Meet Our Chaplain

Chaplain Dewey Williams

Chaplain Dewey Williams brings a unique blend of social work experience and theological training to his ministry at Orange Correctional Center. His journey to prison chaplaincy began during his years as a child protection worker in Denver, where visits to jails and prisons opened his eyes to the spiritual needs of incarcerated individuals.

After earning his Bachelor of Social Work from Metropolitan State University and later moving to North Carolina, Dewey deepened his calling to prison ministry while serving at Mt. Level Missionary Baptist Church in Durham. This led him to pursue his Master of Divinity at Duke University Divinity School, graduating in 2011.

Chaplain Dewey’s most notable work emerged from his ministry with men on Death Row at Central Prison in Raleigh. His sermon series on finding joy in the darkest circumstances won top honors at Yale Divinity School’s worldwide competition on the theology of joy, beating over 60 entrants. This work was later published as the acclaimed book Finding Joy on Death Row: Unexpected Lessons from Lives We Discarded (2023).

Chaplain Dewey completed his doctorate at Virginia Union University and also served until 2025 as Pastor at Mt. Bright Baptist Church and sits on the board of Reentry House. He chairs the prison ministry committee for the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Durham and Vicinity.

Dewey and his wife will celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary this December. His decades of experience in both social services and ministry uniquely equip him to provide spiritual comfort and practical guidance to the men at Orange Correctional Center.

Meet Our Board

Sally Freeman

Board Chair

Sally is honored to serve as chair of the AOPM board. She is co-founder and member of Eno Friends Meeting of Hillsborough. As a Quaker, her belief that there is “that of God” in every person grounds her deep commitment to prison ministry. Sally has led the initiative to bring art and poetry created by men incarcerated at OCC into the community through the “Something to Say” art show. Her professional life and life-long service path is working with people with dementia, creating social settings and recreational activities that provide people with dementia a sense of belonging and success. She loves the countryside of Orange County, where she lives, gardens and cooks with her husband, Paul Klever.

Carolyn Stuart

Board Secretary

Carolyn was born in a small mill town in eastern North Carolina, Erwin, and have lived in Chapel Hill for the past 49 years. She volunteers at Orange Correctional Center because of the friendships she’s formed with incarcerated men and other volunteers, and her belief that we all deserve second chances.

Richard Crandall

Board Treasurer

Jefradrian Stafford

Jefradrian a local truck driver by trade. He’s the father of an 18-year-old son and lives in Roxboro N.C. He believes it’s his purpose to be a part of Alamance Orange Prison Ministry, and to help others anyway that he can.

Catherine Dumas

Catherine is an organizer offering in-home services to seniors and to anyone with excess clutter. Her connection to people who are incarcerated began in the 1990s at Human Kindness Foundation, where she served as Executive Director from 2013 to 2021. She has led programs inside prisons in several states and is committed to bringing community connections to our incarcerated neighbors.

Melissa Radcliff

Melissa has lived in North Carolina for almost 25 years and has been the director of Our Children's Place since early 2017. It's been Melissa's pleasure to work with several AOPM chaplains and board members over the past 10+ years. She appreciates the opportunity to be part of the organization's invaluable work to support the men at Orange Correctional and their families and bring increased awareness to the community.

Jane Clunie

Jane is a retired school psychologist who grew up in Canada, but moved to Durham for graduate school at Duke. Currently, she lives in Hillsborough and became involved with OCC through my church, St. Matthew's. Her interest in prison ministry has grown and she is reminded of Jesus's direction to visit those in prison.

Cameron Merrill

Cameron Merrill is a Duke Divinity School graduate and ordained elder in the North Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. He serves a congregation in historic Hillsborough, NC, and works as an editor in leadership resources for the United Methodist Publishing House. Cameron is currently pursuing doctoral studies in systematic theology at the University of Aberdeen. He lives in Hillsborough with his spouse, four children, and an elderly dog. He has been actively involved in prison ministry since graduating seminary and is honored to support the vital work of Alamance Orange Prison Ministry in the community.

Ronnie Harris