Executive Director and Co-Founder of LARRP
Mr. Troy F. Vaughn is the Executive Director and Chair of the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership (LARRP), a network of over 400 organizations throughout Los Angeles County. LARRP is dedicated to creating viable housing and employment solutions and system-wide change for formerly justice-involved individuals.
In his role as Executive Director of LARRP, the network as grown to now over 400 agencies. LARRP has had a tremendous impact on capacity building of smaller CBOs, and has fought for input/inclusion in the County’s contracting and budgeting process. In 2013, LARRP launched its 50% campaign to create more funding to CBOs that served people under Assembly Bill 109 (AB109). LARRP’s effort resulted in an increase of AB109 funding to CBOs from 11% to now over 27%.
Mr. Vaughn also serves as Founder, President and CEO of Christ-Centered Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating housing and employment opportunities for the disenfranchised. Throughout his 20+ year career, Mr. Vaughn has held a wide range of executive roles for several large non-profits in the Los Angeles area, including CEO and COO of two Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FQHCs), COO of Shields for Families, CPO for Lamp Community and Executive Director and Vice President of the Weingart Center for the Homeless.
Through these varied tenured roles, he has garnered the reputation of being a change agent, and the respect of his peers. He has also been instrumental in the successful growth, innovation, branding and integration of key systems and program designs within the reentry, homeless and health sectors. Mr. Vaughn has developed permanent housing, social enterprises, and social services programs for families, TAY, veterans, formerly justice-involved individuals, substance abusers, mentally ill and the chronically homeless.
Mr. Vaughn is active professionally in local, state and federal initiatives for profit and non-profit organizations providing services to disenfranchised populations, including programs on institutional community systems analysis, and community and public relations. He was recently invited to the White House to discuss the implementation of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) in the greater Los Angeles area, and now serves on the Key Stakeholders Policy Committee that is required as part of LA County's LEAD grant submission to the Board of State Community Corrections (BSCC).
In October 2011, Mr. Vaughn was unanimously elected to serve as the only CBO/FBO Representative to the Public Safety Realignment Team. Because he found community representation to be inadequate, Mr. Vaughn formed the Community Advisor Committee (CAC). CAC is comprised of a group of 15 diverse non-profits from across the County to expand the voice and participation of Key Stakeholders serving formerly justice-involved individuals.
In early 2016, Mr. Vaughn was appointed by Supervisor Ridley-Thomas to serve as the CBO Representative for Supervisorial District 2 on the Office of Diversion and Reentry’s (ODR) Permanent Steering Committee. In this role, he has provided the ODR with strategic direction and counsel in the use of funds and the type of programs needed to serve the formerly justice-involved population.
Mr. Vaughn is currently working with the Department of Health Services in designing and implementing their Whole Person Care Initiative. In this role, Mr. Vaughn has fought to include the hiring of 170 formerly justice-involved men and women to serve as community Health Care Workers (HCWs). The HCWs will act as navigators for people leaving custody, and will be key to their successful reintegration back into society.
In late 2016, Mr. Vaughn was selected to participate in the 2017 Leadership Cohort for JustLeadership USA (JLUSA). JLUSA is an organization dedicated to cutting the U.S. correctional population in half by 2030. By joining this illustrious group, Mr. Vaughn is now a part of the vanguard of advocates working to make that future a reality. His goal is to amplify the voice of the people most impacted, and to position them as reform leaders. At its core, JLUSA challenges the assumption that formerly justice-involved people lack the skills to thoughtfully weigh in on policy reform. Rather, JLUSA is based on the principle that people closest to the problem are also the people closest to its solution.
Mr. Vaughn has an Executive J.D. from Concord Law School, M.B.A., and BS in Advanced Legal Studies from Kaplan University and BS in Business Administration from Cal State University of Los Angeles (CSULA). He also holds a Graduate Certification in Executive Non-profit Management from CSULA, and Fundraising and Marketing from Cal State University of Long Beach (CSULB). Mr. Vaughn also has a Masters in Divinity/Theology with a minor in Urban Planning from Kings Seminary in Van Nuys, California, and Doctorate in Theology from the Masters School of Divinity. He is happily married with one son and granddaughter. He and his wife live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, California.
Vice President of Network Partnerships & Government Relations
“Joseph “Joe” Paul is a seasoned Reentry professional with over 27 years of community service, working with ex-offenders, high risk adults, and various community development and faith-based organizations. Joseph is currently the Managing Director for the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership, and has served, previously as the Administrator of Vocational and Workforce Development Services, for SHIELDS for Families, were he oversaw federal and state-funded reentry programs for the agency.
Joseph’s strength is in program implementation; managing collaborations and multi-disciplinary teams; staff development; managing complex evidence-based programs, focused on workforce, soft and hard skill development, and case management, for reentry and hard-to-serve populations, in the pre and post release stages of incarceration.
Over the past 10 years he has contributed greatly to the establishment of state and local laws, concerning voting rights and fair hiring for those impacted by criminal convictions. He is a ordained Elder and has served in the capacity of Director of Political and Civic Affairs for the honorable Bishop Noel Jones for the past 9 years. He is currently a Commissioner for the Inmate Welfare Fund, for Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Joseph’s passion and spirit of excellence are enduring qualities in his determination to contribute to ameliorating the suffering in the lives of men and women returning home from incarceration.”
Director of Programs and Operations
Julyanna Mendez joined the LARRP team as a program manager. She manages staff, all of LARRPS seven committees, and membership. She is dedicated to keeping the LARRP network alive and connected to ensure formerly incarcerated individuals have access to all resources.
She is passionate about ensuring social equality and intervention/ prevention resources are easily available for all. Julyanna has brought her past experiences to LARRP from working at HOPICS and the City of Los Angeles, in data management, community engagement, and relationship building.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Julyanna serves her community on the Atwater Neighborhood Council and serves on the homeless and outreach committees. She is dedicated to improving communication between public and private entities to ensure there is always a civic engagement approach with social change. Julyanna received her BA, in Non Governmental Organizations and Social change and nonprofit management. Along with her Masters in Public Administration with a certification in City and County management from the University of Southern California. She is excited to serve the reentry community and is committed to connecting LARRP's efforts in capacity building and building up communities.
Outreach and Engagement Coordinator
Evelyn Garcia serves as the project lead in two of our partnerships, the County of Los Angeles Probation, D.O.O.R.S. Community Reentry Center, and 211 RELINC program. Evelyn’s role includes capacity building and advocating for clients and providers. She ensures up to date information on reentry resources and integrates them into 211 databases and that they become more accessible to the broader community.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles she has seen first-hand how the justice system has affected her community. With a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills, Evelyn is determined to change the justice system from within. Her passion is to increase the voices of low income and marginalized groups by advocating and outreaching to make sure the reentry community has the resources to feel empowered.
Program Coordinator
Anthony Garcia oversees the LARRP’s LEADERS Training Academy. The LEADERS Training Academy, consists of a cohort of 12 people; a diverse group of individuals who will have the opportunity to develop into leaders and advocates for their community by capacity building, outreach to the community of policymakers and various agencies, and become actively involved in policy reform.
Anthony was born in Compton and raised in Inglewood, California. Anthony experienced first hand the full impact of many systemic inequities. With the power of hope and faith, Anthony has shown resilience and perseverance throughout his life. Having experienced poverty as a child, it sparked his interest to become self educated; finance, real estate, business development, and social services. He went on to work for a real estate investment group, where he prospered and learned the fundamentals of real estate investing. With his desire to make systemic change, Anthony directed his focus to social services. Anthony believes that people coming out of underserved communities who serve as change agents, are the most effective in making equitable changes for the generations to come.
Policy and Legal Coordinator
joined LARRP as our Community Policy Analyst, where he will help drive policy priorities and track key legislation that impacts the reentry community.
Charles was born and raised in Santa Clarita, and has been active in policy for over a decade. He began working on congressional campaigns in junior high school, and later turned that passion into multiple internships and positions interfacing with the public on policy issues, including working as a legislative intern on Capitol Hill and working in Materials Management at Metrolink. Charles graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Public Policy and Law, and with Honors with a Master’s in Public Administration, both from USC’s Price School of Public Policy.
Program Specialist
Kaitlin Martins was born on Long Island, New York. She has seen first hand how the criminal justice system has affected both those in her community and her circle. Kaitlin received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Bachelors of Arts in Sociology at the State University of New York at Oneonta. Kaitlin's strong background in psychology allows her to approach problems within the system from both a macro and micro level. Kaitlin is passionate about educating herself through hands-on work with vulnerable populations. She is excited and ready to serve the community and allow individuals voices to be heard.
Systems Navigator
Anna Paz has joined the LARRP team as the Systems Navigator, where she will work to strengthen the network of reentry service providers in the Pomona Valley region, provide system navigation services, and organize regular legal and expungement clinics.
Anna Paz was born and raised in Santa Ana, CA. Anna witnessed the insidiousness of the prison industrial complex and the resiliency of her community, spurring a sense of political consciousness within her at a young age. Anna earned a B.A. in Politics and Dance from Scripps College, with concentrations in political theory and choreographic performance. Anna is deeply passionate about building a system of care and fighting for transformative social change through policy advocacy and ground-level capacity building. She is excited to bring her commitment to community empowerment and service to effectively lead as Systems Navigator in the Pomona Valley region.