Healer Spotlight
Across the country, ordinary people are doing extraordinary work to heal divides, restore dignity, and build a future rooted in love and redemption. In this ongoing series, we’re shining a light on the changemakers leading the way — sharing their stories, their struggles, and the solutions they’re bringing to their communities.
Alice Marie Johnson
Criminal Justice Advocate & Community Changemaker
Alice Marie Johnson’s story is one of resilience, hope, and unwavering dedication to community transformation. After spending nearly 22 years in prison for a nonviolent drug offense, Alice emerged as a powerful advocate for criminal justice reform and second chances, using her experience to help others reclaim their lives.
Her leadership is rooted in a foundation of integrity and community building. Even behind bars, Alice created meaningful connections, bridging race, religion, and circumstance through artistic expression, volunteering, and mentorship. Her efforts transformed the prison environment, giving women a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and belonging.
Since receiving a full presidential pardon in 2020, Alice has continued her work at the grassroots level, partnering with organizations like Heal America to bring communities together and promote healing. She emphasizes the importance of starting with common ground, celebrating small victories, and staying inspired by young changemakers who refuse to give in to injustice.
Alice is also a strong advocate for self-care in leadership, reminding nonprofit leaders that they cannot serve others effectively if they are running on empty. Her work demonstrates the power of combining personal resilience with a commitment to collective progress — whether helping formerly incarcerated individuals rebuild their lives, guiding employers to embrace second-chance hiring, or fostering dialogue between community members and law enforcement.
Read more from Alice Marie Johnson’s journey:
Alice Marie Johnson’s advice for nonprofit leaders
“I had to learn how to celebrate the victories and not focus on what didn’t happen.” Setting reasonable goals also means not feeling personally guilty when something doesn’t work out as hoped and to learn from with wins and failures, big and small.
Alice Marie Johnson on building community in prison
“It starts with community,” she said, “because they’re the ones living it. We hear about things that are going on in the nation that will affect us overall, but it is the people in the community working together who are going to make the change really happen.
Alice Marie Johnson: Inspiration runs in the family
“Focusing on darkness literally paralyzes you,” she said. “Stop focusing on what happened in the past. We’ve had some turbulent times, but it’s time to move forward. And the only way that we can move forward as a country is together.”
Jon Ponder
Founder, Hope for Prisoners — Las Vegas, NV
Few stories capture the power of redemption and community transformation like Jon Ponder’s. Once facing a 23-year prison sentence after a lifetime shaped by violence and incarceration, Jon discovered his purpose behind bars — and turned it into a mission that’s changing lives nationwide.
Through his nonprofit Hope for Prisoners, Jon has helped more than 4,700 formerly incarcerated Americans successfully reenter society with a recidivism rate nearly ten times lower than the national average. But his impact goes far beyond the numbers. By forging unprecedented partnerships between returning citizens and law enforcement — including mentorship programs with more than 130 officers and judges — Jon is rebuilding trust, transforming systems, and proving that second chances are possible.
From building a community of hope that walks alongside people before and after their release, to using storytelling as a powerful tool for changing hearts, minds, and policies, Jon shows what it means to lead with love and live out redemption in action.
Read more from Jon’s journey:
The former prisoner who’s radically reducing recidivism
After his release, Jon Ponder founded Hope for Prisoners to instill real hope for returning citizens. It’s “real” hope because their immensely practical programs are based on his own reentry experience.
How Jon Ponder gathers the right stakeholders for community change
Creating opportunities for interaction and relationship-building between law enforcement officers and citizens, as Hope for Prisoners has, builds trust and transparency that enables communities to flourish to their fullest potential.
Jon Ponder’s tips for how to tell transformational stories
Jon has seen firsthand how success stories from formerly incarcerated persons can breathe life into those who are still serving time.
Dr. Dwayne Pickett
Senior Pastor, New Jerusalem Church — Jackson, MS
When crisis hits, true leadership is revealed. Few embody that truth more powerfully than Bishop Dr. Dwayne K. Pickett Sr., a faith leader whose unwavering commitment to his community has transformed Jackson, Mississippi, in its darkest hours.
For more than two decades, Dr. Pickett has led New Jerusalem Church and built a movement of faith, empowerment, and action — but his leadership was tested like never before during Jackson’s ongoing water crisis. As aging infrastructure left residents without safe water to drink, cook, or even bathe, Dr. Pickett and his congregation stepped in. Together, they distributed nearly 250,000 bottles of water and became a lifeline for thousands of families — often self-funding their efforts and finding innovative solutions when traditional systems failed.
Dr. Pickett’s approach to leadership is rooted in practical wisdom and deep community trust. He’s shown how the right partnerships — and the courage to let go of the wrong ones — can unlock resources, multiply impact, and keep people safe in times of crisis. He’s also challenged traditional models of volunteerism, creating paid opportunities that provided both purpose and income for young people helping with water distribution.
Through it all, Dr. Pickett has modeled what it means to lead with humility and resilience: from navigating donor skepticism and criticism, to facing burnout head-on and choosing to serve anyway. His story is a masterclass in how love, faith, and persistence can turn a local crisis into a catalyst for empowerment and healing.
Read more from Dr. Pickett’s journey:
How partnerships and overcoming criticism helped Dr. Dwayne Pickett during the Jackson, Mississippi, water crisis
Bishop Dr. Dwayne K. Pickett Sr. shared his experience and some things to look for to ensure partnership alignment and overcome criticism as a leader.
Fundraising without fear: Bishop Dr. Dwayne Pickett’s development tips to help solve the Jackson, Mississippi, water crisis
Here are four pieces of advice from Bishop Dr. Dwayne K. Pickett Sr. for others looking to raise funds to serve their communities.
How Dr. Dwayne Pickett kept faith during the Jackson water crisis
When Bishop Dr. Dwayne K. Pickett Sr. decided to plant his roots in Jackson – a city his family has called home for generations – he knew that the water crisis was impossible to ignore.
Dr. Dwayne Pickett on Mississippi water crisis: When community empowerment becomes part of the solution
Even in times of crisis, having a community around you can make all the difference.
Mar Butler
Community Advocate & Social Entrepreneur
Mar Butler’s journey is one of transformation, resilience, and dedication to breaking the cycle of poverty and recidivism in his community. Born and raised in West Dallas, Mar experienced firsthand the challenges of growing up in an area characterized by high crime and limited opportunities. By the age of 15, he had already entered the juvenile justice system, and as an adult, he served two prison sentences — experiences that shaped his mission to create pathways for others to choose a different life.
Through his nonprofit, TREE Leadership (Truth, Restore, Empower, Evolve), Mar works with youth aged 12–25 to foster leadership, advocacy, and community empowerment. He believes that healing starts with feeling, connecting deeply with the people he serves before guiding them toward self-empowerment. By being a consistent presence in his community, Mar gains the trust and insight needed to make meaningful, real-time impact.
Mar’s leadership is grounded in family, accountability, and resilience. The challenges he faced, including missing formative years with his daughters, fueled his resolve to create a legacy of guidance, mentorship, and empowerment. His work emphasizes that transformation is possible when individuals understand their worth, have access to opportunities, and are supported by a trusted community.
Through collaborations with Heal America and grassroots initiatives, Mar also focuses on bridging divides, reducing recidivism, and fostering community cohesion. He encourages others to embrace leadership with clarity, persistence, and the courage to challenge perceptions while ensuring that the people being helped understand the vision behind the work.
Mar’s story reminds us that change begins at the grassroots level, with empathy, connection, and consistent action — and that even in communities facing significant barriers, leaders can inspire hope, create opportunity, and leave a lasting legacy.
Read more from Mar Butler’s journey:
Mar Butler is breaking the cycle of poverty through empowered communities
Mar Butler summed up his mission, “I became one of the prominent leaders in the city, and the community, because I had an unadulterated resolve to make a difference.” By empowering his community from a grassroots level, he’s doing just that.
Keeping families together by reducing recidivism
“I knew that there were other people like me,” Mar Butler explained. “They did not have options, they did not know where to go, they didn’t have mentors. I wanted to make sure to always be the person that they can rely on.”
Mar Butler’s nonprofit is a success – yours can be, too
Mar Butler created a nonprofit called TREE Leadership. Mar is a social entrepreneur, writer, motivational speaker and coach. He’s changing lives – but that comes with challenges.