About Iron Sharpens Iron

Here at Iron Sharpens Iron, we see the value in everyone. We want to be a catalyst for positive change, and since our beginning, we’ve been driven by the ideas of support, empowerment, and progress.

We know from first-hand experience the struggles of underprivileged and often forgotten communities. We provide mentorship and support through personal experience with the justice system.

Who We Are

Mission

To empower and equip at-risk youth and justice-involved individuals for successful reintegration into society

Vision

To build a community where every inner-city youth and incarcerated individual has access to the resources and opportunities needed to achieve their full potential. We envision a future where these individuals can break the cycle of disadvantage, unlock their inherent strengths, and become confident, resilient, and productive members of society.

Get to Know Us

Jamarcus Fields

Founder

JaMarcus Fields is a powerhouse of purpose and impact — a visionary changemaker who turned personal transformation into a mission-driven movement. At just 18 years old, he entered the Indiana Department of Corrections and spent the next 26 years behind bars. But prison did not break him — it refined him. During that time, JaMarcus transformed from a boy into a man, earning his Bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and discovering that there is no rehabilitation without education. Those years shifted his paradigm and filled his heart with compassion and passion to assist others with justice involvement.

In 2019, after serving more of his life in prison than in society, JaMarcus walked out a free man at 44 years old. Determined to redeem his past by empowering others, he founded Iron Sharpens Iron W.A.S.T., Inc., where through the Ironclad Success Academy, he equips justice-involved adults and at-risk youth with mentorship, reentry support, leadership development, and mental health education. He recognized that ISI could become a vital resource — preparing justice-involved individuals to successfully reenter society and providing at-risk youth with tools to build a ladder toward success.

A Peer Recovery Coach, Life Coach, MRT Facilitator, and a trained IDOC Volunteer, JaMarcus blends lived experience with professional expertise to lead with both heart and hustle. Every project he touches carries a heartbeat of restoration, resilience, and radical hope.

JaMarcus lives out the message he shares with all: “If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.” He is also a proud husband of five years and loving “Papa” to three granddaughters — Serenity, Amiyah, and Elise. This year, he celebrates both his 50th birthday and 5 years of marriage — milestones that stand as a testament to redemption, purpose, and the power of transformation.

Bottom line: JaMarcus Fields isn’t just talking about reentry. He’s redefining it.

Iron Men

Iron Sharpens Iron wouldn't be what it is without their "boots on the ground" Iron Men. Our Iron Men are those directly impacted by the justice system that serve as our mentors to those going through similar situations.

JaMarcus Fields

26 years incarcerated

Thomas Hunter

21 years incarcerated

Raymond Johnson

20 years incarcerated

Alexander White

11 years incarcerated

Patrick Cox

26 years incarcerated

Tyrone Wilbourn

14 years incarcerated

Darvous Clay

21 years incarcerated

Michael Ferrell

21 years incarcerated

Ira White

31 years incarcerated

Deatron Lee

23 years incarcerated

Board Members

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

Chair

Allison Hampton

Allison Hampton is a board-certified life coach and mental health coach. She is also an owner of ARISE Life Coaching, LLC., where she helps people who feel paralyzed by their problems to develop sustainable strategies to pursue purpose, peace, and productivity. She is the founder of a faith-first non-profit organization called Living Chronic Faith, Inc. Allison holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral counseling. As a former journalist and a former 911 operator/supervisor, Allison has seen the best and worst of our criminal justice system, and is passionate about supporting people who desire to overcome adversity and realize their fullest potential.

Vice Chair

Beverley King

A native of London, United Kingdom, Beverley King emigrated to the USA in 2010. Once moved, Beverley was prompted by a friend to apply to Goodwill Industries, South Bend, IN for a position as WDS Facilitator. With no prior experience in social work, nor dealing with the currently or formerly incarcerated, to her surprise she was immediately hired, and has been the longest standing Facilitator in that department to date. It was here that she met founder JaMarcus Fields as a Re-Entry, Second Chance program client in her classroom. It was during this time they developed a genuine friendship. Affectionately known as "Mrs King" or "Moms" by many of her clients, Beverley has cultivated a well respected facilitating style of empathy, compassion, self-examination, and activation. Beverley believes in ISI because the man she met in her classroom, she recognized was a rarity who embodied "doing the work." He continues to defy the odds, proving to the naysayers that rehabilitation, although it has its challenges, is possible.

Secretary

Erin Silha

Erin Silha graduated from Ball State University in 2021 with her Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. During her time at Ball State, she was introduced to the world of re-entry in corrections through an internship in the DOC. Securing a job in DOC prior to graduation, Erin started her professional career as a Program Coordinator and was soon to be promoted to Community Engagement Coordinator. In these positions, she was responsible for managing the re-entry programs, working with volunteers, and bringing in outside groups and organizations for the incarcerated population's benefit. It was in these roles when she was introduced to JaMarcus Fields and Iron Sharpens Iron. Serving as the primary contact for programs at the facility, Erin and JaMarcus were able to provide the incarcerated population with a version of Iron Sharpens Iron that was tailored to this new type of audience. Erin is thrilled to continue her re-entry work as a Case Manager with Volunteers of America, as well as continuing to be an advocate for those who are incarcerated through Iron Sharpens Iron.

Treasurer

Stephanie Todd Fields

Stephanie Fields, wife of JaMarcus Fields, is an educator with more than 30 years experience working in a variety of secondary and post-secondary spaces. Currently, she serves as an administrator within the Indianapolis Public Schools System. Stephanie taught the core high school subjects and was the on-site college coordinator for Grace College for two years at the Correctional Industrial Facility. It was during these two years that she gained a better understanding of the many systems that fuel the school-to-prison pipeline. And now she focuses her time and energy to disrupt these systems and give disadvantaged youth and adults a fair chance at living meaningful and successful lives.

Member at Large

Jay Lewis

Jay Lewis is lawyer in South Bend who concentrates his practice in business and real estate matters as a Partner with THK Law, LLP. He is actively involved in his community, including helping a number of non-profit organizations either as an attorney or board member. Among other hobbies, Jay is involved in community theater and first met Jamarcus Fields in 2019 when they were both cast in A Few Good Men at the South Bend Civic Theatre. Jay’s role on the Iron Sharpens Iron is to provide business and legal advice.

Member at Large

Samantha Burgett

Sam Burgett, MSW, LSW graduated from Valparaiso University in 2020 with degrees in Social Work and Criminology. She then received her Masters in Social Work from IUPUI in 2021 and was hired as Valparaiso Police Department's first police social worker. As of May 2023, Sam is the police social worker at the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, where she is expanding the police social work program at the county level and working to create a more trauma-informed jail system. In addition to her work with law enforcement, Sam runs a small, local nonprofit, the Community Change Center, which provides reentry services to incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals in Lake, LaPorte, and Porter counties. Sam also serves as an adjunct professor in Valparaiso University's Sociology department, teaching courses such as Juvenile Delinquency and Restorative Justice. Sam is proud to serve on board of Iron Sharpens Iron, as she believes in the power of peer support and recognizes the importance of providing rehabilitative services to individuals both during and post-incarceration.