About Women In Transition

At some point, we’ve all been through a period of transition or change. During these journeys, what we need most is someone to walk with us. Women In Transition helps women successfully transition to post-prison life though meaningful relationships. Whether we’re connecting these women with mentors or helping build practical skills through workshops, we help them move forward toward healing and wholeness.

Women in Transition

Women in Transition (WIT) supports women transitioning from the criminal justice system back into the community through engaging people of faith.

Our Impact

Women In Transition helps women adjust to post-prison life in three ways.

Mentoring: women transitioning from incarceration work with a team of mentors to build relationships and support mutual self-actualization.

Partnerships: We partner with organizations and agencies in the community to provide essential resources for participants.

Advocacy and Restorative Justice: We strive to address the legal impediments that women face as a result of incarceration and promote a right relationship with God, self and community for all.

Helped prepare

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women to be released

Directly supported

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after their release

Engaged

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Volunteers

Our Team

Rev. Dr. Anika A. Jones, Executive Director

Rev. Dr. Anika A. Jones is called by God to help bring about spiritual, physical, and mental healing to marginalized people and communities, particularly those impacted by the criminal legal system. She has served for more than 20 years to raise awareness and provide support for persons and families impacted by incarceration. An advocate of lifelong learning, Anika has also spent the last 40+ years working with “non-traditional students” from preschool through adult.

She served as the original Connections Pastor at Atlanta’s Impact Church to promote the
connection of the congregation with God and the community.

Anika is an ordained Deacon in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church, and holds M.Div. and Th.M. degrees from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, an Ed.D. in Mental Health Administration from the University of Massachusetts, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rev. Lisa Gwock, Director of Operations

Rev. Lisa Gwock first felt called to serve incarcerated women in 2011, while serving as a mentor at the Tennessee Prison for Women. There, she helped establish a United Methodist presence by starting a Bible study and a worship service called Circle of Grace.

After relocating to Atlanta, Lisa continued her ministry by connecting with Women in Transition, where she has been able to fulfill her call to serve the marginalized, especially incarcerated women transitioning back to the community.

Lisa is an ordained Deacon in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church, and holds a MTS from Vanderbilt Divinity School, an MBA from the University of South Carolina and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University. Before relocating to Atlanta, she served as the Pastor of Missions & Outreach at West End UMC in Nashville, TN.

Ruby Broughton, Program Coordinator

Ruby Broughton serves as the Program Coordinator for Women in Transition, coordinating special projects and events. She has been a volunteer with Women in Transition since 2016. Ruby believes that advocating for women transitioning from incarceration can help make a positive difference in their lives.

Ruby is an Elder of Community Fellowship International located in Fayetteville, GA, and enjoys leading worship services and serving in ministry. She received a BA in Theology and a Masters degree in Ministry from Jacksonville Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, Florida. She retired in 2017 from several retail managerial positions at Sears and Walmart.

In her spare time, Ruby enjoys volunteering, line dancing and walking.

Cheryl Williams, Mentor Coordinator

Bio coming soon

Eloise Edmonds, Peer Support Specialist

Eloise Edmonds was one of the original organizers of Women in Transition. As a certified Peer Support Specialist, she supports women and youth who are impacted by the criminal legal system, based on her personal experiences in the system and the tools she used to succeed. In her book, Amongst the Ruins, Eloise shares the story of how she reinvented herself against the odds and fashioned a life of productivity and service to others facing the very obstacles she had to overcome.

Eloise has an AA degree from Georgia Military College, a BA from Mercer University, and training in computer support. Her passion is to be authentic and share the priceless gift the Creator has bestowed upon her, helping others to learn who they really are.