizes coordinating efforts with the Workforce & Economic Development Unit to develop sustainable prison education ecosystems and to engage incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students in Kentucky. Part-time, interim, up to 20 hours weekly.

Qualifications

• Candidates with justice-impacted backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
• Knowledge of state postsecondary and policy development processes is required.
• Minimum three years of relevant experience at a postsecondary institution or related organization.
• Associate degree in arts, sciences, or related field.
• Ability to design, execute, and evaluate projects related to postsecondary education, workforce and prison ecosystems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to obtain clearance to enter KY DOC facilities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a liaison among incarcerated populations and the Kentucky Department of Corrections.
• Engage and maintain partnerships with state agencies and postsecondary institutions to build a sustainable prison education ecosystem.
• Create a Justice Impacted Task Force guiding postsecondary education in jails and prisons.
• Develop and maintain workforce and postsecondary data related to prison education.
• Develop and implement a prison education awareness campaign.
• Collaborate with the Postsecondary Education Coordinator and other CPE units.
• Prepare reports and policy recommendations and share work on a national stage.

Skills

Policy development

Incarceration issues

Postsecondary experience

Associate degree

Project design

Attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

MS Office

Clearance eligibility

Education

Associate degree

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Fellow – Justice-Impacted Student Coordinator, Workforce & Economic Development

Position: Part-time, Interim

Location: Frankfort, Kentucky; limited telecommuting

Term: November 1, 2026 – July 30, 2027

Time Commitment: Up to 20 hours per week

Travel: Occasional in-state travel

Compensation: $25 - $28 per hour depending on qualifications and experience

Priority Deadline: October 19, 2026

Overview

The Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) is Kentucky’s coordinating body for postsecondaryeducation and is committed to strengthening the commonwealth’s workforce, economy,and quality of life through ongoing improvement and efficient operation of a high-qualitysystem of higher education. The Workforce and Economic Development Unit aligns highereducation goals with economic development and workforce talent needs to support thegrowth of Kentucky’s students, communities, employers, and economy.

Function of the Position

This position will play a critical role in executing the mission and vision of theinitiatives housed within the Workforce and Economic Development Unit with particularfocus on engaging currently and formerly incarcerated students to ensure their perspectivesinform the development of a sustainable prison education system in Kentucky. The Fellowwill also be responsible for creating and hosting events related to Prison Educationin Kentucky, researching and presenting on higher education policy, practice, workforceand economic development, and prison education trends regionally and nationally.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as a liaison among currently and formerly incarcerated populations and the KentuckyDepartment of Corrections
• Engage and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders, other state agencies, andpostsecondary institutions to increase a sustainable prison education ecosystem inKentucky informed by a justice impacted perspective
• Create a Justice Impacted Task Force that will guide the development of Kentucky’spostsecondary education in jails and prison
• Develop and maintain workforce and postsecondary data related to prison education
• Develop and implement a prison education awareness campaign
• Collaborate with the Postsecondary Education Coordinator and other CPE units
• Prepare reports and policy recommendations that guide future work in KY’s prison educationprograms (PEPs) and share out this work on a national stage

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Individuals with justice impacted backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

Required

• Knowledge of state postsecondary and policy development process
• Knowledge of issues related to incarceration and the barriers justice-impacted individualsencounter.
• Minimum of three years of relevant experience at a postsecondary institution or withan education or justice-impacted related organization
• Associate degree in arts, sciences, or a related field.
• Ability to design, execute, and evaluate short- and long-term projects related topostsecondary education, workforce and economic development, and prison ecosystems
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Must be able to obtain clearance to enter KY Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities(if you have concerns about this requirement, we encourage you to still submit anapplication or reach out to us so we can discuss it further)

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in education, criminal justice, social sciences,humanities, or related fields
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to build innovative and sustainable systems
• Demonstrated willingness to learn