I came to the U.S. as a kid and grew up in poverty with my single mother and brother, constantly on the edge of falling down the wrong path and into crisis. We relied on community programs to get through the darkest times.
I spent a decade in tech and operations — ApartmentList from data analyst to product manager, then COO of a small mobility company near San Francisco's Tenderloin. In November 2018, everything stopped. I spent the next five years incarcerated, and I didn't know my release date until the day I got out.
As a techie and executive landing in jail, I was at first hesitant and judgmental of the other inmates. But as I talked to and listened to their stories, I realized we had all fallen through the same cracks in society. I met some of the most amazing and influential people of my life there. I facilitated RSVP violence-prevention workshops at the San Francisco County Jail for nearly my entire sentence, and I have dedicated my life to social justice since.
I came home in 2023, completed CROP's program, and started Dignifi — combining my tech background with the stark challenges reentrants face, building technology to help the formerly incarcerated find the resources and guidance they need to rebuild their lives. We raised $600K, built a 700+ listing resource directory with 10 partner organizations, ran a pilot cohort of returning citizens, and sat face to face with hundreds of people, from San Quentin to the SF Reentry Expo. We operated for over two years before our costs outweighed our funding, and I had to scale down. Dignifi lives on as a volunteer-run project, and I'm proud of every part of it.
Today I consult for small independent businesses through Big Bow, and I'm looking for my next seat: an operations role at a mission-driven organization. Running Dignifi taught me something I now know for certain — I don't cherish the spotlight. I held the vision and was the face, but what I loved most was coming into the office and setting my team up for success.
