The team

Maria D. Martinez is a highly accomplished and driven individual who is formerly incarcerated with a passion for technology and social justice. She witnessed firsthand the transformative power of education and pursuing a STEM degree. As the Founder & Program Manager for Firme Coding, she demonstrates exceptional leadership and organizational skills. Her experience as a Software Engineer at The Walt Disney Company showcases her strong technical abilities and problem-solving skills. Maria is dedicated to empowering others through technology and education, continuously seeking opportunities to make a positive impact.

Tamara Kneese is the Director of Data and Society Research Institute's Climate, Technology, and Justice program. She is a researcher, organizer, and writer focused on the relationship between digital technologies and social inequalities.  She's the author of Death Glitch: How Techno-Solutionism Fails Us in This Life and Beyond (2023).

Dr. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR). A sociologist by training, her work centers on the data used in new computational technologies, and the ways in which these data exacerbate racial, gender, and class inequality. She also works in the area of social movements, focusing on the dynamics of anti-racist campus protest in the US and Canada. Alex is the co-author of The AI Con (Harper, 2025), a book about AI and the hype around it.

Khalil “Army” Armstead is the Executive Director and a Founding Member of Emergent Works (EW), a nonprofit empowering individuals impacted by the criminal legal system through tech education and community-driven solutions. With a background in music, ministry, and mentorship, Army combines empathy, innovation, and faith to lead EW’s mission of reducing the harm caused by incarceration and driving systemic change.

Once a mentee in EW’s inaugural program, Army now sets a new standard for reentry work, creating safe spaces and opening pathways to sustainable careers. A vocal advocate for mental health and holistic support, he envisions a future where returning citizens thrive through education, empowerment, and opportunity.

Emiliano López is a Los Angeles-based artist, activist, and advocate at the intersection of technology, art, and justice. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Protocol, an online platform that empowers people on parole to review their parole officers and share their experiences anonymously. The platform also offers a resource directory for essential support in navigating reentry. The vision for Project Protocol was conceived from Emiliano’s personal experiences while on parole, and it is what drives his commitment to dismantling harmful systems and promoting transparency and accountability. Emiliano is also the Board Chair of Creative Acts, A nonprofit organization that seeks to transform urgent social justice issues through the revolutionary power of the Arts to heal trauma, build community, raise power, and center the voices of those who are or have been incarcerated.


Emiliano's previous dedication was to organizations like Initiate Justice Action, a 501c4 organization advocating for systemic change.  Amity Foundation, GRIP Training Institute, Defy Ventures, Anti-Recidivism Coalition. As a Future IDs Art and Justice Leadership cohort member, Emiliano has contributed to cultural and media projects, including Decarcerateca.org, Future IDs at Alcatraz, WeRise; he served as a cultural producer at Urban Lens Gallery, and more, blending his advocacy with his artistic practice.

Jazmine Rodriguez was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, a sister, and a proud tía to three adorable nephews. With a deep commitment to social justice, Jazmine has spent much of her career in the non-profit sector, working to uplift marginalized communities. Her previous work focused on using community organizing to improve educational outcomes for Black and Brown students, helping to amplify parent voices and influence policy change. Passionate about leveraging film, media, and the arts to spread messages of justice and equity, Jazmine views creativity as a powerful tool for social transformation. She is deeply committed to transforming systems to better serve underserved communities.

Eddie grew up in Northern California and currently resides in Oregon. He was caged at 16 and spent over 17 years in prison. Early on in his incarceration he encountered mentors he never had in society who inspired him to pursue knowledge of self and embrace a community-based vision of service to others. Eddie sees software as a tool for two ends: to enrich our lives and to empower oppressed folks against the corporate and state weaponization of technology.

He divides an average day into warehouse work, software development, and finishing a B.A. in mathematics. When he’s not at a white board or on a computer drinking way too much coffee, he loves to pass time with friends hiking and healing in the natural world of Southern Oregon.

Emily is a former Trust and Safety engineer turned tech worker organizer, currently organizing with Collective Action School and Tech Workers Coalition. They’re excited to contribute to Project Protocol, helping people on supervision experience a trustworthy experience on this important platform that is seeking to provide transparency and accountability in the reentry process. They believe that community-based technology and mutual aid are some of the key cornerstones needed to further tech industry abolition.

From their home on stolen Lisjan Huchiun (Ohlone) land, Yindi Pei works professionally as a designer for the San Francisco affordable housing portal. Beyond their day job, Yindi focuses their energy on the healing, care, and safety of trans and queer Asian/Pacific Islanders, tech industry abolitionists, people impacted by incarceration, and their East Oakland neighbors.

Ever since its inception in 2020, Yindi has served as Project Protocol’s product manager, lead designer, and design researcher, tirelessly working to lift up the voices of people on parole. Yindi believes in liberation within their lifetime.

As a full stack software engineer, Tim is passionate about the conscientious use of technology in building a more just and humanitarian future. He joined Project Protocol in 2020, seeing in it a rare opportunity to lend his skills towards providing critical safety and information tools to the community. As a lead engineer on the project, he has overseen its architecture, development, and deployment to mobile and mobile-web platforms.

When he's not coding, Tim loves writing and playing music, and finding any excuse to spend time in nature. 🐿️