About

The Creative Prisons Project is an independent, unfunded initiative undertaken by John R. Whitman in collaboration with others sharing the project's aim, including the Museum for Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice, Copyright Alliance, First Step Alliance, and others.

Whitman is an educator, author, and entrepreneur. He has taught at American University, Babson College, Georgetown University, Harvard University Extension School, Northeastern University, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Co-founder of the Museum for Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he has also founded companies in software development (Oakland Group, Inc.), survey research (Surveytools Corporation), and film production (Camisary, Inc.). Publications include books and articles on the social economy, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, intellectual property, cooperatives, creativity in prisons, and library management. Dr. Whitman received is A.B. in philosophy from Boston University, Ed.M. in educational planning and social policy from Harvard University, and Ph.D. in adult education and comparative education from the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (dissertation: Evaluating Philanthropic Foundations: A Comparative Social Values Approach, 2006). He lives and works in Chicago.

A précis of current work may be found here.