Serena Martin

Serena Martin serves as executive director of New Hour for Women and Children, an organization dedicated to empowering mothers, women and children impacted by incarceration. New Hour provides fifteen weekly programs inside Long Island’s three jails and provides reentry support to those returning home from incarceration. Serena oversees and leads carceral reform efforts across New York State through advocacy and policy reform efforts. Prior to leading New Hour, she was the executive director of Herstory Writers Workshop.

Serena also served as associate director of policy at the Correctional Association of New York’s Women in Prison Project, where she spearheaded legislative initiatives and policy advocacy addressing prison reform. She was a key organizer of the Anti-shackling law which now prohibits the shackling of incarcerated mothers during labor. Serena is a survivor of isolated confinement, received her associate’s degree in the College Bound Program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and her bachelor’s degree from Adelphi University.

Serena serves on Governor Hochul’s NYS Domestic Violence Task Force as a regional co-chair, serves on the Suffolk County Welfare to Work task force, co-led the Justice for Women COVID-19 Task Force along with WCJA and served on the Suffolk County Police Reform and Reinvention Task Force. She is a recipient of the 2024 Elizabeth Ann Seton Medal, the 2023 Islip NAACP Award, the 2022 Houses on the Moon Leyton Award, the 2021 Advocate of the Year Award from Sepa Mujer, the 2018 Citizens Against Recidivism award and she enjoys cooking her family’s favorite Puerto Rican meals.