Our Leaders

Ronaldo Villeda, Executive Director/ Co-Founder

In 2018, after serving a four-year sentence in youth
detention, Ronaldo worked as a youth-advocate for incarcerated youth. Over the past three years, he has become a leader in improving conditions for youth offenders. Ronaldo participated in and led the Youth Justice Workgroup (YJWG) and wrote the youth statement for the Youth Justice Reimagined Report (YJR) which was tasked with removing all juveniles from probation and creating a new Department of Youth Development (DYD). Ronaldo is the only formerly incarcerated juvenile member of the YJWG Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ )Transition Team which is tasked with finding alternatives to incarceration for the most violent offenders, taking into account their environment,education and mental health resources.

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Rosalino Pavia, Founder

After experiencing both juvenile and adult incarceration he stumbled upon the hope he needed through the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) and basketball. ARC gave Rosalino the validation he craved and the support he needed at Ironwood State Prison, a maximum security prison. Basketball taught him invaluable lessons about the force of communication and unity. After seeing the positive impact mentorship and basketball had on his life as an adult he questioned how those experiences would have changed his path in his formative years. These experiences are what led him to incepting our organization.

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Ilana Parach, COO/ Co-Founder

As a writer signed to the artist and advocate Common, Ilana became familiar with Rosalino and Ronnie’s work. After being inspired by their stories she joined the team. Throughout Ilana’s upbringing in West Michigan she saw countless acts of bias policing and judicial bias. Her loved ones whose lives were irreparably damaged by antiquated laws, harsh sentencing, bias and over-policing now act as her biggest motivator to enact reform. As our community outreach and program director Ilana is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with brands and sponsors, coordinating outreach teams, working one on one with youth to help them understand the services available through Hoops 4 Justice, and developing and facilitating our programs.

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Sho Watanabe, Athletic Director/ Co-Founde

Athletic Director/ Co-Founder: Sho’s passion and love for basketball led him to begin working with his father as a basketball skills trainer when he was nineteen years old. His experience working with youth at a community level is fundamental for H4J’s mission to build and create long standing relationships with youth in our program. As our athletic director he is responsible for developing, evaluating, and overseeing the implementation of the basketball portion of our curriculum.

Our Board of Directors/Advisors

Scott Budnick is an American film producer and the CEO of One Community, LLC. He is also the founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), which works to reduce incarceration and improve the outcomes of formerly incarcerated individuals.

Anthony Holland is the CEO of Ridgely Advisors Ltd. and has experience in public affairs, political campaigns, and community outreach initiatives.

Vicki Rosenberg is a certified executive coach and qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. She has worked in management and executive leadership positions and has experience in philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, and corporate social responsibility.

Mario "Wizzo" Fernandez is a Grammy-nominated recording engineer and Web3 technologist. He advises for various technology and non-profit organizations and advocates for financial education in Web3 technologies for immigrant and low-access individuals. His early career included executive producing and recording for Nipsey Hussle.