The Just Us Solutions Team

Jacob Ivan Schmitt is the founder and director of Just Us Solutions, LLC, where he leads with both vision and lived experience. He has become a respected voice in justice, reentry, and community systems, building initiatives that improve access to legal support, education, trauma care, and services for veterans and system-impacted individuals. His leadership is defined by strategy, empathy, and an ability to translate vision into practical solutions that communities can rely on.

Jacob’s life story is one of resilience and transformation. A childhood trauma survivor, he spent more than thirty years in institutional settings. Through self-education in law, he strengthened his moral reasoning and cultivated a deep understanding of accountability. These hard-earned lessons now shape his work in developing strategies that bring hope and structure to those who remain entangled in trauma and the criminal legal system.

Today, Jacob’s influence extends from community partnerships to the Washington State Legislature, where he has testified on reentry collaboration and justice reform. He has been quoted in reporting on sentencing practices and featured in interviews and podcasts that explore trauma, accountability, and recovery. In every setting, Jacob holds to a simple belief: when all hope is lost, belief itself becomes the foundation for change.

Growing up in the shadow of San Quentin, Ella recognized early that information can mean the difference between being forgotten and finding a way forward. That insight shaped her path at the University of Washington, where she studied Law, Societies and Justice and became a voice for those living under the weight of system impact. Through her leadership roles, her Honors Program work, and her authorship of community-focused pieces, Ella consistently called people to pair empathy with action and to use knowledge as a tool for change.

Today, as a graduate and activist, Ella channels that conviction into practical service. She creates clear pathways to information for marginalized communities, dismantles barriers to reentry, and collaborates with partners to elevate the voices of those too often overlooked. Known for her steady follow-through and sharp analysis, she translates complex issues into real steps people can take. From her California roots to her Husky leadership, Ella embodies a vision of justice where access to knowledge is a right, and where real change begins with being seen, heard, and equipped.

Yusef Reader is a powerful voice for prison abolition, transformation, and human dignity. Since 2002, he has reshaped his life through faith, education, and an unwavering commitment to growth. Once known as Yusef Jihad, he turned the challenges of incarceration into a foundation for leadership, becoming both a mentor and an architect of change within prison walls.

Yusef has co-founded critical programs, designed educational curricula, and guided countless peers in their own journeys of transformation. His work reflects not only personal resilience but also a belief in the possibility of collective change. His leadership is defined by compassion, insight, and an ability to inspire others to reimagine what justice and rehabilitation can mean.

Today, Yusef collaborates with Just Us Solutions, contributing as a writer, thought leader, and mentor from inside prison. His essays and reflections, shared on his website and Substack, challenge conventional narratives about incarceration and highlight the power of faith, education, and community. Through his voice, Yusef demonstrates that change is not only possible, it is essential.

Rory is a community-minded operations leader, consultant, and advocate whose life experiences as a combat veteran and formerly incarcerated individual give depth to his work. He serves as Co-Director of Just Us Solutions, where he manages daily operations while coordinating projects that bridge legal support, reentry services, education, and community partnerships. With a focus on building practical systems that deliver real results, Rory is dedicated to guiding clemency efforts, aligning resources, and ensuring that documentation and processes are clear, measurable, and effective.

His career spans nonprofit leadership, program design, and cross-sector collaboration with advocacy and education partners to provide digital literacy, mentorship, and pathways to stability. Rory is also active in shaping policy, connecting with legislation, and helping others understand the language of law as it is written. Known for his calm presence, strong ethics, and meticulous attention to detail, he blends the wisdom of tradition with modern strategies that strengthen teams and sharpen outcomes. Whether building networks, advancing policy, or speaking before an audience, Rory brings both discipline and grace, always leading with the conviction that progress is achieved together.

Ben Brockie (A’aninin) is a public health intern at the Urban Indian Health Institute and an undergraduate student at the University of Washington. A member of the Ft. Belknap Indian Community in Ft. Belknap, Montana, Ben is a Mary Gates Scholar and Dean’s List student, pursuing dual majors in American Indian Studies and Sociology, with a 3.9 GPA.

Ben’s academic and professional interests center on Indigenous rights, public health, and justice reform. He is deeply passionate about increasing access to higher education in carceral settings and addressing systemic rhetoric and practices within the criminal legal system that disproportionately harm Native people and other marginalized populations, including the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).

As a teenager, Ben was sentenced to over 800 months for two bank robberies involving a BB gun. After serving 22 years, he was granted the awesome gift of clemency. During his incarceration, he discovered a deep passion for education and earned a college degree. Just ten days after his release, he began his studies at the University of Washington.

Drawing on both lived experience and a strong sense of accountability to his community, Ben is committed to using education as a tool for advocacy and empowerment. He plans to attend law school in 2026 to further his work in challenging inequities, ensuring Indigenous representation, and amplifying Native voices within systems that have historically excluded them.

Mark spent over 30 years incarcerated, entering prison at a young age and emerging with hard-won wisdom. In that time, he became instrumental in reshaping prison culture, particularly around reentry and release. Mark recognized early on that the path forward was not through misbehavior or division, but through unity, rehabilitation, and preparation for life beyond the walls. He worked tirelessly to collaborate with individuals across ethnic and gang affiliations, encouraging them to envision futures grounded in sustainable employment, family support, and personal growth.

As a facilitator for multiple reentry programs, Mark guided younger individuals to think beyond survival and toward self-actualization. His role was not only instructional but also transformative. He bridged divides and helped people see that their dreams could be realized through discipline, education, and planning. In doing so, he established himself as a respected leader whose influence carried weight across communities inside prison.

Today, Mark enjoys the simple yet profound pleasures of freedom: fishing, time with his wife of more than 30 years, and reflecting on what it means to be truly empowered and alive. But he does not stop there. Mark sees his journey as a foundation for creating future projects with expansion in mind. His initiatives are designed to foster rehabilitation, community stability, and pathways to dignity. His story is not just about survival. It is about resilience, vision, and the potential to build systems that uplift others for generations to come.