Community Ambassadors
Ray Boyd
In November 2021, Ray was released from the Connecticut Department of Correction. He was incarcerated at the age of 17 and served 30 years. During his incarceration, in 2015, Ray cofounded the Skills of Socialization (S.O.S.) program at the Osborn Correctional Institute, and in 2018 he cofounded the T.R.U.E. Reentry program at the Cheshire Correctional Institute. The innovative program was the subject of segment aired on 60 Minutes. In April of 2022, Ray was a presenter of Restorative Justice Practices at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) in Chicago, Illinois.
Since his release, Ray has worked at Lewis Real Estate Services and Yale New Haven Health. He currently volunteers his time as a Board Member of CT Stop Solitary Confinement and advocates for second chances for offenders. Ray also volunteers his time with the United States Department of Justice as a speaker with FED Up, Project Safe Neighborhood, and Project Longevity. Ray also lends his lived experience to Odyssey Impact as an Expert Contributor to the Documentary “Second Shot” by Andrew Michael Ellis. The film is part of a National Campaign to bring awareness to social injustices here in America and abroad.
Ray is the Author of “The Model Inmate” which explores his time of incarceration. Writing a book has afforded Ray the opportunity to travel around the country to speak with at-risk youth and others. In 2022, Ray was invited by the city of Miami to take part in an Authors, Arts & Jazz Festival in the Historic Coconut Grove section of Miami Florida. In February of 2023, he was invited down to the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., to speak with youth at H.D. Woodson High School during Black History Month.
Ray is embarking on his new journey as the Program Manager at the Law & Racial Justice Center. Ray looks to share his lived experience with all so that it may benefit the lives of others.
Ray is married to the love of his life Jacqueline James-Boyd. Together, they are the co-founders of Next Level Empowerment Program in New Haven, CT. where they advocate to create a supportive community for returning citizens and their families through direct engagement and holistic social support. Ray is the father of Ray, Jr & daughter, Chloe.
Lana Mendis
Lana J. Mendis is a transformational leader and justice reform advocate whose work is grounded in lived experience and driven by a profound commitment to systemic change. She serves as the Leadership Training Manager at JustLeadershipUSA™, where she oversees national leadership development initiatives, manages high-impact training programs, and supports strategic engagement across alumni, staff, and external partners to advance justice reform efforts nationwide. Additionally, she is a 2022 Leading with Conviction™ alumna.
Lana also serves as the Ohio State Director for The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, fostering transformative dialogue between incarcerated individuals and the public to shift narratives and promote dignity. She is the author of Unseen, Unbroken: The Story of a Resilient Woman, a memoir chronicling her journey through incarceration, adversity, and spiritual transformation.
Previously, Lana supported reentry and healing through Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s Chopping for a Change program, providing culinary training and trauma-informed support for incarcerated individuals. She has served as a mentor for the Prison-to-Professional PhD initiative and is a member of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. With over two decades of leadership experience in finance—including roles at Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, and the Chicago Board of Trade—she brings strategic insight, operational excellence, and systems-level thinking to every endeavor.
She holds a B.A. in Leadership & Ministry, an MBA in Organizational Management, and is pursuing her doctorate in Organizational Leadership at the University of Dayton. Lana’s journey—from surviving incarceration, abuse, and homelessness to becoming a voice for justice—is a testament to her resilience, purpose, and unwavering belief in redemption and human potential.
Mark Renick
Mark is a reentry advocate with lived experience—ten years incarcerated starting at age 30. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Kansas and has pursued graduate studies in Social Work at Northwest Nazarene University.As Program Manager for St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho Reentry Services, Mark supports individuals leaving Idaho's prisons with transportation, clothing, food assistance, employment support, and peer-led groups. He is a graduate of Just Leadership USA's 2018 Cohort, founder of Systemic Change of Idaho, and board member of the Idaho Justice Project. He also hosts Victory Over Sin, a weekly radio and podcast series on life after incarceration.Mark serves with the Frederick Douglass Project, where he helps shift public perceptions of Idaho's criminal justice system by helping communities see the humanity in incarcerated individuals. With nearly 98% of Idaho's incarcerated population returning to society, this work is vital.
Shannon Sisney
Shannon is a returning citizen who grew up in and out of the foster care system. A proud mother and devoted sister, she has built a life rooted in resilience, creativity, and service to her community. Since 2004, she has worked as a licensed esthetician specializing in multicultural skin types, and she founded Full Circle Creations, a design business creating custom wreaths and personalized gifts. She earned 2nd place in the Georgetown Pivot Program's pitch competition for her work.Shannon is a Community Ambassador with The Douglass Project, where she brings lived experience and deep commitment to centering the humanity and dignity of people impacted by the criminal justice system. Through her work, she builds relationships grounded in empathy, amplifies the voices of returning citizens, and helps create conditions for healing and transformation—showing others that survival is possible, redemption is real, and their past does not define their future.