Selena has worked on the front lines of alcoholism, addiction, and reentry for 15 years, and is passionate about policy work for sustained change. She experienced childhood trauma that led to addiction, which led her to The Healing Place, where she became a peer mentor and then a staff member for 12 years. After nursing school and a brief stint as a nurse, she quickly realized that recovery and reentry are her passions and began working at The Prisoner’s Hope.
As an Smart Justice Advocates member, she recalls one of the first times she went to Frankfort to lobby for better justice policies, when a lawmaker proposed cutting fingers off people with addiction to keep them from reoffending. That’s when she knew she had to be in Frankfort every session and to bring as many directly affected people as she could. Together with her SJA co-leader, LaTonya McNeal, she's focused on building comradery among the group’s members, providing more opportunities for them to learn more about the policymaking process, and ensuring they feel comfortable providing input at all stages in the process.