Onward Blog

We are people who were caught up in the system and made it out, and now we get to be the voice for other people.

By Alaina Combs, #LwC2019

March 6, 2019

I can’t talk about Leading with Conviction without crying because I’m just so grateful to be a part of this cohort.

You’re Born with Either a Fight or Flight Response, And Luckily I was Born with the Fight Response. I’ve Been Fighting Since I was a Child.

By James Monteiro, #LwC2018

November 19, 2018

The best thing I got from Leading with Conviction is I’m never alone. There’s always someone I can reach out to across the country.

What’s at the top of my agenda now is my role as the new criminal justice columnist with ‘Creators Syndicate.’

By Chandra Bozelko, #LwC2018

I’ve carved out an area in thought leadership, so my advocacy comes in challenging assumptions.

Everybody I Know and Loved is in a Cage and I’m Never Going to Be Okay With That

By Ryan Lo, #LwC2018

October 19, 2018

That’s what we’re trying to do--use media to shift culture.

I still feel a sense of amazement when I look at where I am today.

By Seán Dalpiaz, #LwC2018

October 1, 2018

The Leading with Conviction training is excellent, and the coaching I received from David was pivotal...

You’re born either with a fight or flight response, and luckily I was born with the fight response. I’ve been fighting since I was a child.

By Kandra Clark, #LwC2018

For me, Leading with Conviction has been life-changing.

I’ve been out of prison for fifteen years, but I have been reconvicted over and over again because of my criminal record.

By Susan Mason, #LwC2018

September 20, 2018

Over those years I received multiple job offers, but as soon as the employers did a background check, the offers were rescinded, one by one.

I’m the founder and president of the National Workforce Opportunity Network.

By Jeffrey Abramowitz, #LwC2018

We are a fully integrated workforce development and career placement for-profit agency serving individuals with barriers to gainful employment.

It’s My Mission to Reengage the Faith Community with Returning Citizens on a Nationwide Basis

By Rev. Dr. Chris Kimmenez, #LwC2018

September 13, 2018

To be in a room with 30 other leaders has been literally life changing.

I Consider All of the Children Who Are Living in Detention Facilities, Group Homes, and Foster Care to Be My Siblings

By Jennifer Rodriguez, #LwC2018

The Leading with Conviction training has been a life-changing experience.

I am the National Youth Partnership Strategist for the Youth First Initiative.

By Hernán Carvente, #LwC2018

August 30, 2018

We are committed to ending youth incarceration, closing youth prisons, and investing in community-based programs, services and opportunities.

I was committed to being an asset to my community instead of a liability.

By Donald Perry, #LwC2018

I have worked in human services for many years with the hungry, homeless and formerly incarcerated.

I want to leave a legacy of humanizing this thing called justice.

By Steven “Humble” Mangual

I served 14 years in New York State prisons, and it was while I was incarcerated in the Woodbourne Correctional Facility that I discovered my passion

I Have a Real Sense Each Day That the Things I’m Working on are Actually Going to Result in Meaningful Policy Change

By Douglas Smith, #LwC2018

August 9, 2018

The Leading with Conviction training is reinforcing the importance of building strong partnerships with grassroots leadership.

I Believe in Approaching Things from a Place of Possibility. If We Lose Hope, Then We Have Nothing.

By Quintin Williams, #LwC2018

JustLeadershipUSA and LwC keep me hopeful as well.

I am the Policy Coordinator for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition in Los Angeles.

By Kent Mendoza #LwC2018

May 17, 2018

We provide hundreds of formerly incarcerated people with mentorship, mental health services, supportive housing, access to jobs and education.