YOUTH LED JUSTICE STAFF

La Michael Gildersleeve (he/him)
REGIONAL DIRECTOR 
​(LEWISTON/AUBURN REGION)
[email protected]
(207) 505-0623
*on Parental leave
​
La Michael grew up in the Lewiston/Auburn area and now serves youth and families in this region as a Restorative Coordinator. La Michael brings over twelve years of leadership and experience facilitating restorative processes to the Youth-LED Justice team. He is a skilled coach and peer mentor for people in recovery. He sees restorative justice as an essential part of creating a world where all young people have the support and resources they need. In his words,"I believe youth are the future, and that they always deserve a second chance." When he’s not working, La Michael spends time with his children, and loves to hike, fish, and camp.

 ​Brandon Brown (he/him)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(207) 291-5837
BRANDON@YOUTHLEDJUSTICE.ORG
​
Brandon Brown's passion and expertise in criminal legal reform took shape when, at the age of 21, he was sentenced to serve 17 years in prison. During his incarceration, he was accepted into a pilot college program funded by the late Doris Buffet and her Sunshine Lady Foundation and obtained his associate’s and bachelor’s degrees— subsequently becoming the first prisoner in Maine's history to obtain a master’s while incarcerated.  During his incarceration Brown became passionate about youth justice when he realized that too many of his community members came to incarceration from a history of involvement with the juvenile justice system; he dedicated himself to being part of any effort that would minimize young people’s involvement in the system and divert them away from carceral spaces. 
Brown was the primary author of a piece of legislation in 2021 that would eventually transform the State’s Supervised Community Confinement Program into an evidence-informed reentry program that could no longer deny residents, specifically longtimers, based solely on their crimes.  He was the first prisoner in the state to be released under the new program when the legislation was enacted, and in the first months of his supervision also led a policy team with system stakeholders to develop the DOC policy that would coincide with the new law.  Since its passing, the Supervised Community Confinement numbers have more than tripled from where they were before the bill became law. 
Possibly the first person in the U.S. to obtain review board approval to conduct human subjects research within the prison in which he was confined, Brown's thesis was a narrative study of how stereotype, stigma, and marginalization affect prisoner narratives, uncovering the violence of institutionalized silence. 

Brown also finished the first half of his PhD program while incarcerated and is currently a PhD candidate at George Mason University's Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. There, his focus is on how narrative functions within the U.S. criminal legal system and social conceptions of justice.

He is the co-creator and co-host of the “Behind the Door” podcast where he uses his lived experience in the criminal legal system and his expertise in transformational storytelling to explore topics ranging from prison reform, restorative justice, recovery, reentry, juvenile Justice, and the wide-reaching impacts of our broken systems. Brown is also formerly the campaign manager for Maine Youth Justice, a project coordinator for Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, and has been adjunct faculty at the University of Maine, Augusta, and Colby College. He continues to teach college courses both inside and outside of prisons, including an inside-out course in partnership with Horace Mann High School, called “Bridging the Divide,” bringing together incarcerated women and high school juniors and seniors to explore American Identity in the context of the era of mass incarceration.

Dunkins Pierre (he/him)
RESTORATIVE SPECIALIST
(LEWISTON/AUBURN REGION)
[email protected]
(207) 323-4320
​
Grew up in the East-Flatbush section of Brooklyn, NY during the late 80’s and 90’s. Mom immigrated from Haiti and then had me and my older sister. Moved to Maine in 2005, lived in Portland, Rockland, Charleston, and now Lewiston, Maine for the past two years. I am excited to join the YLJ team because I know how it feels to be a young person negatively impacted by the justice system and various institutions. My belief is by using restorative practices we can bring awareness to the inequality and harm being created and establish best practices in our communities. Since moving to Lewiston I have been given the opportunity to use my lived experience to be an advocate, working to empower youth and families to transcend systematic barriers.

Nicole Lemay (she/her)
OPERATIONS LEAD
DEVELOPMENT CO-LEAD
[email protected]
(207) 312-3649
​
Nicole grew up on a small family farm in Litchfield where her parents taught her the value of hard work. She developed a passion to contribute to her community at a young age and went on to own a childcare center. Her life experiences have led her to hold a fire for organizing for social change and the social justice movement. This is more than just a job for Nicole, it is her life’s work and she carries it with her into every conversation. Nicole lights up every room she enters with her humor, kindness, and passion for the work of building connections. Nicole graduated with an Associates Degree in Human Services and Substance Use and Counseling. She will soon be a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor. When she isn't working at Youth-Led Justice, she provides support to Maine's recovery community and also works closely with individuals who are system impacted. Nicole is a team player and supports YLJ with operations, finance, development and restorative youth support. Nicole's dream is a society where prisons are no longer needed. As a system impacted individual, Nicole works to change punitive systems from the inside out. She is actively building a community where everyone has the support that they deserve. 

Esmé Howland (she/her)
RESTORATIVE SPECIALIST
(CUMBERLAND COUNTY)
[email protected]

​Esmé grew up in Portland and continues to serve her community as a Restorative Specialist.  Most recently, she worked at Casco Bay High School (where she graduated in 2017) as a Restorative Practices Coordinator, supporting student-led efforts to implement restorative practices in the school and working with the administration to reduce punitive responses. From that work, Esmé brings with her to YLJ a firm belief in the power of relationships in addressing harm, as well as the importance of youth voices in making our systems more just. After graduating from Casco Bay, she attended Smith College to study political science and food justice. Otherwise, most of her time is spent with family and friends, reading, swimming in the ocean, and cooking. 

Grace Flynn (she/her)
INTERN
[email protected]

Grace is a rising senior at Connecticut College where she studies Performance Studies and Architecture. After earning her BA, Grace plans to attend law school with a focus on immigration and juvenile justice. In high school, Grace served as a Youth LED volunteer and member of our Executive Board. Grace brings a passion for community care and justice reform to her position.
Outside of her work with Youth LED Justice, Grace loves spending time in the outdoors, writing, and cooking with her family.

BOARD MEMBERS
​
Youth-LED Justice is guided by a group of community members who offer guidance, direct policy,
and inform best practices to ensure the program's success.

Youth Members

Adelina Salianga (Portland)
Chae-Hee Park (Portland)
Jael Mowa (Portland)



Adult Members

Eliza Mette, Health Policy Advisor at Public Consulting Group (Portland)
Gina Yarmartino, Juvenile Defense Attorney (South Portland)
Sahra Hassan, J.D Candidate, UMaine Law (Portland)
Spencer Traylor, Educator at Next STEP, Facilitator  (Lewiston)
Victoria Morales, Attorney, Legislator, YLJ Co-Founder, ED of Quality Housing Coalition (South Portland)