Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ernst Fenelon Jr. learned early in life to have deep empathy and compassion for people, especially those less fortunate in society. He learned these and other principles at the knees of his Haitian parents, who immigrated to the United States after receiving political asylum. Those learned principles continue to be his guiding force today. Ernst has spoken on local, national and international platforms about rehabilitation and prison reform efforts. He provides a unique perspective on the United States prison education, reintegration and rehabilitation discussions with 27 years of experience with the California prison system, including formerly being incarcerated himself. He has interviewed on Radio (NPR), TV (Al-Jazeera America), Several podcasts (Youth Matters, Middle Ground and Show Talk with Angela Butler), and in Newspapers (including Pasadena Now). Ernst is the Senior Program Coordinator for The Prison Education Project (PEP) (www.prisoneducationproject.org), Program Coordinator for the PEP-Uganda program (www.pepuganda.org), a facilitator for the "Trust Talks" (www.trusttalks.org) and the current Moderator for the YWCA Pasadena "Talking the Talk" series (www.ywca.org). His current work with these and other organizations is designed to bring hope to individuals and create environments for opposing parties willing to be open to seeking solutions to their pressing issues. Ernst is an inspirational public speaker and transformational coach who has encouraged people around the world to lead a more positive and productive life by sharing his paradoxical life experiences and presenting his solution-based perspective. Ernst's philosophy is "Every Problem has a solution, and every solution begins with having a conversation. I believe life has positioned me to have a unique perspective to start the conversation. So let's start the conversation." For more information, booking for speaking engagements or personal/organizational coaching sessions, go to: www.ernstfenelonjr.com.