About Us
Daniel Throop
Founder & Executive Director – National Prison Debate League
Daniel is an experienced prison program developer, award-winning author, speaker, scholar, community organizer, and change agent who seeks to advance educational and social equality.
The recipient of PEN America‘s 2021 L’Engle-Rahman Mentor of the Year Award as well as Toastmasters International‘s Leadership Excellence Award for project management, Daniel devotes himself to service leadership and the facilitation of human potential. He holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Boston University and has served as both a Co-Chair of the Career, Workforce and Employer Connections Workgroup for the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison and as a Justice Initiatives Fellow for Ithaka S & R.
Clarence Williams
Director of Community Engagement
Clarence brings a wealth of lived experience and peer leadership to bear as a highly effective community builder whose passion for personal growth is only surpassed by his authenticity as a goal-oriented family man.
A gifted public speaker and program manager, Clarence graduated from Bridgewater State University’s Inside-Out Criminal Justice Program, and facilitated self-help groups such as: the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), Toastmasters, Project Youth, and MENDING SOULS.
Lee Perlman
NPDL Director of Strategic Partnerships
Lee earned his BA from St. John’s College (Annapolis), and his MA in political philosophy at Georgetown University, before completing his doctorate at MIT in political philosophy. In 1984 Lee joined the teaching staff of the Experimental Study Group (ESG), MIT’s first freshman learning community, where he has taught for most of the last 33 years.
Lee began teaching in prisons in 2012, through Boston University’s Prison Education Program. He founded the MIT Prison Initiative in 2016 with the support of ESG. Through the initiative, Lee teaches classes to both MIT and incarcerated students at medium- to maximum-security Massachusetts Correctional Institutions. Lee has been awarded the Irwin Sizer Award for Most Significant Improvement to MIT Education three times (1997, 2015, and 2019). He was also awarded MIT’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award in 2018.
Chandler Dugal
NPDL Director of Operations
Chandler Dugal currently serves as the Director of Operations for the National Prison Debate League, organizing events, training teams of debaters, and liaising with government partners.
Debating in NPDL events both during and after his incarceration, Chandler’s tenacity and teamwork earned him a 3-0 record, resulting in his receiving NPDL’s 2023 Malcolm X Debater of the Year Award along with his co-recipient and debate teammate Shaun Libby. Chandler served as co-captain of the NPDL’s inaugural team in his home state of Maine, a groundbreaking co-ed team consisting of residents from across MDOC facilities. As an NPDL alumnus now on the outside of prison walls, Chandler is committed to expanding the life-changing opportunities he enjoyed while incarcerated to as many imprisoned people as possible
Chandler also works as the senior paralegal for an elite Manhattan litigation firm. Chandler is also a published short-story writer, and the author of The Daily Prisoner on Substack which publishes his daily journal penned while he was inside, along with criminal justice and corrections commentary and analysis.
Chandler earned a BA in History from the James Madison University Honors College, along with a Master of Public Administration and Homeland Security Studies Graduate Certificate from Penn State University. His experience of incarceration drives his work to improve prison education as well as his aspiration to attend law school, which he will begin in teh fall of 2026. Chandler has previously testified before the Maine Legislature’s Criminal Records Review Committee and co-authored a whitepaper with the Colby College Justice Think Tank proposing earned criminal record expungement, advocating for fair chance employment reforms in his home state.
David Myland
NPDL Events Director
David is formerly incarcerated with twenty two years in the criminal justice system.While incarcerated he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Sciences(cum laude) from Boston University. David is a founding member of The Restorative Justice Group at MCI-Norfolk leading
as the Groups Accountability Coordinator, Hospitality Teams Coordinator as well as an active facilitator and circle guide in all of the groups programming. David was also the Director of Membership for Second Thoughts Inc.(an at-risk youth counseling program). David worked with Jericho Circle Project as a lead circle guide facilitating trauma work utilizing I.F.S. internal family systems a.k.a. Parts work. He also facilitated trauma work with The Emotional Awareness Group program. As a result of doing “the work” on himself David decided to reach out to the impacted parties in his case and entered into a self facilitated Victim Offender Dialogue with the mother of the impacted party. As a result of that decision David has committed his life to practicing restorative justice and supporting social justice movements. As a returning citizen David has been faced with a host of re-entry issues but has maintained steadfast to his commitment as an agent of change. His strength, resilience, and faith keeps him moving forward each day maintaining a positive mindset overcoming adversity and the numerous challenges he faces.
Deval L. Patrick
NPDL Advisory Board
Mr. Patrick serves as the Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership and holds the position of professor of practice at the Harvard Kennedy School. Additionally, he fulfills the role of Senior Advisor to Bain Capital and formerly co-chaired the American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, a progressive political action committee. He founded and served as Managing Partner of Bain Capital Double Impact, a growth equity fund, from April 2015 to December 2019. This fund is dedicated to investing in commercial businesses, aiming for both competitive financial returns and positive social impact.
From January 2007 to January 2015, Mr. Patrick assumed the role of Governor of Massachusetts. Throughout his career, he has held senior executive positions in two Fortune 50 companies, been a partner in two Boston law firms, and served as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Justice Department, appointed by President Bill Clinton. Furthermore, he is a Rockefeller Fellow and a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. Besides, he has authored two books.
Mr. Patrick obtained his AB cum laude from Harvard College and his JD from Harvard Law School.
Ed Lee III
NPDL Advisory Board
Ed Lee III, EdD, holds the position of Senior Director of Inclusivity in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences. His primary focus lies in organizational communication, culture formation, and enhanced collaboration. Ed is responsible for developing and facilitating department/program-level programming and discussions on issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) throughout the College of Arts and Sciences. In this capacity, he provides support to over 50 departments and programs, aiming to create hospitable and intellectually engaging environments for the faculty, staff, and students of the College.
Ed is highly regarded as a sought-after trainer and facilitator, specializing in creating tailored strategies to improve communication while deepening the understanding of culture’s role in fostering trusting and collaborative workspaces and communities.
As a relentless advocate for public debate and dialogue, Ed serves as a national media commentator for U.S. Presidential Debates and the use of arguments in public discourse. His insights are frequently featured on national and local media outlets, where he discusses presidential debate strategies and their impact on national politics.
Ed’s educational background includes a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Georgia’s Institute for Higher Education (IHE), a Master’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of Alabama, and ongoing studies in the interconnections between religion, justice, and peace-building at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.
Priscilla Guerrero
NPDL Advisory Board
Priscilla Guerrero is an Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Washington, DC. She handles a wide range of juvenile cases, from misdemeanors such as unlawful vehicle entry, to felonies such as armed carjackings and murder. Previously, she worked as an Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO) in Boston, managing hundreds of cases in District and Superior Court. While at SCDAO, Ms. Guerrero was co-chair of the SCDAO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, assisting in both intern and attorney hiring. Ms. Guerrero also worked as a paralegal in the Appellate Unit, where she was able to argue ten cases before the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and as the Deputy Director of the Community Relations unit, where she organized community engagements, and co-founded a reading program that allowed prosecutors to engage weekly with 1st and 2nd graders.
Ms. Guerrero is known for community advocacy. She was recognized with the Brian J. Honan Award and an Official Resolution from Boston City Council. She was also selected as one of El Mundo Boston’s most influential “Latino 30 under 30.” She was also recently awarded for exemplary service at the OAG by former Attorney General, Karl Racine.
Ms. Guerrero attended Suffolk University Law School after graduating from Bridgewater State University, with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice and a minor in Social Work. Ms. Guerrero is licensed to practice in MA and DC.
Ms. Guerrero remains active in community engagement. She serves as a Trustee for Boston Public Preparatory Charter School, and a mentor for the DC Hispanic Bar Association.
Shaun Libby
NPDL Advisory Board
Shaun Libby is an incarcerated graduate student studying Youth Development at Michigan State University. Shaun has been incarcerated for the past 25+ years, since he was 18 years old. In that time Shaun has achieved a bachelor’s degree in Mental Health and Human Services from the University of Maine at Augusta, has tutored men helping them achieve their GED, served in various roles on the prison executive board of the NAACP, is a Certified Recovery Coach and has worked one-on-one with men struggling with addiction, serve on the MSP Restorative Practices Steering Committee with other residents and prison staff, co-developed and facilitated a Restorative Practices Basics class for fellow residents, worked with state legislators on tangible criminal justice reform, is a Certified Literacy Volunteer, Co-created & facilitated the Bridges: Restorative Youth Mentoring Program to incarcerated youth, trained 18 shelter dogs in preparation for their adoption to their forever home, co-facilitated a reentry course, is a peer mentor in the Intensive Mental Health Unit, and is a senior member of the Opportunity Scholars group that works to create educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals in Maine as well as help people reintegrate back into society. Shaun is also currently an intern with Jobs for the Future and their Center for Justice and Economic Advancement. Additionally, Shaun is a two-time debate champion through a partnership between the Maine DOC and the NPDL.