Diana Ortiz is Associate Director of Exodus Transitional Community and she is primarily responsible for overseeing the daily operations which includes monitoring budgets and contracts. She also handles community relations for the organization working with elected officials and community leaders as well as other non-profit organizations to spread the word about the important work of reentry. Diana spent almost twenty-three years in prison. While incarcerated, she worked with mothers to help them remain connected to their children and with women in the mental health units. After her release, she worked in entry-level positions and was rapidly promoted to Director of three social service programs for children with parents in prison. In her advocacy work she was effective in changing Executive Law 259i, which now allows people with life on their sentences to apply for discharge from parole. Her passionate engagement and advocacy efforts in the criminal justice system afforded her the opportunity to apply for early parole supervision, which she was granted in 2009. Diana strongly believes that there needs to be a strong face and a presence to help create positive change for men and women in and outside of prison. Thus, she has dedicated herself to being a powerful voice in the battle for successful re-integration from prison. Through her work, she helps create awareness and possibilities for second chances and describes it as her most fulfilling life experience. Diana received an award for her efforts in changing Executive Law 259j from the organization Citizens against Recidivism in 2008. While in prison, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and a Master’s Degree in English Literature.