The Community

Shannon Ross was born to biracial parents and raised on Milwaukee’s north side, where he received a 17 year prison sentence for a violent crime when he was 19. Over the course of his incarceration, he acquired his bachelor’s degree in business administration, created and ran a mental health program in the prison for 2 years that still exits, had several articles published locally and nationally, and founded The Community with invaluable outside support in 2014. Since his release in 2020, Shannon is also a founding partner of Multidimensional Justice Solutions firm called Paradigm Shyft, an Education Trust fellow, a Marquette University EPP fellow, a graduate of the Masters in Sustainable Peacebuilding program at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and a first time father.

Roy is a public speaker, advocate for “juvenile lifers” in the Wisconsin prison system, and an associate of the Wisconsin Alliance For Youth Justice (WAYJ). Roy has over two decades of experience mentoring and counseling youth during his 28 years in prison from the age of 16. He is a graduate of the Madison Area Technical College and certified in Entry Level IT training at the New Horizons Computer Learning Center in Milwaukee and CompTIA ITF. And he also serves as a musician at the Progressive Baptist Church.

Robert is a veteran of the US Army, a working journalist, graphic artist, and community activist currently living in Minnesota, after serving over 38 years of confinement. During his confinement, he edited The Prison Mirror newspaper at the Minnesota Correctional Institution at Stillwater from 1985-1989, winning numerous journalism awards in the process. His work has been published in News and Letters Committees, and several other publications, and he is the author of Always Color Outside the Lines: Freedom for the Artist Within (2018). He recently graduated from Metro State University in St Paul, MN, where he was the Outstanding Student Award recipient for the College of Individualized Studies and gave the Commencement address. Robert is beginning his Graduate Degree in the fall where he will be majoring in Urban Developmental Initiatives. He will also be pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Adult Education. He is a member of the National Society of Leadership Success, the Society of Professional Journalists, and other community-based organizations.

Megan is a compassionate and driven individual who is deeply passionate about social justice and helping others. With extensive experience in brand marketing, she skillfully combines her professional expertise with empathy and humor in her work. Her journey exemplifies the powerful impact of merging expertise with a genuine desire to make the world a more equitable and compassionate place.