Jermaine Archer, Executive Director

Jermaine Archer is a dedicated advocate for criminal legal reform and was recently appointed to the position of Executive Director for Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA). He considers this role a full circle moment twenty years in the making.

In 2005, Jermaine saw his first RTA production while incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Inspired by the sense of community and support he witnessed that day, he was moved to grow and become a force for good for those around him. A year later, Jermaine joined the RTA program, where he quickly advanced from actor to production manager and eventually Chair of the steering committee, RTA’s leadership team run by participants within the correctional facilities. His involvement with RTA led to college with Hudson Link for Higher Education and participation with the Youth Assistance Program. These accomplishments and the encouragement of his family, friends, and professors helped him navigate the realities of being incarcerated, transforming him into an agent of change for himself and for individuals who face similar hardships and challenging environments.

During his incarceration, Jermaine earned a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from Mercy University, a Master’s degree in Professional Studies from the New York Theological Seminary, and became a certified paralegal. He also emceed the first-ever TEDx Talks event inside a New York State correctional facility and later presented his own TEDx Talk at Sing Sing, titled “A Matter of Time.”

After Jermaine was released in 2020, he was hired by The Legal Aid Society of Westchester County as a Sentence Mitigation Paralegal, using his education and experience as a system-impacted individual to advocate for non-carceral sentences for his clients. In an effort to broaden and scale his impact, Jermaine became involved in community outreach, advocacy, civic empowerment, and organizing for community coalitions. This includes serving as an RTA Board member from February 2022 to January 2025. Most recently, Jermaine was a Program Associate for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies Criminal Justice Grantmaking team.

In 2025, twenty years after watching his first RTA production, Jermaine begins his next chapter with the organization, committing to what he had always dreamed of doing, playing a lead role in offering the same opportunities he was given to change, grow, and lead.