Our Story
Free To Lead began with a simple but powerful truth:
The people closest to our nation's challenges should have the opportunity to lead its solutions.
Across the country, millions of Americans live with the lasting consequences of a criminal record. While more than one in three Americans has a criminal record, justice-impacted people remain dramatically underrepresented in elected office and public leadership. Free To Lead was created to change that by ensuring lived experience has a place at every decision-making table.
From Exclusion to Leadership
It Started With a Different Vision of Leadership
For years, Tarra Simmons was told that her past would define her future. Instead, she chose to redefine what leadership could look like.
After overcoming addiction and incarceration, Tarra earned her law degree, became the first formerly incarcerated attorney admitted to the Washington State Bar Association, and was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives. Her journey demonstrated something larger than one person's success—it proved that barriers can be transformed into bridges, and that lived experience belongs in the halls where decisions are made.
Tarra’s story of incarceration and redemption is not unique.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people return home from incarceration, and more than 1 in 3 Americans has a criminal record. Yet despite representing a significant portion of our communities, justice-impacted people remain largely absent from elected office, nonprofit leadership, and the institutions responsible for shaping public policy. Too often, legal and practical barriers—including limited employment opportunities, housing restrictions, and disqualification from public service—keep people with lived experience from positions of leadership.
Through their own experiences in public service, Tarra Simmons and Nevada Assemblymember Jovan Jackson recognized that the issue wasn't a lack of capable leaders—it was a lack of opportunity and investment. They envisioned an organization that would identify, prepare, and support justice-impacted people to step into leadership roles at every level of government and community.
Together with Kentucky State Senator Keturah Herron and community leader Joel Castón, they founded Free To Lead—a national movement dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted leaders to run for office, lead organizations, and transform community systems. Guided by the belief that lived experience is leadership, Free To Lead is building a future where leadership reflects the full diversity, resilience, and strength of the communities it serves.
From One Story to a National Movement
Through his work in public service and community leadership, Nevada Assemblymember Jovan Jackson recognized that lasting change would require more than individual success stories. As the founder of Better Minds Better Communities Inc., he worked to expand opportunities for justice-impacted individuals and saw the need for a national effort dedicated to developing leaders with lived experience. What began as a vision to bridge the gap in leadership representation evolved into Free To Lead—a movement focused on ensuring that justice-impacted people have the preparation, support, and opportunity to lead at every level of public life.
Joined by Tarra Simmons, Kentucky State Senator Keturah Herron, and community leader Joel Castón, that vision became a collaborative effort to build a national pipeline of justice-impacted leaders. Together, the founders are creating pathways for people with lived experience to serve their communities, shape public policy, and strengthen democracy through representative leadership.
Explore Their Stories
The Spark of a National Movement
This short PBS feature highlights the determination, perseverance, and leadership that transformed one woman's life—and challenged what leadership can look like.
Learn More About Tarra’s Story
Go beyond the headlines in this in-depth documentary exploring Tarra Simmons' path through addiction, incarceration, recovery, and public service. It's a powerful look at the experiences that shaped both a leader and a movement.
Watch the YouTube video →
Leading the Second-Chance Movement
From incarceration to elected office, Jovan Jackson’s story demonstrates the power of second chances and the importance of justice-impacted voices shaping the future of our communities.
