Will Roy has over 20 years’ experience delivering trainings and workshops centering the humanity of those at the margins, specifically children and folks who are incarcerated. Beginning with his own incarceration in 1997 and release in 2003 from the California Youth Authority (now the Department of Juvenile Justice), Will has dedicated his life to the transformation and transcendence of himself, his loved ones, and his community.
In his current role as Executive Director for the Bay Area Freedom Collective, Will manages a transitional home that supports people returning to the community after serving long prison sentences. Will meets each individual where they are and provides them the individualized support they need.
Will began his career working for the Beat Within, a weekly newsletter of writing and art from juvenile halls, jails, and prisons across the U.S. Will has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle, SF Bayview newspaper, Jordan Magazine, the foreword for Dwight Abbott’s “I Cried, You Didn’t Listen,” the UC Davis Law Journal, and several other publications.
After working with the Beat Within for 10 years, Will obtained a B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley. He then began working as the Education Director for One Family, a program of Community Works West. As the Education Director, Will developed parenting curriculum tailored for incarcerated parents, facilitated parenting classes with incarcerated parents, and managed parent-child contact visits in the San Francisco County Jail.