BIO
Jason Garcia is currently the Director of Workforce and Development for Project Return Peer Support Network, where he is bringing all aspects of his lived experience, education, training and professional experience to bring peer centered mental health and reentry services to those who have been left out in the cold with no services. He works tirelessly to train and get peers in all areas of service provision while advocating for real change in the way services are delivered. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose State University, an Associate of Arts in General Education from Hartnell Community College, and his Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist Certificate through the Jump Start Fellowship, a program of Mental Health America of Los Angeles. Jason found a home with Project Return Peer Support Network in 2015, where his lived experience was valued rather than something to be hidden and/or not mentioned. Before PRPSN he was Job Placement Coordinator for the Independent Living Center of Southern California, where he assisted persons with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment. Before that position Jason held the position of Case Manager for the ILCSC assisting people to reach their goals (e.g. housing, benefits, transportation, independent living). One of his most rewarding professional experiences was his 5+ years with the Amity Foundation as a Peer Mentor in an in-custody Therapeutic and Teaching Community. Jason began his journey to PRPSN after spending slightly over 27 years incarcerated from the age of 16. Today he is searching for opportunities to continue to grow and make a positive difference in his community.
Califia Abwoon is a Peer Support Specialist (PSS), Emotional Intelligence (CAMF)
Rehabilitation Coach, Domestic Violence (DMF) and is in the process of earning her Substance Use Counseling License. She works with We Are Wayfarer,1:1Pilot
Program developing relationships with the homeless population on Skid-row and in Long Beach. She advocates for underserve community members with mental health disorders, whom are homeless, that lack effective case management services. She provides comprehensive mental health provisions that enhance the well-being of clinicians and patients. She also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Create Realistic Change Inc., a Peer Run Organization that is focused on the underserved community in Los Angeles. She is involved with the Service Area Advisory Committees (SAAC) 6 and 8, which functions as a local forum of consumers, families, service providers and community representatives to provide the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health with information, advice, and recommendations regarding the metal health service needs of those in South Los Angeles and South Bay. Califia is also with California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organizations on the Peer Action League Committee where she leads groups focusing on mental health efforts and updates peers on legislative policies. Califia is on the Alternative to Incarceration Advisory Committee and a member of “All Of Us Or None” (AOUON), who advocates for the rights of ex-prisoners and in prisoned populations. Califia has experienced homeless for 20 years. She is a violence, sexual, and mental abuse survivor. Califia will
provide a unique perspective to the Advisory Committee given her first-hand experience of being part of the community that that the Advisory Committee serves.
Tue Huynh is a member of the Reentry Advisory Collaborative, a selective program that helps him build a leadership position in L.A. County. As a transformed person with a criminal background, he saw the unfavorable system needed to be reconstructed holistically. It’s important to maintain the proper balance so that everyone can have an equal opportunity to succeed in life. He offers suggestions and collaborates with team members to tackle the most difficult tasks that the community is facing. Their mission is to help the system-impacted population and reduce mass incarceration.
Before joining the RHAC, Tue facilitated entrepreneurship training and earned an MBA certificate from Baylor University through an organization called Defy Ventures, a company that helps people with criminal histories have a second chance to become a C.E.O. of their new life. Tue is a member of API RISE, a support network that helps the community to understand the necessity of changes to an unfair justice system that involves immigration detentions and harsh environments.
Also, Tue is a college student at Villanova University. With his major in business, Tue believes that he can bring his dream to life one day to make this world a better place. His ultimate goal is to become a successful person and that means stable employment or business, having a beautiful family, and reaching out to others.
Yusef-Andre Wiley was born October 24, 1969 and raised in South Los Angeles, California. Both his parents, Betty and Sampson Wiley, are originally from Texas. Yusef-Andre is the youngest of five children. By the age of 13, he started associating with gang members and getting into trouble around the neighborhood. After serving a juvenile sentence, he continued his gang involvement in the areas of South LA (Compton, Watts and Willowbrook). The negative lifestyle that comes with being a “gang banger” eventually landed him in the California prison system at the age of 21.
After being placed in solitary confinement, Mr. Wiley began to discover his spirituality and later converted to Islam. It was his spiritual faith that took him away from the violence and destruction of gang life to a purposeful and honorable way of living. He served 22 years before he was released in May 2012 at the age of 43. Mr. Wiley has now been working for many years to end gang and youth violence through his program development, writing, and intervention.
Mr. Wiley also has assisted several reentry start-up organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, was a former Commissioner on the Human Relations Commission of the City of Union City, and sat on Alameda County reentry panels and advisory boards. He is an author and has gained an AA Degree in Small Business Management as well as earned a degree in Paralegal Studies. Additionally, Yusef-Andre Wiley is a certified speaker, trainer and life coach of the John Maxwell Team, a certification program, and the Senior Consultant at YW Consultants, an LLC.
Jack Morris was born June 27th, 1959; he spent 40 years in prison, approximately 30+ in solitary confinement. While confined Jack educated himself obtaining both high school diploma and GED, as well as, college credits towards an Associate Arts Degree. Jack studied and taught law to others. He Mentor Youth, Facilitated Self-help groups, and Advocate for Social Change. Jack Author of two books and is an accomplished Artist. Released in 2017 he contributes to society as a Lead Community Health Worker with St. John’s Well Child & Family Center addressing the Social Determinates of Health (SDoH) and Justice impacted community members. Jack is a member of the Anti-recidivism Coalition (ARC), the Re-entry Health Advisory Collaboration. He is a Subject matter expert on Re-entry and he participated in Alternatives to Incarceration. He is a manager, supervisor, and public speaker. Jack assist returning community members navigate Federal State County and city social services while addressing the needs of marginalized and economically depressed community members
Gilbert Johnson serves as ASJ’s California TimeDone Statewide Manager and is a native of South Central Los Angeles and the former Lead Justice Organizer at Community Coalition, the premier social justice organization in South Central Los Angeles. He grew up as a ward of the court, dealt with many family issues, and was first arrested at 16 years old. He battled drug and substance abuse for much of his young life, but his life was changed when he was introduced to community organizing in 2009, which marked the last year he was incarcerated. Since then, he has led multiple civic engagement campaigns helping to pass game-changing criminal justice reform policies in California such as Prop 47, Prop 57, and Prop 17.
Gilbert played an integral role in the South LA Community Safety Initiative, a highly successful community-driven effort to increase safety through youth development, safe passages, and trauma-informed healing circles. After drafting the 10 Point Plan to Reduce Crime and Violence in South Central LA, this initiative was created through the leadership of the Balmer Foundation and Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson. Gilbert is currently a member of the Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention’s Community Partnership Council, a group of community leaders that have survived various forms of violence and work to reduce crime and violence across Los Angeles through a public health lens. He is also a member of the Los Angeles Reentry Health Advisory Collaborative, a team of system-impacted leaders that advise LA County justice reform policies and strategies.
Gilbert Johnson is a perfect example of the positive change that can occur when you give people struggling with addiction, gang involvement, and criminal convictions the chance to grow and excel. As the TimeDone Manager with Californians for Safety and Justice, he now works to build safer communities by eliminating barriers to success and increasing economic stability for millions of folks living with arrest records and convictions.
Sandy Arevalo is a Program Supervisor at Project 180. She currently resides in Mission Hills, California with her husband and son. Sandy recently earned her Master of Social Work from California State University Northridge and is excited to continue working to support patients with their mental health and re-entry needs. In her free time Sandy enjoys traveling, cooking, and is an avid moviegoer.
Sergio Garcia is a Los Angeles native who grew up in Norwalk, CA. He is a Substance Abuse Counselor, with the hopes of helping those in need of a positive change from harsh circumstances in life and to help navigate those on their substance abuse journey based on his own experiences, education and faith. This field of work continues to be a calling and very important role in life that is much needed. He has the heart, strength, mind, personal lived experience and education in assisting those in harsh circumstances to realize their full potential. Also helping others see the value in themselves in accepting humble beginnings/hardships that provide strengths and not weakness which prevent one from becoming a statistic or stigma of addiction. Sergio describes himself as “a person of hope wanting to inspire others to discover the same ”, stemming from these words his plan is to become a motivational speaker on substance abuse and build a foundation that assists individuals in aspiring to their healthiest potential in life. In his free time, he enjoys random mini vacations, traveling and exploring new places, sharing the experience with those close to him.
Maria C. Gonzalez is a formerly incarcerated, first generation immigrant, former health care worker, and single mother. She was born in Jalisco, Mexico and as her family migrated to the Central Valley, she grew up experiencing life in a small, farm-working community.
Maria’s parents brought her to the U.S. for a better life and she is still fighting to help people demand the equal rights they deserve.
She is a social justice advocate for the youth, incarcerated people, and all undocumented people.
As Executive Leader she guides the focus and strategy of Pride In Truth to center those most impacted by unjust systems.
Maria displays leadership through life experiences. Maria has been working with communities that system/direct impacted by incarceration. Maria experienced the oppression of marginalized communities and witnessed the harmful effects of a farm working family living in a farmworker’s community. Along with those challenges she has experienced the loss of loved ones due to gang and gun violence, causing Maria to learn to be on a survival mode instead of living. Maria had to endure the racism and challenges of being profiled as a brown immigrant female. The worst experience was losing her best friend Gilbert Braz due to gun violence in 1996. Life was never the same for Maria. She lived with anger, fear, resentment and loss and after many years Gilbert’s case went cold. After experiencing incarceration, loss of loved ones and now having two young adult sons, Maria took all her trauma and experience to empower youth. She followed her calling to become a leader in the communities of Los Angeles. Maria followed her grief from the loss of Gilbert and transformed that pain into healing. She created a space, where just maybe if that space of intervention existed when she was growing up, Gilbert might have still been alive today. Maria continues his legacy and helps our youth today with The Braz Project which became live in January of 2023. Maria has worked on policy advocacy, alternatives to incarceration diversion programs and provides support for communities impacted by incarceration.