In 2016, Marisela Gutierrez connected with Homeboy Industries and started her journey of healing and changing the arc of her life after cycles of incarceration and substance use disorder. After completing the Homeboy Industries’ 18-month program and an internship at Project 180, a Los Angeles based comprehensive diversion and re-entry program for people involved in the criminal justice system, she joined the staff and thrives in her roles as co-worker, mentor, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend. It is an honor to honor her as our 2022 Homegirl Hero. 

Joseph Raymond Lucero is an actor who made his debut in the film Gridiron Gang. He currently stars in the hit FX series Mayans M.C., and his credits also include Dirt, ER, The Shield, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, The Closer, Shameless, S.W.A.T., FBI and Blue Bloods. Lucero, a third-generation gang member also struggled with a heroin addiction alongside his parents, brothers and uncles, began his troubles with law enforcement at the age of nine. He made the decision to change and break away from gang life after his son was born while he was incarcerated. His transformation journey was kickstarted after meeting Fr. Greg, who offered Lucero the opportunity to utilize his experiences to bring awareness to the issues facing the formerly incarcerated and be an example that change is possible.

Jane Fonda is a two-time Oscar-winning actor, producer, author, activist, and fitness guru. Her career spanning over 50 years includes over 45 films and crucial work on behalf of women’s rights, Native Americans, the environment, and more. Among her many awards, Jane is a seven-time Golden Globe® winner and recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2021. Fonda will next be seen in the seventh and final season of Grace & Frankie, Netflix’s longest running original series. Currently, Jane continues to lead the charge on Fire Drill Fridays, the national movement to protest government inaction on climate change. As a board member of Homeboy Industries, she is also co-chair of Homeboy’s ambitious expansion campaign.

Mike Stoller is one-half of the legendary songwriting team of Leiber & Stoller, writing hits for Elvis Presley, the Coasters, and many more. Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber & Stoller was nominated for seven Tony Awards and is the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history. As a philanthropist with his wife Corky Hale, Southern Poverty Law Center has dedicated buildings in their name. In 2017, Mike founded the Music Heals program, a trauma-informed, therapeutically-based music immersion experience designed for the formerly gang-involved men and women from Homeboy Industries.