Former Fellows

Kelly Lynch (she/her) is a lifelong Florida resident who was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL. She attended school at the University of North Florida culminating in a study abroad scholarship at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. One semester from graduating, she hit rock bottom in her personal life, through addiction and depression, which halted her graduation. Now, after two years of sobriety and overcoming mental health issues, addictions, multiple hospitalizations and the criminal justice system, she holds a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice. Kelly is a mother of two children who are her reason for living and is proud of herself and her family. She is passionate about criminal justice reform and addressing the issue of mass incarceration. She believes that every person deserves a second chance, support and love.

Alfredo Morales (he/him) was born in Lima, Peru and moved to South Florida in 2003. As a first-generation immigrant, he had to navigate the cultural and economic challenges that came with assimilating to the United States– challenges that led him to internalize the importance of community and mutual aid. In 2014, he began studying Engineering at UF where he quickly fell in love with Gainesville, specifically the spaces that were still free from the university’s grasp. He saw first-hand how the university neglected its working-class students, campus workers and the Gainesville community. After graduating in 2018, Alfredo stayed in Gainesville and began becoming more and more involved at the Civic Media Center, becoming an organizer with Dream Defenders and eventually helping develop the Gainesville Free Grocery Store (FGS) mutual aid program during the pandemic, eventually expanding the program to feed over 100 families per week. In his free time, Alfredo enjoys helping put together music shows at the Civic Media Center or finding community through film photography and biking.

Chandra Penny (she/her) was born and raised in Gainesville, FL and graduated from Eastside High School. She is a single mother of two amazing kids and is passionate about the development of children and teens. Chandra has worked in programs designed to support teens with addiction and mental health concerns as well as early childhood education. She is also interested in all aspects of the cooking world and is the founder and owner of PENNYS’, an up-and-coming food service and catering business. Chandra is currently studying social services at the Florida State College in Jacksonville to better support low-income families struggling with behavioral health concerns and to advocate for them to receive a high-quality education and the opportunities they need to thrive.

JoJo Sacks (any pronouns) is a Queer community organizer and abolitionist who has lived in Gainesville for eight years. Committed to change in the South, they are interested in creating and facilitating spaces where people can come together in solidarity with one another, advocate for each other, and create cultures of care. Through their work at the Civic Media Center, they learned that building community will further our liberation struggles as we grow together. At a young age, they experienced the harm and alienation caused by the criminal legal system and today engage in direct work with incarcerated folks. JoJo enjoys reading and sewing in their spare time, and has a project called fabric snax that focuses on Fat liberation through clothing and collective learning. In their spare time you will find them making zines or going thrifting.

Skyler Thornton (she/they) is a Haitian-American artist, writer, and mental health advocate. As a Gainesville native, they took notice of the ongoing gentrification of her childhood home of Porters Community and decided to take action. Skyler has previously volunteered at the Sidney Lanier Center and St. Francis House; currently, she uses her gifts of hospitality to assist the elderly at The Village at Gainesville. In her free time, Skyler has a passion for research on African-American lineage, creating safe spaces and raising awareness of Black trauma and the effects of intersectionality, and developing outlets for disenfranchised people to creatively express their feelings and experiences through the arts. Skyler is excited to partner with fellow community organizers to envision and build a better future for the communities she loves.

Kenjee Roker (he/they) is a second-generation Caribbean American who was born and raised in south Florida. Kenjee has always had a passion for exploring the connection between people and the environment. They have a background in retail, horticulture, non-profit work as well as architectural and art salvage. They embody this in their job at The Repurpose Project and in their business Quircus and Quirky, where they create horticultural assemblage art in the form of upcycled planters. Kenjee plans to finish his degree in wildlife ecology in hopes of building a career as a naturalist that bridges the gap between humans and the environment. Kenjee deeply cares about building and growing inclusive spaces in the community by hosting queer potlucks and promoting local events. They also provide a platform to local artists and artisans by sharing a booth at markets and events, in hopes of one day forming an artist collective. Kenjee believes everyone wants to be heard and that they should be given the opportunity and tools to be understood.

Leigh Scott (he/him) is a lifelong Gainesville, Florida resident. Serving as an Advocate and Volunteer Coordinator for Grace Marketplace, a low-barrier homeless shelter, he has a deep love and connection to the guests he works with. Leigh had a 15-year radio career hosting his own morning show, punk rock show, and covering University of Florida athletics. Leigh is a justice-impacted person who spent 5 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. During his time inside. he designed and taught self-help classes to hundreds of incarcerated individuals. He continued that work after coming home, mentoring and advocating for justice-impacted individuals. In 2020, Leigh combined his broadcasting, teaching skills, and lived experience to create Uncarcerated, a podcast giving formerly incarcerated people a space to share their journeys into incarceration and the challenges in freedom. Leigh is passionate about college football, punk rock, and growing food with his amazing partner.

Julius Irving is an activist, humanitarian, (r)evolutionist, and alchemist. Born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, Julius is very passionate about life, freedom, and raising the mass vibrational consciousness of the world. He worked as a field organizer for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to help get Amendment 4 passed and was featured in the New York Times twice in 2020 for his work with the Florida Immigrant Coalition around voter registration (print and podcast). He is also the owner of a tattoo business N.W.A. (NeverWorkAgain) LLC and the founder of a grassroots movement that empowers black men through exercise, education, and intellectual discourse. No matter what he has accomplished or may accomplish in the future, Julius knows his greatest creation or achievement is having children and being a father.

Sydney Lee (she/they) was born in Pennsylvania but has lived in Florida since she was 7 years old. She is an artist and has a background in professional spiritual advising, which they practice in their business AfroTarot. They are queer and non-binary, and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, anti-racism, decolonization, social justice, and prison abolition. Their goals include working with folk who are directly impacted by these systems, especially since these issues are very pressing in her community as well as her own life. She hopes to grow her skills in community organizing and gain more hands-on experience working within the community. Sydney provides strong leadership abilities and communication skills to her team as well as a confident, empathetic voice. She's ready to show up for her community in any way she can.

Lacorya Lynn is a longtime resident of Gainesville, Florida, and a graduate of Eastside High School. She is passionate about the importance of mental health and helping people in disadvantaged communities. Lacorya has helped organize events to address mental health problems in teenagers and has volunteered with local organizations such as KidsCount and the Humane Society of North Central Florida. Lacorya is currently a psychology student at the University of South Florida. She plans to become a psychologist to support the mental health of people in prison, whose well-being is often ignored or neglected. In the long term, she hopes to create or work at a nonprofit organization that ensures that people experiencing homelessness and formerly incarcerated individuals have access to the same opportunities as everyone else.

Raynard Mack was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida. He is a self-starter, entrepreneur, and owner of Blacklash Collections, a brand representative of his plight. He's looking to hone the skill sets that will allow him to make a positive change in his community. His passions include Gator sports, youth mentoring, and bringing awareness to the structural inequities that have plagued the community and society as a whole. Raynard wants to see a robust effort to address Gainesville’s affordable housing crisis. He feels that affordable, livable, and safe housing should be everyone’s birthright. Raynard’s deeply-rooted connection to the Gainesville community fuels his drive to see immediate and meaningful change. When Raynard is not involved with Community Spring, he's usually enjoying the fruits of being a father to his 14 and 16-year-old children who are students at their local high schools.

Vaishnavi was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and moved to the U.S. in 2005. She did three years of missionary service for the International Movement for Krishna Consciousness and was deeply involved in that community, with most of her values rooted in the Hare Krishna philosophy. As an immigrant and single mother who did not have family in this country, Vaishnavi overcame a lot of difficult situations in her life. While her goal in life was to help people get to a higher level of spiritual thinking, the Hare Krishna philosophy teaches that it is also necessary to cover our more basic material needs in order to be able to focus on higher spiritual goals. Vaishnavi believed that everyone must take care of their bodies, which are the transportation for their souls. After facing her own struggles with multiple material issues, such as housing, employment, transportation, medical care, and education, she was driven to keep learning and improving so that she could help herself and others facing similar problems in life.

Vaishnavi passed away on August 2, 2022, at the age of 52. May she rest in power.

Born at a Naval base in Virginia, John moved to Gainesville with his family when he was 8 years old. After moving around the state a great deal -- and going to live in Ohio a few times -- John decided to settle down in the city he always found himself returning to. He is currently in his junior year as a student of Data Science at Indiana University East, where he studies statistics and computer science and frets about how to apply these skills in a meaningful way to the causes that are important to him. He cares deeply about incarceration, the criminal justice system, and access to education for those who are experiencing poverty and impacted by the justice system. John is a member of the Community Education Project at Stetson University, which brings quality Liberal Arts education to prisoners incarcerated in the Florida Department of Corrections. He also works on the COVID Prison Stories Project, which aims to create a historical archive of the personal experiences of those incarcerated during the pandemic, and the Prison Mathematics Project, where he serves as an academic mentor for incarcerated students of mathematics all over the United States.

Nadine (Hope) Johnson is a Philadelphia native who relocated with her family to North Central Florida when she was 15. During her childhood, Nadine and her family experienced homelessness off and on for many years. Like many people who experience inter-generational poverty, she encountered a variety of inter-sectional issues such as lack of reliable transportation, barriers to education, exploitative employment, domestic violence, and chronic stress. As Nadine began to break the adverse cycles in her own life, she developed a passion for those around her who struggle to overcome the same issues. Before joining Community Spring she created a YouTube channel with the goal of encouraging and supporting her peers. Nadine brings to Community Spring a strong determination to use her voice and experiences to create change locally. She has held several positions in the food industry and has always enjoyed customer service and management. As the proud mother of six beautiful children, Nadine is eager to empower and break the cycle of poverty in her community.

Latashia Mayze-Brimm is a loving mother and nurturing grandmother. She was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but she spent most of her formative years in Gainesville, Florida. Latashia is currently the Executive Director of the Florida Council, Inc. an arm of the National Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls, Inc. She is also a Production Assistant for Brooke Brimm Retreats and Culture Advertising & Design. Latashia joins Community Spring with a passion for healing communities by addressing individual and community needs, preventing mass incarceration of women and girls, uniting communities with resources, and developing progressive community-led programs. Outside of Community Spring, Latashia spends time working on two manuscripts about traumatic life experiences and the journey to healing through self-love. Latashia believes in giving back and being active within the community.

Tequila McKnight was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida. A proud graduate of Gainesville High School, she is the founder of a local business called TNT Dynamite Cleaning Service. Tequila is passionate about ending the mass incarceration of women and girls in Florida. She has worked with the Gainesville chapter of the Florida Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls since 2016. More recently, she worked on the campaign for Amendment 4, which restored the voting rights for nearly 1.5 million formerly incarcerated Florida residents. Tequila brings to Community Spring a deep concern for the youth in Gainesville. As a proud mother of five children and five grandchildren, she is driven to build a stronger, more prosperous community for future generations.

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Sarasota, Florida, Kevin Scott is a longtime Gainesville resident with a passion for social justice and community organizing. He has been involved with Florida Prisoner Solidarity and Fight Toxic Prisons since 2016. As an outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform and prisoner rights, he has been a pivotal voice in several successful grassroots campaigns leading to policy changes around the city, the county, and the University of Florida's use of prison slave labor. Kevin also works as a Guest Ambassador at GRACE Marketplace, a large homeless services shelter. Previously, Kevin was a professional musician and fortunate enough to travel to every state except Hawaii (so far). Aside from his work with Community Spring, Kevin practices Zen meditation and is the proud father of one genius daughter and three dumb cats.

Charles Cromwell Jr. was an entrepreneur at heart. He was a Gainesville native who attended Eastside High School and was deeply involved in the local community. Charles lived in Dallas, Texas for seven years, but he relocated back to Gainesville where he owned and operated Focused Action Lawn Service. Charles joined Community Spring with a passion for job creation and education - particularly around entrepreneurship, business development, and social-emotional coping skills. As a witness to the trauma, mass incarceration, and unemployment that has fractured his community in East Gainesville, Charles was committed to facilitating a meaningful connection between people that builds resilience and strength.

Charles passed away on July 16, 2021 at the age of 34. May he rest in power.