The Speaker

Sherman P. Lea Jr. is a nationally recognized criminal justice and behavioral health executive with extensive experience in corrections, community supervision, reentry, and organizational leadership.

He earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Virginia's College at Wise and a master's degree in Psychology from Hollins University. Sherman began his career with the Virginia Department of Corrections, serving as a Clinical Social Worker in Virginia's correctional institutions before becoming a Probation and Parole Officer. His experience in both institutional and community corrections provided a unique perspective on offender rehabilitation, reentry, and public safety.

Sherman later joined the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ), where he
worked his way through the organization's leadership ranks and was elected to serve two terms as National President. During his tenure, he advocated across the nation for criminal justice reform, sound public policy, effective legislation, professional excellence, and greater equity throughout the justice system. In recognition of his exceptional leadership and distinguished service to both the organization and the criminal justice profession, Sherman was inducted into the NABCJ Hall of Fame.

Sherman went on to found New Hope Support Services, where he serves as Founder and CEO.
Under his leadership, the organization has grown into one of Virginia's leading providers of
community-based mental health, substance use, and reentry services. New Hope has served
thousands of individuals and families through innovative programs that promote recovery, reduce recidivism, strengthen communities, and help people achieve stability and independence.

A respected speaker and advocate, Sherman remains committed to building stronger partnerships among law enforcement, corrections, courts, policymakers, behavioral health providers, and community organizations. His work is centered on improving public safety, expanding access to treatment, advancing sound criminal justice policy, and creating meaningful pathways for recovery and successful community reintegration

The Workshop

Clearing The Air: Harm Reduction & The Illicit Market :
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 01:00P

Well-intentioned tobacco control policies are producing an illicit marketplace that undermines both public health and community safety. Nicotine consumers are acutely price-sensitive.

When the cost of legal alternatives rises, or those alternatives are banned entirely, many turn to illicit products that carry greater health risks and funnel revenue to criminal enterprises, including drug trafficking organizations.

This panel brings together criminal justice professionals to examine how harm reduction frameworks that preserve access to reduced-risk alternatives like e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and vapor products — regulated and taxed proportionally to their risk profile rather than banned or prohibitively taxed — and strategic enforcement strategies can simultaneously advance cessation goals, protect tax revenue, and relieve law enforcement of the burden of policing markets that prohibition and punitive taxation inevitably create.