Before stepping into the role of Chief Innovation Officer at The Just Trust, my journey has been anything but ordinary. After having spent almost 24 years in the California prison system, including nearly a decade in solitary confinement for reading politically themed Black literature, I began to see with clear eyes the extreme injustices committed in the name “justice”—both its harshness and its potential for transformation. 

After securing my release from prison in 2019, with the invaluable support from the Stanford University Law School and the corporate law firm Mayer Brown, I transitioned from being a litigant to a proximate leader in this movement to transform the justice system. Starting as a paralegal at a public interest law firm and later to a state policy director, I channeled my lived experience and commitment to social justice into advocacy. In 2020, I co-founded a nonprofit organization and designed an innovative reentry model focused on providing justice-impacted individuals with housing and career pathways in tech and the knowledge-based economy. The model secured a historic $28.5 million investment from the State of California to build the first residentially based tech training campus in the country. 

My professional journey also includes serving as vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at Checkr, Inc., and executive director of their corporate foundation Checkr.org. My leadership is informed by my proximity to the issues and a deep commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). I have leveraged my background to influence and reshape the narrative around criminal justice reform through public policy, program design, workforce development, and advocacy. 

My insights and contributions have been recognized in publications such as Newsweek, Fast Company, Forbes, Inc., the New York Times, World Economic Forum, and Bloomberg. I played a role in shaping California Governor Newsom’s 2021 Future of Work Report, further solidifying my commitment to justice reform. 

I am deeply honored to be a part of the leadership team at The Just Trust, where I get to channel my lived experiences into a collaborative movement for justice, safety, and community wellbeing.  

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