A Dedicated Team
Allen Burnett
Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Prism Way
After twenty-eight years of incarceration, Allen Burnett’s sentence of life without the possibility of parole was commuted in 2019 by Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. Allen holds a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, where he is now pursuing an MA in Communication Studies. He is a member of the Human Rights Watch, National Life Without Parole Leadership Council, the Transformative In-Prison Workgroup and Project Rebound at California State University, Los Angeles, and program consultant with Parole Justice Works.
Cindy Shortt, MA, LPCC
Co-Founder, The Prism Way
Cindy Shortt is a licensed psychotherapist who has maintained a private practice in holistic, trauma-informed Psychotherapy and Counseling since 2017. Prior to establishing a private practice, she accrued over 20 years of experience as a high school and middle school counselor, and clinical therapist interacting with youth and families in urban and suburban areas of California and Connecticut. She is also a Sandplay Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200).
Kristin Worthe
Co-Founder, The Prism Way
As a co-founder of The Prism Way, Kristin Worthe builds upon insights she has gained as a Spiritual Advisor. Kristin has applied her mind and heart to the Wellness field for most of her adult life, training with many of the great spiritual teachers. She is certified in multiple healing modalities and is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200). Kristin pursued a formal education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she received a BA in Religious Studies.
Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy
Board Member
Professor of English Literature at California State University, Los Angeles, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy is the founder of WordsUncaged, an organization that provides a platform for incarcerated artists and writers to engage with the public through book publishing, art exhibits, and digital media. He is also faculty director of the degree program at Los Angeles County Prison, Lancaster. Bidhan serves as Vice President of California Humanities, and is a board member of The Fair Chance Project, as well as rapper YG’s foundation, 4Hunnid Waze.
Paul Gonzales
Board Member
Paul Gonzales is the founder and CEO of PG Gonzales Consulting, established to help businesses and nonprofit organizations fund and grow the enterprise. Prior to establishing a consulting business, Paul held the position of executive manager for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He serves on the boards of several local and statewide community programs, as well as law enforcement and criminal justice reform groups.
David Kanuth
Board Member
Attorney and investor, David Kanuth, graduated from Harvard College in 1998, followed by five years in the technology industry before completing a law degree at George Washington University. Following law school, David worked in the Office of the Public Defender, Los Angeles, which helped to shape his political priorities and activities. David is a member of the Mentor and Leadership Council, which focuses on making college a reality for students in under-resourced communities. He has a private law practice in Los Angeles.
Troy Williams
Advisory Board
Troy Williams is the Founder and CEO of Restorative Media Inc., a non-profit social impact organization whose mission is to give voice to the wisdom of lived experience, advance intellectual ownership, and distribute narratives that inspire transformation.
Edison de Mello, MD PhD
Advisory Board
The founder of the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine, Edison de Mello is a Board-Certified Integrative Physician and licensed psychotherapist who practices and teaches evidence-based integrative medicine. He is a member of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM), The Institute of Functional Medicine (IMF), The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American
Association of Integrative Medicine, and Physicians for Social Responsibility.
