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MEET OUR FOUNDER
DeWayne Hendrix
Founder & CEO
DeWayne is an author, a retired senior executive leader in the federal government, and Founder and CEO of A New Daylight. DeWayne, California, native, began his career in public service in 1996, after earning a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and served with pride and professionalism. He adapted and found great value in the diverse urban and rural communities and cultures in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Arizona, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Tennessee, New York, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Oregon.
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During his 26 years of public service, he cultivated his areas of strength which includes program activations, change and performance management, regulatory compliance, classroom instruction and budget administration. DeWayne has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2018. DeWayne has served in several senior leadership roles and was Chief Executive Officer of three facilities, with teams of over 600 staff and an annual operating budget of over 80 million dollars. Staff training, leadership development, and reentry has been DeWayne’s professional passion throughout his career. With over fifteen years of senior executive experience in staff training and organizational development across the United States, DeWayne has achieved maximum results in implementing new programs and initiatives to build employee engagement, productivity and retention.
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In 2019, he published his first book, Who Are You? See It, Say It, and Seize It, which was based on the Mentor's for Life program he created in Memphis, TN. Over 1,300 incarcerated persons (men and women) have completed the requirements of the program across six states. Eleven program participants serving a life sentence have received executive clemency. DeWayne has served as Chairperson on a committee to help end the opioid crisis in the state of West Virginia, and developed a Family Reunification Coalition in Brooklyn, NY to help children of the incarcerated to remain connected to their parents or guardians through parent-teacher conferences, Mother and Child Night of Bonding and The Brooklyn Bridge Walk.
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During the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), DeWayne partnered with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a peer reviewed research study at a prison complex where he served as Chief Executive Officer, in the state of Arkansas. ​
DeWayne is a member of the Board of Directors at Planting Justice, a non-profit organization based in the Sobrante Park neighborhood in Oakland, CA, where he was raised. The purpose of the organization is to grow food, grow jobs, and grow community through food sovereignty, economic justice, and community healing.
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DeWayne‘s passion to greet each day with an attitude of gratitude begins with his relationship with the Heavenly Father, his wife, his children, reading and writing, improving his culinary skills, taking long drives, riding his spin bike and getting out for a run to gain the benefits of releasing endorphins!