Initiatives for Academic Mobility
Advancing Access.
Empowering Learners.
A consulting and training firm dedicated to advancing educational access, leadership development, research, and academic mobility for historically marginalized learners — with a special focus on women, and the educators who serve them.
About I.A.M.
Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.
Initiatives for Academic Mobility (I.A.M.) was founded on the belief that every learner deserves access to transformative education. We partner with institutions, organizations, and communities to dismantle systemic barriers and build bridges to academic success.
Educational Access
Breaking barriers to create equitable pathways to higher education for historically marginalized communities.
Leadership Development
Cultivating the next generation of educators and leaders who champion equity and inclusion.
Academic Mobility
Facilitating movement across educational systems to ensure no learner is left behind.
Women-Centered Focus
Centering the experiences and advancement of women learners and the educators who serve them.
What We Do
Our Services
We provide comprehensive consulting and training services designed to create lasting, systemic change in education.
Consulting
Strategic guidance for institutions seeking to improve access and equity in their educational programs.
Training & Workshops
Professional development for educators focused on culturally responsive pedagogy and inclusive practices.
Research
Evidence-based research on academic mobility, access, and outcomes for marginalized learner populations.
Program Development
Designing and implementing programs that promote academic mobility and educational advancement.
Meet the Founder
Lisette B. Hughes
MS Ed, EdD Candidate (She/Her/Hers)
Lisette B. Hughes is the Founder & Principal of the Initiatives for Academic Mobility (I.A.M.), a consulting and training firm dedicated to advancing educational access, leadership development, research, and academic mobility for historically marginalized learners and the educators who serve them. Over the past decade, she has built a career dedicated to expanding educational opportunity for people, especially women, impacted by incarceration: spanning program management, curriculum design, policy engagement, and national advocacy.
She has served as Academic Coordinator at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, managing a college-in-prison program for women; Curriculum Director at Columbia University's Justice Lab, where she co-created an action-oriented interdisciplinary curriculum on racial justice and abolition democracy; Education Initiatives Manager at College and Community Fellowship, where she led the redesign of a technical-assistance curriculum supporting colleges and reentry organizations nationwide; and Director of External Programs at SUNY Columbia–Greene Community College, reflecting her ongoing commitment to increasing educational access for incarcerated students across New York State.
Lisette was named a Champion of Change by the SUNY Office of Higher Education for her leadership in the field of higher education in prison. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) at Hofstra University, where her research explores the intersection of maternal incarceration, higher education, and children's academic attainment.
In 2024–2025, she launched The Restoration Tour: Voices of Women Rising After Incarceration, a national speaking series spotlighting women's resilience, leadership, and educational advancement after incarceration. Through talks and workshops spanning correctional institutions, university classrooms, and national conferences—including the NYC Department of Education's Community Schools Convening, the National Conference on Higher Education in Prison (NCHEP), the SOMOS Conference and the American Society of Criminology (ASC) Annual Meeting—she continues to elevate the voices of women whose lived experience is transforming the landscape of education and justice.
Lisette holds a BA in Psychology and Spanish from Drew University and an MS in Early Childhood Education, Childhood Education, and Students with Disabilities from Mercy University. She lives by Nelson Mandela's words: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."