The Team
A little bit about us
Michael Yoshi Nelson
Co-founder, Executive Director
Circle Keeper/Trainer, The First Step
In addition to being a co-founder of Kid C.A.T., Michael created Acting with Compassion and Truth (A.C.T.) at San Quentin, a support group for gay, bi and transgender persons and their allies. As principal author of The First Step curriculum, co-founder of the Kid C.A.T. program, and someone who is successfully living his life on the outside, Michael brings his insights and experiences to the program members and participants. Michael holds his work with Kid C.A.T. as his responsibility to contribute to healing in his communities - both as someone who is responsible for harm, as well as someone who cares deeply for those inside. Through accountability and vulnerability, Michael believes in the possibility of healing, transformation and living in integrity. Through his lived experiences of over two decades of incarceration, Michael is committed to continue sharing in courageous, safe and equitable spaces with those who have been marginalized and underserved.
Garry Malachi Scott
Co-founder, Board Member
Garry "Malachi" Scott is the re-entry/community restorative justice coordinator for Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth. He holds restorative circles/trainings nationally and he is helping to build a community restorative justice framework in North Oakland. He co-founded the North Oakland Restorative Justice Council and served on the Safety and Services Oversight Commission (Measure Z) in Oakland.
Malachi has journalistic experience with written articles in the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and featured on other articles around the issue of incarceration. He played a major role in Shakti Butler’s film “Healing Justice.”
He came to restorative justice through the Victim Offender Education Group, a program of the Insight Prison Project, while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. During his incarceration he obtained an Associates Degree through the Prison University Project, co-founded a restorative justice base group called Kid C.A.T. (Creating Awareness Together), and was the sports editor for the San Quentin News.
He is also a certified Life Coach.
Joseph Barral
Founding Board Member & Special Projects Editor
Joseph Barral serves as an executive board member of Kid C.A.T. After a serendipitous and inspired introduction to one of Kid C.A.T. 's founders, Michael Nelson, Joseph found an opportunity to be of service in a very unique and meaningful way that he had long been looking for. With experience in the non-profit sector, as well as education, Joseph has always felt a call to build and empower others in and beyond the envelope of conventional learning. With the help of his brother, Paul, Joseph is combining his artistic capacities with the Kid C.A.T. mission by developing a comic book based on the real experiences of Kid C.A.T. members. The comic book series is intended to function as a exploratory narrative tool to help participants tell their story. Supporting the Kid C.A.T. mission, we hope to use storytelling in a manner that helps people and communities transform, restore, and heal. Joseph believes there is a power in telling your story-- and healing in being heard.
Sarah Wolfarth-Davis
Founding Board Member, Clinical Director, Treasurer & Circle Keeper
Sarah is a licensed psychotherapist who serves Kid C.A.T. as an executive board member and program manager. Sarah’s clinical, professional, and volunteer work has spanned across various fields over her career, including community organizing, teaching, political organizing, community mental health, and private practice. With a holistic, mind-body-spirit approach Sarah is driven towards change and healing; both within herself and in the work she does in the world. Between 2009-2011 she ran a psychoeducational parenting class with incarcerated mothers at Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center. This experience opened Sarah up to her interest in rehabilitation and working with incarcerated populations. Sarah holds a masters’ degree in clinical psychology—specializing in parent-child relations and child development—and a doctoral degree is in Depth Psychology. Sarah’s dissertation and doctoral research focused on racial justice, equity, and accountability.
Pascal Cristofalo
Founding Board Member
Program/Developement Coordinator
Pascal Cristofalo began volunteering with Kid C.A.T. in 2019. Their involvement has ranged from co-facilitation of circles with youth offenders in California Men's Colony, to program and curriculum development, to management of the organization's operations and administration. Kid C.A.T. was Pascal’s introduction into the field of restorative and transformative justice and continues to be a foundational element in their continuation on the path to a deeper understanding of the nature of harm and healing. In addition to their experience with Kid C.A.T., Pascal brings 2 years of experience working for the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity as a Policy Analyst researching and supporting community-based violence intervention and prevention programs, and is currently serving as the Program Manager of the Transforming Justice Hub with CORA Good Shepherd Mediation in Philadelphia, where they work to engage and partner with violence impacted youth to support them in roles as change makers in their communities through the framework of restorative justice, community organizing, and political education. Pascal has seen how particular individuals, often those most impacted by the issues, have been systematically prevented from engaging in our field, and is deeply committed to supporting their capacity and engagement in our collective effort towards healing and violence reduction.
Lindsay Ashton
Secretary & Circle Keeper, CMC
As far back as Lindsay can remember, she has had a desire to get to know and connect with all types of people on a deeper level. Lindsay’s dream to travel and work with underserved communities has been constantly overshadowed by her debilitating anxiety, something she can remember dealing with as far back as elementary school. Lindsay met Michael Nelson in 2020 when she hired him as a trainer at Revamp Training Studio, a gym she previously owned. Through Michael, Lindsay learned about the incarcerated community and the Kid C.A.T. program. In 2022, Lindsay began going into CMC every Friday to be in community with the members of Kid C.A.T., an opportunity that has been nothing short of life changing for Lindsay. The vulnerability, accountability, growth, and acceptance shared within the circles of Kid C.A.T. is like nothing Lindsay has ever experienced before in her lifetime. Lindsay is honored and feels very privileged to be a circle keeper in the Kid C.A.T. program.
Matt Ashton
Circle Keeper, CMC
Matt became involved with Kid C.A.T. after he and his wife, Lindsay, met Mike Nelson in 2020. After getting to know Mike and learning more about Kid C.A.T. and the incarcerated community, they both became interested in contributing to the program in some capacity.
Matt’s over 19 years of collective experience in the realm of military, public safety and law enforcement have provided him with many unique insights and experiences that he desired to contribute to the group. As a circle keeper, Matt couples these experiences along with his innate desire for harmony and facilitates the group experience with the goal of not only protecting a space where every voice can be heard, but also demonstrating that every individual has value. He believes that community and camaraderie in an environment that promotes vulnerability, accountability and honesty has an immeasurable potential for personal healing and growth. Looking forward, Matt is very excited to see not only the growth in the group, but also his own inevitable personal growth from consistent exposure to the experience that Kid C.A.T. provides.
Carlos Orosco
Program Alumnus I Circle Keeper, CMC
Currently, Carlos is a Lead Resort Host with Thousand Hills Pet Resort, in San Luis Obispo, CA. And while he enjoys working with the team there (and the dogs!), today he realizes that where he is pulled to be is back inside prison - only now as someone who goes in to support others where he once was. "Being inside with the group gives me clarity that this is what I want to do with my life - giving back to those inside by sharing my experiences. Going in not only helps build my confidence with facilitating circles, I also value being able to support others with searching within themselves and gaining insights into who they are. It's full-circle for me; I now get to "show up" in ways that the program showed up for me."
Ricardo Moctezuma
Program Alumnus I Circle Keeper, CMC
Coming soon
Lisa Carbajal
Communications Coordinator
Lisa Carbajal has been system impacted for 14 years with her husband who is currently incarcerated. She first started volunteering at Initiate Justice as a Data Entry Clerk when she found her passion to be more involved in prison reform. She is currently volunteering as the Chair of Inmate Family Council (IFC) at California Men’s Colony (CMC) while running a Women’s Support Group on Facebook. She is very dedicated to supporting families that are system impacted. Her favorite part of volunteering is helping families come together since the majority are youth offenders to maintain their communication and planning holiday events during in-person visits. CMC IFC just hosted their 1st Annual “Bear Hugs” event where each loved one got to pick out a teddy bear and give it to their child on Christmas Day. In her downtime, she loves spending time with their daughter, watching her play high school volleyball and softball. Along with her 3 dogs making them homemade dog food and treats.
Olivia Traxinger
Circle Keeper, CMC
Olivia has recently joined the Kid C.A.T. program at CMC, and is excited to learn more about everything it represents. She is currently in school working to get her degree in Psychology. Olivia has always had a passion for helping others wherever she can, and so being inside with everyone has been a great opportunity for her to learn about the program and about herself.
Ashley Steidl
Circle Keeper, CMC
During an Alternative to Violence Project (AVP) workshop, some of the men in CMC were telling Ashley about their experiences with Kid C.A.T., and after hearing how helpful the group was for them, she knew she wanted to be involved. She has volunteered through Restorative Partners and AVP in both CMC and the SLO County jail since she was a student at Cal Poly. She was exposed to the concept of restorative justice while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Sociology and then continued to take classes focused on restorative justice while working on her master's in International Human Rights. After receiving her MA from the University of Denver, she moved back to SLO and is working full-time for an international humanitarian organization, where she focuses on sexual exploitation and abuse policy work. Ashley is incredibly passionate about restorative justice and loves any opportunity she gets to work with those who have been affected by the carceral system.