A deacon in the United Methodist Church (UMC), Carrie Leader is appointed full-time by the UMC Texas Annual Conference to reVision as the Chief of Operations. Carrie has a BFA in studio art and a Master’s in education, both from UT Austin, and a Master’s in Church Ministry from SMU. She has previously worked as an elementary school teacher in Alief ISD and as a compliance officer and business manager with her husband Richard’s company, First Houston Capital.
Houston reVision’s mission is to break the cycle of juvenile justice involvement and homelessness among youth in Harris County by leveraging the power of community to connect them with mentors, positive peers, life-changing resources, and opportunities for artistic expression. Everyone is transformed in this work: youths, mentors, and communities. reVision seeks referrals for the disconnected youths in our communities and then, alongside them, build their social capital so that they may mature into successful adults, however they define what that looks like.
Q: What do you see as Houston reVision’s unique contribution to the space of juvenile justice advocacy?
For over a decade, Houston reVision has been a strong partner of Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. Rather than acting as an adversary, our approach has been to come alongside this institution with the hope that through our relationship, they might see a more favorable way of correcting what is often simply normal adolescent behavior. At the same time, we pursued many faith communities to participate in the work with us. A three-year study done by Baylor College of Medicine and funded with OJJDP monies demonstrated that the volunteer mentors from these communities were transformed in this work. These adults came to realize the worth of the juveniles through hearing their stories and building relationships with them. These volunteers then began telling a new narrative in their circles of influence. reVision strongly believes that this movement caused a radical shift in the 2018 election of juvenile judges. Houston and Harris County went from being one of the most punitive in the state of Texas to being a national model for juvenile justice.
See additional insights from Carrie in the External Pathways of Engagement and Approaching Funding Sources sections.