Meet Brandon Warren | Dr. Brandon L. Warren, Director of Reentry Services and Adjunct Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Warren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, how does your business help the community?
I spent time in prison as a young adult. Upon release I pursued academics and earned a master’s degree in theology, another in philosophy, and in the spring of 2021 finished a Doctor of Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tx. On my graduation day I posted a picture of my prison ID, when I was still a teenager, next to a picture of me in my doctoral robes. It went viral. That weekend I decided to begin making YouTube videos to tell the stories of other formerly incarcerated people who have becomes successful in academics. I talked to colleagues of mine who are now professors at universities, graduate students and successful business owners. However, my real passion is teaching. I have been teaching college courses inside the Texas prisons since 2011 for two different prison education programs. In the spring of 2023 one of the major companies that provides tablets inside the prison system allowed me to put my videos on their platform to be seen by men and women in prison all over the country. Rather than continue with the interviews, of which I have about 50, I began a series of lectures on Critical Thinking that have become popular. I get mail now from all over the country. I plan to create courses on philosophy, ethics, and practical topics like reentry (the process of returning to society upon release from prison). So, how does my business help the community or the world? I’d like to think it plays a role in helping transform the lives of men and women in prison.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I mentioned most of the instrumental people who led me to my current career, but it was a long and arduous journey. While serving time in prison as a young adult I knew I wanted to come back to the prison as a college professor and help provide quality educational resources to men and women in prison. Beginning in 2001 I earned 128 hrs. of college while in prison, and upon release from prison finished a Bachelor of Counseling, a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in philosophy, and a Doctor of Education over the course of the next 20 years. After release from prison is when things were the most difficult: being on parole, working fulltime, and within a few years I had a daughter and was married, and then divorced, all while remaining in school. In 2011 I was brought in to help start the first a bachelor’s degree program in Texas prisons for men serving long sentences (30 years or more) with the goal of changing the culture of the Texas prison system from the inside, rather than focusing on preparing them for jobs upon release (which is where most programs are focused). This was a big deal for me because I was incarcerated in Texas prisons and I was not sure if the prison system would even allow me back in, much less allow me to be an employee. But they did, and it was an amazing job. I was an administrator and also began my teaching career there when they allowed me to become an adjunct instructor. The idea was to train the men for four years and, upon graduation, send the graduates out in teams to other maximum-security prisons to serve the prison community. In 2015, I chose to walk for my own graduation with the first group of graduates inside the prison: they received their bachelor’s degrees, and I received my Master of Divinity degree from not only the President of the Seminary, but from the hands of the Lt. Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick (R), and the longest running Senator in Texas, John Whitmire (D). There are more than 200 of these graduates serving as mentors and teachers across over 40 prisons in Texas as of 2023.
In 2017 I started another first-of-its-kind program in Texas prisons. I came full circle by coming to work for the Lee College Huntsville Center, the college I attended while incarcerated, to start the first Reentry program for a college-in-prison in Texas. There were many obstacles to creating an efficient reentry program for Lee College, one of which is that students can be released anywhere in Texas. A student can be released in Amarillo, with a welding degree or the Brownsville with a landscaping degree. Those two cities are over 700 miles apart. It was virtually impossible for me as one person, to create a job network spanning the state of Texas. In addition, helping newly released people get a job actually entails a lot of prep work: helping them first get their proper identification documents like a birth certificate, social security card, state I.D. etc.; getting transportation; dealing with parole stipulations; a crash course in technology; family dynamics and so much more, before one even gets to the job part!
In May of 2021 upon graduating with a Doctor of Education I started a podcast on YouTube called Brandon’s Commentary. Even though I have a doctorate degree, I knew nothing about what was necessary to make a successful Youtube podcast. I had to learn about cameras, lenses, lighting, audio, editing, promotion, marketing, and so many other things that kind of wore me out. At first, I wanted to showcase other people like me, who are formerly incarcerated and yet achieved success in the academic world. Many of my colleagues are far more successful than I am in academics; colleagues like Noel Vest, PhD., professor at Boston University, Stanley Andrisse, PhD, professor at Howard University, Christopher Beasley, PhD., tenured professor at University of Washington Tacoma and many others who are practicing lawyers, and business owners. In 2023, Securus, which is one of the major companies that provide tablets to the prisons across the country, allowed me to put my podcast on their platform. This has been one of the greatest opportunities for me thus far, since I am able to reach hundreds of thousands of men and women across the country’s prisons with stories of success. Since they are in prison, none of their views, watch time, or subscriptions count out here on my YouTube account, but I know there are many people enjoying them because I get mail from all over the country expressing appreciation for the podcast. Now I have begun to do the real work I’ve always wanted to do which is actual academic instruction to men and women in prison on subjects I believe to be crucial for all people, but especially those incarcerated. My educational background is in the humanities, counseling, theology, philosophy, and education. These are some of the subjects I think need to be made available to people in prison, not just vocational trades and GEDs. To be clear, I do not see academics as contrary to vocational training but complimentary to it. I believe people should have a solid education in subjects like the humanities and philosophy, as well as having career skills. Since most prisons are heavy on the vocational training, I have begun a series on Critical Thinking on my podcast. Over time I will create courses in ethics, philosophy, and of course reentry.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is an ironic question because everyone who knows me knows that I am an introvert who would much prefer to read books and have good conversations than go out in public for crowded events. However, I live in Houston, and there is plenty to do in Houston! Going to a Houston Astros game would be one part of a fun filled week, but also going to places like the Hobbit Cafe, which is a Lord of the Rings and Hobbit themed restaurant, going to the many beaches between Galveston Island and Freeport, visiting the Huntsville State Park just north of Houston, or going to the dozens of museums in and around Houston.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are truly too many people, but I’ll try to hit some of the most influential. The first is my grandmother Eileen Moses who inspired me to pursue my education while I was in prison. Then there is Armando “Miguel” Burciaga, Dean of Students at Red Rocks Community College who encouraged me to pursue a Doctor of Education degree. Then, there have been 4 important people who pushed me into my current career: Cindy Husband, Director of Memorial Assistance Ministries in Houston, Tx who gave me my first job when I was released from prison in 2004; then Rene McGuire, President of RWest Development in Pearland, Tx for taking a chance on me as soon as I finished my bachelor’s degree in 2009, then Dr. Denny Autrey, Dean Emeritus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Grove Norwood, Director of the Heart of Texas Foundation, both of which included me in the founding of Texas first prison seminary in 2011. I was working full time inside a maximum-security prison only 3 years off of parole because of those two. Then, Donna Zuniga, Associate Vice President of the Lee College Huntsville center, which is the school I began my college career in while serving time in prison, and who I now work for as the Director of Reentry Services. Other than these there are hundreds of students in the Texas prison system, some of which are called Field Ministers and others are Lee College Huntsville Center students and alumni, who keep me motivated and inspired to remain working in the field of higher education in prison.

Website: https://brandonscommentary.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandons.commentary/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-l-warren-aa2b14141/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BdubsCommentary

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrandonsCommentary

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandonsCommentary

Other: The podcast that I host in the prison system has to be formatted for the inmate tablets and has to be hosted on a podcasting platform called PodBean. I do not publicize it because the video quality has to be 480p but for those who want to see exactly what kind of content I publish inside the prisons they can see it here: https://brandonscommentary.podbean.com/