Shelly Wood
Director of Operations & Development

Shelly Wood has dedicated her life to working with young people. Her experience is diverse and extensive. For twenty years she worked for the California Department of Youth Authority developing programs and providing mentoring opportunities for incarcerated youth and youth on parole.

Her career started as a volunteer at Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility, when she was doing a student internship while attending UCLA’s MBA program. She accepted a job as a high school teacher, teaching multiple subjects to teenage boys. She was instrumental in starting the department’s Restorative Justice program, which received international acclaim. Shelly traveled nationally, training criminal justice specialists on how to help youth turn their lives around through becoming accountable for their actions, developing remorse and concern for others, and helping them discover their inner gift so that they could return to society as positive contributing members.

For fifteen years Shelly was responsible for starting and facilitating the Arts and Culture Programs for CYA. Her program received national recognition for being one of three “Best Practices” in the nation by the NEA and U.S. Dept. of Justice. The program brought professional artists to work with youth both inside the prisons and in the community. Shelly believes that the arts have a magical way of changing lives and helping people to discover their best self. Through various programs she was able to touch thousands of lives. “When you directly affect a life, you indirectly affect everyone else. Artist in our program truly changed lives through their passion and their ability to show what was possible. It truly made a difference.”

Throughout her career, Shelly has raised millions of dollars for various programs directed at helping young people. She continues to raise funds to help aspiring athletes make it to the U.S.A. Boxing Team. Whether she is raising funds for a charitable organization or raising money to help young people achieve their dream, she is dedicated to providing the support necessary to help dreams come true.

Shelly served on Attorney General Dan Lungren’s Youth Mentoring Council which included ten adult-youth teams from throughout California. She worked diligently with various community officials, organizations and schools helping to bring non-violent solutions to community problems. The Youth Council developed an interactive CD entitled “JUMP” which was distributed to every school in California.

Shelly is also college professor at the University of Phoenix, where she inspires others to work as advocates for justice. Shelly serves on the Department of Justice/Department of Education Cadre which provides training and support to school districts and community organizations.

Shelly received her Juris Doctorate degree from Western State University School of Law, she attended Wayne State University where she completed her Masters work in Public Administration and she holds a double B.A. from Albion College in Michigan.