We believe —
- Every person has a right to a life of dignity and the right to full participation in society
- Those closest to a problem are closest to the solution
- Collaboration with stakeholders leads to innovation
With shared values and beliefs, Susan Mason and Roz Solomon founded What’s Next Washington in 2017.
Susan Mason

Co-Founder & Executive Director
MerriLynn Leslie
MerriLynn Leslie is the Director of Projects for What’s Next Washington. MerriLynn’s background is in event management, addiction treatment services, and supportive reentry services for the formerly incarcerated learning to code. She is a member of the Washington State Fair Chance Housing Coalition. MerriLynn was released from prison in 2001.

Director of Projects
Roz Solomon

Co-Founder & Board President
Tiheba Bain
Tiheba Bain is founder and executive director of Women Against Mass Incarceration, a grassroots organization empowering justice involved women and girls. She is the former National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls Coalitions Director.
Tiheba sits on the African American Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity in Connecticut. Tiheba holds degrees in Psychology and Women and Criminal Justice and is an alumni of the Justice-in-Education Scholar program at the Heyman Center for Humanities at Columbia University. She was released from federal prison in 2011.

Board Member
Mari Ferrer

Board Member
David Heppard

Board Member
Will Jimerson
Willard Jimerson Jr. is a prominent youth advocate, crime interventionist, and a race relation strategist working throughout Seattle and South King County. As a Program Manager at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, he oversees the national model of Credible Messengers called GROOM which stands for Gifted Regardless Of Oppressive Methods. Will was tried as an adult at 13 and served 20 years in prison.

Board Member
Zak Kinneman
Zak Kinneman is a founding board member of WNW. He is a business owner, an entrepreneur, and a former attorney. He is open about his incarceration and works hard to bring his voice and experience into advocating for the end of mass incarceration. Zak served four years in Washington state prisons and was released in 2007.

Board Member
Jacqueline Smith
Jacqueline is senior Digital Strategist at Gates Ventures in Kirkland, WA. She graduated from the University of Florida and earned her MSc in Global Media and Communication from the London School of Economics. Jacqueline worked at Nike’s global HQ in Beaverton and as a digital brand lead in their Western European headquarters before returning to Portland in 2016 to join the Asia Pacific / Latin America team.

Board Member
Raphaela Weissman
Raphaela Weissman graduated from New York University in 2006. She currently works for the Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ). In 2017, through crowdfunding she published her first novel, Monsters. Raphaela has volunteered extensively for organizations like Social Justice Fund, TeenFeed, Kshama Sawant’s campaign, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the Eastside Refugee and Immigrants Coalition.

Board Member