A native of Pittsburgh, Deborah Ujevich has lived in Charleston for the past five years.

As a justice-impacted person, she saw firsthand the cruelty of the West Virginia criminal justice system; she paroled to Charleston and became a citizen activist with the hope of raising awareness and fostering much-needed systemic change.

As the daughter of a politician, Deborah understood the power inherent in civic engagement in particular and voting in specific, and joined other like-minded organizations and individuals to help inspire & assist justice-impacted people to raise their voices and join in this effort. In 2021, Deborah was invited to join the Family in the role of civic engagement coordinator, where she is privileged to help bring this message directly to the people.

She is the mother of Rhett and Ella, two lovely young people who inspire her every day.

A West Virginia native, Ashley Omps is a justice-impacted person in long-term recovery.

She has endured the criminal justice system and knows all too well the problems it faces. She speaks of her mental health issues and the lack of resources that are available. She came to Charleston to attend Recovery Point as treatment for her substance use disorder and began her interest in being a citizen activist.

She has successfully lobbied against bills that would have made it even harder to transition back into society after incarceration, delivering testimony to help defeat the bills.

She has become eager to help other likeminded people and inspire a change. She hopes to inspire other justice-impacted people to become more civically engaged, find their voice and advocate for a common cause.

A former farmer, beekeeper, and cosmetologist, Ashley loves nature, hiking, being outdoors with family and friends, and reading.