Renaldo Hudson is the Director of Education for the Illinois Prison Project, and a nationally recognized advocate, educator, artist, and public speaker. After surviving 37 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections—including 13 years on Death Row—he has dedicated his life to building pathways of literacy, leadership, and liberation for system-impacted communities.

Renaldo is a Social Justice Fellow at Columbia University, a CUE Fellow, and a former Artist for the People Practitioner Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Pozen Center. He is the Executive Producer and Creator of The Death Penalty Project, a national documentary and storytelling initiative challenging the morality and legacy of capital punishment in America.

Renaldo is one of only three people in U.S. history to receive executive clemency for the same case from two separate governors. Unlike the other two cases which involved individuals later found innocent, Renaldo’s clemency recognized the transformation of someone who was guilty and chose to change. His story stands as a testament to the power of rehabilitation, mercy, and human transformation.

While incarcerated, Renaldo founded Stateville Speaks, a statewide newspaper amplifying the voices and analysis of incarcerated people across Illinois. He also created the Building Block Program at Danville Correctional Center, a peer-led rehabilitation and education initiative now serving more than 600 incarcerated men statewide. The program is rooted in a belief Renaldo lives every day: people can change if they are given the tools, trust, and opportunity to grow.

Today, Renaldo continues to mentor, teach, and advocate across the country reminding audiences that pain can become purpose, leadership can emerge from the unlikeliest places, and hope is not just something you feel, but something you do.