Tarrant County College Adjunct Professor Vanessa Steinkamp is leveraging her scholarly experience and commitment to service as a member of the Task Force on Academic Credit and Industry Recognition by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Steinkamp, a respected government instructor at TCC Northeast in Hurst, will serve along with Mike Bell of Henderson, Tac Buchanan of Amarillo, Sam Hurley of Athens and Jim Yeonopolus of Harker Heights. Terms are set to expire on Dec. 1, 2021.
The five-member task force was created by Texas HB 553 during the 85th legislative session to identify academic credit and industrial recognition for offenders within the Windham School at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
“I am honored to be a member of the Task Force on Academic Credit and Industry Recognition, another example of TCC’s long history of advisory service to the State of Texas,” Steinkamp said. “This is a visionary step toward enhancing educational and employment opportunities for incarcerated inmates, a cost-effective measure to reduce recidivism.”
As a member of this task force, Steinkamp is responsible for strengthening existing programs and creating new opportunities to provide education and technical skills training to people confined in Texas prisons.
Steinkamp, a member of Rotary International, received a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University, a Master of Science in education from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in government and politics from the University of Virginia.