Christian Prison Ministries Board of Directors

Lori Brown - President

30 Years of Service

Lori Costantino Brown was appointed President and CEO of Bridges of America (BOA) in 2006, succeeding Frank Costantino, the organization’s founder. Over the past 30 years Lori has played a key role in the transformation of BOA from a single contract with the Department of Corrections to becoming the leading provider of Substance Abuse Treatment and Work Release programs in the State of Florida.

Ms. Brown has earned her qualifications as a Certified Addition Specialist, and Certified Associate Addictions Professional. She has personally reengineered the organization as Director of Quality Management, Chief Operations Officer, and Senior Vice President. The result is a new Bridges of America– a company where offenders receive supervision, but also are expected to become better people as they prepare to reenter society.

Ms. Brown has a passion for addiction treatment and recovery. Her insightful experience with substance abuse treatment gives her a unique perspective on the criminal mind and addictive behaviors of offenders at every stage of recovery. As a long time resident of Orlando Florida, Ms. Brown has had a major impact on family unification and public safety in Central Florida.

Samuel R. Pennington - Treasurer

Samuel R. Pennington became a board member in 2010. He is an ordained minister and his role in bring Christ to prisoners cannot be measured and goes back to our founder Frank Costantino and Christian Prison Ministries in 1985. That work continues to this day as he has plays a significant role in expanding the church’s mission in Nigeria, Nicaragua, Belize, and Mexico.

Mr. Pennington is also a practicing attorney licensed in the State of Florida and the federal courts of the Middle District of Florida. The most important principal in his legal practice and church ministry is guided by the admonition of Christ that "as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren you have done it unto me" become a very real and constant part of his life.

Mr. Pennington is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and received his Juris Doctorate from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He is the Staff Attorney for the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee in Orlando, and is active in several legal organizations.

Dr. Grady S. McMurtry - Secretary

35 Years of Service

Dr. Grady S. McMurtry of Creation Worldview Ministries is a full-time International Creation Emissary. He received his BS at University of Tennessee before going on to the State University of New York for his Masters. Dr. Grady then attended the School of Theology in Columbus, GA for his Doctorate. He is further associated with the School of Theology as a past regent and adjunct professor.

Previous experience for Dr. Grady includes 20 years as an Evolutionist, 1 1/2 years a Theistic Evolutionist and 35 years a Biblical Scientific Creationist. He is also a guest lecturer at Florida Christian College, an ordained minister, church elder, and an Expert School Board Witness.

Dr. Grady is a proud member of many organizations including Creation Research Society, Mensa, Intertel, Phi Kappa Phi, Creation Studies Institute, Access Research Network, Citizens for Science Integrity, Liberty Counsel and Creation Science Association for Mid-America.

Father Charles Brown

26 Years of Service

Father Charles Brown brings vast experience in prison reentry, faith based programming, and treatment curriculum development for offenders, prisoners and substance abusers. He currently serves in two capacities as Senior Vice President for Bridges of America and Christian Prison Ministry, the original Bridges of America was founded by Bishop Frank Costantino in 1976. Bishop Costantino played a central role in Father Brown’s life. The bishop was Charles Brown’s mentor for many years which later led to his ordination in1999. Soon after, Father Brown became a Priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church.

Father Brown pioneered reentry and aftercare programs that focused on spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social growth to combat the high rate at which ex-offenders commit crimes and return to prison. When he speaks to inmates about their poor decision making, drug abuse and lack of life skills, he does so from both his heart and real life experience. As a young man, he was incarcerated and sentenced to The Florida Department of Corrections. He also had the misfortune of losing several family members to substance abuse. These experiences gave him the vision that he uses to this day to mentor offenders who are trying to find their way back to society. Father Brown is uniquely qualified to provide the road map and spiritual guidance for these men placed in The Bridge program’s care and supervision...

Father Brown attended the International Seminary in Plymouth, FL and is a Certified Addiction Professional with the Florida Certification Board. He is also certified as an International Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC) with the International Certification of Reciprocity Consortium. In 2003, Father Brown was recognized as FADAA’s “Man of the Year” for his ground-breaking efforts in creating the Bridges of America substance abuse treatment programs.

John Harris

4 Years of Service

John Harris of First Baptist Orlando is the Pastor of First Hope Ministry where he is involved in coordinating and mobilizing the whole church in prayer, fasting, healing, and health. He got started in the ministry in his twenties when, through a chance encounter, Mr. Harris met a person addicted to drugs and was able to help that person to Christ. From the age of 26 onward John Harris and his wife have been in Christian service fulltime.

While in Christian service working with drug addicts, Mr. Harris received formal training and was ordained as a minister. He then became a director of a large therapeutic drug rehabilitation center in the United Kingdom and started several charitable trusts in the field of addiction. In the UK Mr. Harris would work the streets of the West End of London counseling people on their addictions, particularly the young involved in the drug scene. In addition to being involved with a day center, halfway house, and night shelter he was also an advisor to the UK government in the field of addictions and prison reform.

Other ministry work performed by John Harris included helping (former Watergate conspirator) Chuck Colson establish his prison ministry fellowship in the UK, serving on the board of that fellowship (named Prison Fellowship International), outreach to Kenya, and disaster relief in Florida and New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

Dr. Larry Kennedy

20 Years of Service

Dr. Kennedy has provided consulting services to both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors since 1985. He has lectured managers and leaders from over 50 nations and his clients have included leaders in the fields of business, criminal justice, education, health care, and government. Dr. Kennedy holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio and his published works include Quality Management in the Nonprofit World and Keeping the Promise: A Work Ethic for Doing Things Right.

As a human services developer, he has organized and directed the certification of residential and outpatient substance abuse services, mental health services, and inmate work release and aftercare programs using JCAHO and CARF criteria. He has trained non-profit staff and volunteers for projects with as many as 20,000 participants.

He was the lead consultant to the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) to coordinate and write the Management Reform Plan for the Washington, DC Department of Corrections, under mandate from the U.S. Congress. Dr. Kennedy has served as the Chair, Co-Chair, or lead facilitator of numerous national and international colloquiums including: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC; Council on Foundations, Washington, DC; National Cathedral, Washington, DC; St. Petersburg State University School of Medicine, St. Petersburg, Russia; and the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. He has also managed and given oversight to humanitarian projects on a local, national and international scale.

Edward (Ted) Poitras

36 Years of Service

Edward Poitras has had a 36 year history with Bridges of America that continues today as an active member of the board of directors. It was Ted who worked with our founder, Frank Costantino, for the initial "Early Release Program". That successful experience demonstrated the value of prison ministries to the Department of Corrections and lead to our current mission of giving a man a chance to succeed.

These early activities also branched into successful entrepreneur and volunteer opportunities including a network radio program "Behind Prison Walls" which served as a encouraging public forum to deliberate prison life and rehabilitation.

These early efforts also formed the bases of a enduring partnership with the founder for the design, building and marketing of "The Village Grove" a 150 unit townhome project in Winter Garden, Florida.

A Brown graduate in 1958, Mr. Poitras assisted the organization with publications, manuscripts and the final edits on "Holes in Time" which was a definitive look at the criminal intent and behavior.

James R. Spence

30 Years of Service

Father Jim Spence is semi-retired and serves as Pastor of Church of the Prodigal Son in Auburndale, FL. He serves on the Boards of Christian Prison Ministries, Inc. in Orlando, FL and New England Aftercare Ministries, Inc. in Framingham, MA.

In 2004, Rev. Jim Spence retired as Executive Director of New England Aftercare Ministries, Inc. after 20 years in that position. As such, he is the founder of The Bridge House Residential Substance Abuse Recovery Program in Framingham, MA, a Christian ministry to men leaving prison and those having addiction issues.

He was formerly the chaplain at MCI-Walpole and served as Prison Ministries Coordinator with what is now Vision New England.

He is ordained in the Charismatic Episcopal Church, with a Master of Arts Degree in Pastoral Counseling. He has spent many years as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, and Substance Abuse Counselor.

Rev. Spence is married with 4 adult children and 3 grandchildren. He and his wife, Beverly, live in Kissimmee, FL.