People and Culture

Carrie Baker joined the Innocence Project in 2022 as the assistant director of talent on the People & Culture team. She has a decade of relevant experience working in academia and in the nonprofit sector. She is excited to take on a new role at the Innocence Project, focused on areas of staff growth and development, staffwide-trainings and education, and generally supporting the IP staff.

As the chief people and culture officer, Corinne Padavano oversees the organization’s compensation and benefits, recruitment and hiring practices, diversity and inclusion initiatives, employee relations and engagement, policies administration, and related organizational compliance issues. Corinne joined the Innocence Project in April 2006 after working in non-profit finance, human resources, and operations support roles with organizations such as the American Institute of Architects and the Brain Injury Association of New York State. She also owned and operated a storefront arts business for several years in Queens.

Donna Kenton graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in English. She taught junior high school English then studied music and acting, singing briefly with an R&B band. For 31 years, she worked on Wall Street, mostly for Merrill Lynch, focusing on municipal bonds. In her retirement, she has been privileged to volunteer for this wonderful organization, acting as the volunteer coordinator. It is her joy to match someone who is passionate about giving their time to ensure justice for all with a department in need of their skills.

Erika joined Innocence Project in September 2014. She previously worked with community nonprofits (Henry Street Settlement and University Settlement) in the Lower East Side. She also had the opportunity to work for Project Hope, the FEMA-funded program created after Hurricane Sandy.

Ira Rollins (he/him/his) is the assistant director of employee relations. His goals are to ensure that the Innocence Project’s internal community remains heard, seen, and prioritized, and to ensure that they can focus on the intricate work they do to assist those in need of the Innocence Project’s services. Previously, Ira worked as a psychotherapist, life coach, and project manager in HIV research. He holds a M.A. in counseling for mental health and Wellness from NYU Steinhardt and a B.A. in the psychology of race, gender, and sexuality from the interdisciplinary CUNY BA program.

Jamillah brings over two decades of leadership in operations, project management, and executive administration to her role as director of operations at the Innocence Project.
Most recently, she spent seven years at a college and career access non-profit, where she was instrumental in developing and streamlining organization-wide policies and processes. These systems promoted efficient daily operations and ensured that stakeholder efforts aligned with the organization’s core values and goals. Additionally, she championed initiatives focused on staff well-being and their sense of belonging within the organization.

Prior to that, Jamillah co-founded and managed a full-service event management and production company that primarily served nonprofits dedicated to social justice. Her work included collaborations with organizations focused on criminal legal reform and housing for vulnerable populations.

She has also provided extensive executive administrative support to numerous nonprofit organizations, and worked with the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to execute large scale projects funded by the World Bank and the European Development Fund. These projects created major improvements in the country’s health, education, and rural development sectors.

Jamillah holds a B.A. in Sociology from Manhattanville University and an M.Sc. in Project Management from Lancaster University in the U.K.

Shoshanah joined the Innocence Project in August 2012. In her role as manager of events and engagement, she works with various departments in the organization including operations, Network Support Unit, and data science and research. Since 2015, she has helped plan the annual Innocence Network Conference, the major annual gathering of hundreds of people who have been exonerated and attorneys and advocates working on wrongful conviction. Shoshanah also coordinates in-house staff events for the Innocence Project and serves as the liaison to the Exoneree Advisory Council, a group of exonerated people who advise the organization on policy and outreach based on their experience. Shoshanah is a sought-out resource and mentor on event planning and organizational information for both staff and former clients. Before 2012, she followed in her grandmother and mothers’ footsteps and became a teacher, working in early childhood education as a preschool teacher and assistant director. When she is not planning an event for the Innocence Project, she’s probably writing, listening to music, or spending time with her family.

Zeus Rivera joined the Innocence Project as an HR manager in May 2021. He has almost a decade of HR experience under his belt working in a few industries, including hospitality, architecture, and nonprofit. His nonprofit experience comes from working his way up in the HR department at HANAC, a social service organization in Astoria, Queens.