Bringing Dignity to Reentry

Our mission is to bring reentrants, providers, and policymakers into one data-driven ecosystem. We believe the most transformative solutions come from putting human stories and technological prowess together. That is our purpose at Dignifi.

Born from Experience

Dignifi emerged from a partnership with CROP, an organization that supports formerly incarcerated individuals during their critical first year of reintegration.

Our founder, Danny Yoon, faced profound uncertainty upon his release from incarceration. When his release date came, he felt fear rather than relief. CROP provided the critical support during his difficult first year—with dignity—that inspired him to create something bigger.

We understand reentry because we've lived it. That lived experience informs every feature we build and every decision we make.

Danny Yoon graduation ceremony

Our Values

Driving for Impact

We focus exclusively on measurable outcomes, including the abstract qualities that matter most: dignity, happiness, and fulfillment during reentry.

Rising the Tide

We're committed to fair opportunities. We hire formerly incarcerated individuals, provide skills development, and pair tech professionals with aspiring workers.

Putting Humans First

We prioritize human welfare and impact over metrics. Technology serves humans, not the other way around. We create values-based work environments.

Understanding the Problem

We maintain ground-level engagement through direct facility visits and listening to community members' experiences before building solutions.

Our Team

A team with lived experience, deep expertise, and unwavering commitment to the mission.

Danny Yoon

Danny Yoon

Founder & CEO

CROP Fellow and Graduate. Data at Instacart. Product at ApartmentList. COO at Rio Mobility. Biology @ UC Berkeley. CS @ Foothill.

Jenny Ma

Jenny Ma

Head of Product

15+ years building products in healthtech, talent marketplaces, and safety. Human-centered design leader for vulnerable communities.

Jay Kim

Jay Kim

Partnerships

Ex Marketing at A24. Excels at outreach and building human networks. Formerly incarcerated.

Chris Schuhmacher

Chris Schuhmacher

Senior Software Engineer

Chris is a senior software engineer passionate about building tools with real-world impact. He spends his free time hiking, practicing yoga, and surfing whenever possible. These days, he's thinking a lot about how AI can transform work—and how we can use it responsibly to expand opportunity, not replace it.

Kim Nguyen

Kim Nguyen

Data & ML Engineer

Kim is a data engineer transitioning deeper into ML engineering, with hands-on experience building scalable pipelines, model workflows, and retrieval-augmented applications using modern cloud and data tooling.

Our Board

Ensuring accountability, strategic direction, and sustainable growth.

Eddy Zheng

Eddy Zheng

Board Chair

President and founder of New Breath Foundation, a community-led public foundation advancing trust-based philanthropy for AANHPI communities impacted by incarceration, detention, and deportation. Since 2017, NBF has distributed $8M+ to grassroots organizations nationwide. Former co-director of the Asian Prisoner Support Committee and co-founder of ROOTS, the first ethnic studies program in San Quentin. Award-winning community leader, documentary subject, and nationally recognized speaker and writer on justice and liberation.

Our Advisors

Experts guiding our mission with deep industry knowledge and lived experience.

Michelle Littlefield

Michelle Littlefield

Advisor

15+ years building public-sector, nonprofit, and social impact data and analytics systems. Founder of Esperto Analytics and Former Chief Data Officer for the City and County of San Francisco. Expertise in cross-agency data infrastructure, civic analytics, and evidence-based policy.

Steve Adami

Steve Adami

Advisor

Lived experience: incarceration, recovery, and reentry. Executive Director of The Way Out (Salvation Army) supporting recovery-focused housing. Former Director of Reentry Services at SF Adult Probation; managed $22M+ portfolio of programs.

Tidjane Tall

Tidjane Tall

Advisor

15+ years building digital products across fintech, commerce, health, and enterprise. Former design + product leader at Adobe, Instacart, Shopify, and Dell. Expertise in user-centered design, UX systems, and accessible product development.

Lawrence Wagner

Lawrence Wagner

Advisor

Lawrence Wagner is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Black in AI Safety and Ethics (BASE) Research. A U.S. Army veteran and graduate AI researcher at UC Berkeley, he specializes in AI governance, cybersecurity, and responsible AI technology. Before founding BASE, Lawrence served as a Research Manager at the ML Alignment and Theory Scholars (MATS) Program and as a Defense Department contractor in cybersecurity and project management, supporting the U.S. Missile Defense Agency

Diane Aguilar

Diane Aguilar

Advisor

Lived experience at federal, state, and county-levels. Current resident advisor at Goodshepherd Gracenter, an SF sober living environment for women. Trusted peer support for others navigating reentry.

Join Our Mission

We're looking for partners, funders, and collaborators who share our vision.