Board of Directors

Nicole Smolter teaches at California State University Los Angeles in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics, focusing on reentry, corrections, and gender and crime. She has experience in assessment, program evaluation, and qualitative and quantitative research. She earned her Bachelor's degree at Ohio State University and her Master's degree at American University. She also completed additional doctoral studies and research in Criminology and Sociology at the University of Delaware.

Bruce Giudici serves as the Board Treasurer. He has been on the board for four years and was previously the Director of Finance at Friends Outside. He currently works for the Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency where he is the Fiscal Officer. Bruce plans to retire in 2024 from this full-time position but not from music. Bruce plays the trombone in a band called The Blowbacks and can be seen and heard performing throughout the Central Valley. Bruce and his wife live in Summerville CA.

Joycelyn Martinez-Wade has served as Director of Governmental Relations at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) since 2016. She oversees the state and federal legislative and regulatory programs and represents CalSTRS at legislative hearings and with affected stakeholders on issues of interest to CalSTRS. Ms. Martinez-Wade arrived at CalSTRS as a Legislative Analyst and was promoted to Legislative Advocate and later Legislative Affairs Manager.

Her career includes experience as a Research Analyst with the Little Hoover Commission and more than five years in the California State Assembly as an Assembly Fellow, Legislative Assistant, Legislative Director and Capitol Director. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

Ray Call finished his 28-year career with the Stockton Fire Department as Deputy Chief of Administration after holding just about every position in the department. After his retirement Ray started up his consulting business, "True North Solutions," and he began acting as Interim Executive for nonprofits where he runs the organization while helping the agency hire a new executive. He's been Interim Executive at 7 different nonprofits. Ray is also an adjunct instructor at Humphreys University teaching Organizational Behavior and Organizational Leadership to international students in the University's MBA program.

Mike Herald spent 44 years working on behalf of low income families and individuals. For 30 years he was a legislative advocate at the State Capitol in Sacramento working on affordable housing, public assistance, and access to justice. He was the policy director for the Western Center on Law and Poverty where his accomplishments include the $15 an hour minimum wage, the ending of license suspensions due to poverty, expanding CalFresh to SSI recipients and preventing evictions during COVID. He is a lawyer who served in the administration of Governor Gray Davis. He has been on the board of Friends Outside for more than a decade.

Sandra Romero West was raised in Tracy, California. She is a member of the Piro Manso Tiwa Tribe. She comes to Friends Outside with lived experience personally and having had family members impacted by the justice system. She is a mother of five children and a grandmother to nine grandchildren. She works as a professional travel agent and owns a catering business with her husband. She has a long history of retail employment for companies like Home Depot. She is a member of the New Spirit Car Club and volunteers broadly in the community supporting Native American focused organizations. Sandra serves so that others might not experience the pain that she and her family experienced at the feet of the justice system.

Motivated by his desire to learn more about the nonprofit sector, Rich aspires to serve as a board member. He believes that this role will provide him with valuable insights and knowledge to further enhance his impact in the community. With a second chance perspective, he aims to deepen his relationships with the community and continue advocating for those who deserve a fair chance at a better future.

Rich is employed by Faith in the Valley and works as a Community Organizer. He leads social justice campaigns that address the root causes of systemic inequities and empower marginalized communities. He also works at Victory In Praise Social Justice Ministry and consults with Continuity Consulting. Rich expects to achieve his Bachelor's of Arts degree in Psychology, December 2024 from CSU Stanislaus State, Turlock.

Fernando Esequiel Alvarez is originally from Stockton and has personal experience with the impacts of the justice system on his family members. As a child, he moved to San Jose to reunite with his father, which was the best opportunity of his life. Since then, he has built a successful career spanning over 20+ years as a Global Customer Support Operations Leader for notable Silicon Valley companies, including Apple, Netflix, Yahoo!, Zynga, and various early-stage startups.

Driven by a passion for advocating for intellectual property ownership, equity, and local arts, he founded VaporTent Lounges, a California State-licensed events company. In 2019, he left his professional career in Silicon Valley to pursue his entrepreneurship in developing Social Consumption Programs across California, including Stockton's policy in 2020. With family members who are still incarcerated today, he is deeply committed to the duty & purpose of giving back to the community that raised him. Providing his unique and innovative experience advocating for and expanding services to those impacted by the criminal justice system.