Ben Brockie is a formerly incarcerated scholar, public health advocate, and emerging legal professional dedicated to advancing educational access and equity for Indigenous and system-impacted communities. After serving more than 22 years in state prison, Brockie was granted clemency and released in September 2024. Within ten days of his release, he began his studies at the University of Washington, where he is pursuing a double major in American Indian Studies and Sociology and has maintained a 3.9 GPA, while earning Dean’s List honors each quarter. A Mary Gates Leadership Scholar, recipient of the BAVA Award, and a Johns Hopkins APWA Fellow, Brockie is committed to transforming systems that limit opportunity for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. His work focuses on expanding educational access in carceral settings, supporting reentry pathways, and advocating for culturally grounded resources for Indigenous communities.
As a public health intern at the Urban Indian Health Institute, he is helping develop the first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women awareness initiative designed for correctional environments. During his incarceration, Brockie organized community-centered initiatives including food drives, donations to children’s hospital, and support for foster care programs — reflecting his lifelong commitment to relational leadership and collective care. He is also working to establish a registered student organization at the University of Washington to support formerly incarcerated students and expand higher education access. Brockie plans to attend law school in 2026, where he hopes to focus on education, reentry, and Indigenous justice. Through his work, he seeks to challenge deficit-based narratives and instead highlight resilience, survival, and the transformative power of education.
