NEXT LEVEL
EMPOWERMENT
Established in October 2022, Jackie James-Boyd and Ray Boyd created the Next Level Empowerment Program, a non-profit organization providing services to returning citizens and their families. Next Level is pioneering a full-service organization offering the formerly incarcerated and their families proper resources, support, and services. Next Level is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Connecticut.
LEARN ABOUT
OUR VALUES
At Next Level Empowerment Program Inc, our core values guide every decision and action we take. We are committed to empowerment, resilience, and community transformation. Through our Next Level Empowerment Program, we harness the potential of every individual, driving positive change in New Haven. With personalized, evidence-based approaches, we break barriers, uplift spirits, and create pathways to success. Together, we cultivate a culture of growth, compassion, and collective impact, making our city safer and stronger for generations to come.
OUR MISSION
To create a supportive community for returning citizens and their families through direct engagement and holistic social support.
Co-Founder
Ray Boyd
In November 2021, Ray was released from the Connecticut Department of Corrections. He was incarcerated at the age of 19 and served 30 years. During his incarceration, Ray co-founded 2 programs. In 2015, he co-founded the Skills of Socialization (S.O.S.) program at the Osborn Correctional Institute, and in 2018, he co-founded the T.R.U.E. Reentry program at the Cheshire Correctional Institute. This innovative program was the subject of a segment that aired on 60 Minutes. In April 2022, Ray was a presenter of Restorative Justice Practices at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) in Chicago, Illinois.
Since his release, Ray has worked at Lewis Real Estate Services and Yale New Haven Health. He currently volunteers his time as a Board Member of CT Stop Solitary Confinement and advocates for second chances for offenders. Ray also volunteers his time with the United States Department of Justice as a speaker with Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Additionally, he lends his lived experience to Odyssey Impact as an Expert Contributor to the documentaries “Second Shot” by Andrew Michael Ellis and “All I See is My Future” by Nancy Dionne. The films are part of a national campaign to bring awareness to social injustices here in America and abroad.
Ray is the author of “The Model Inmate,” which explores his time of incarceration. Writing a book has afforded Ray the opportunity to travel around the country to speak with at-risk youth and others. In 2022, Ray was invited by the city of Miami to take part in an Authors, Arts & Jazz Festival in the Historic Coconut Grove section of Miami, Florida. In February 2023, he was invited down to the nation's capital to speak with youth at H.D. Woodson High School during Black History Month. In March 2025, Ray was invited to Adjumani, Uganda, to teach Restorative Justice Practices to Sudanese refugees at the Uganda Prison, as well as the refugee encampment, where Ray's nonprofit, Next Level Empowerment Program, will be opening a community/restorative justice center in 2027. In September 2025, Ray was a Presenter at the 2025 Euro-Crim Conference in Athens, Greece.
Ray is embarking on his new journey as the Program Manager for New Visions for Public Safety at the Law and Racial Justice Center at Yale University. As of April 2024,
Ray started his work at the UConn Institute of Municipal & Regional Policy, working on issues around pre-trial and bail reform here in the state of Connecticut. Ray received an early discharge from parole in January of 2024. He looks to share his lived experience with all so that it may benefit the lives of others. In May 2025, Ray started his position as the Connecticut Ambassador for the Fredrick Douglas Project for Justice.
Ray is married to the love of his life, Jacqueline Boyd. Together, they are the co-founders of the Next Level Empowerment Program in New Haven, Connecticut, where they advocate to create a supportive community for returning citizens and their families through direct engagement and holistic social support. Ray is the father of Ray, Jr. and Chloe.
On February 4, 2026, Ray was granted a full pardon from the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The Model Inmate: Mind Over Matter: How I Became the Model Inmate
“The Model Inmate”, written by Next Level Empowerment founder Ra’sun Allah, captures the essence of prison life through the voice of someone who has lived it continuously through different eras, administrations, and decades. To be given virtual life at the age of seventeen and not succumb to the many ills that have affected so many other children in similar situations, is a testament to one's will of self preservation.
This story will have you pondering, reflecting, shaking your head, and at times laughing as the author puts a comical spin on a dire situation. His thoughts are well put together in this book, painting a vivid picture of a reality that some are currently experiencing, about to experience, and some who have already experienced and survived to tell about it. The author gives you an insider's view of the highs and lows of his life; a boy, a savage, a Man, reborn to the True & Living.
Co-Founder
Jacqueline James-Boyd
Jacqueline was born and raised in New Haven’s Hill neighborhood and has dedicated herself to public service in her hometown. After earning a master’s degree in social work, she returned to New Haven to serve on the city’s Board of Alders for over ten years, and has worked as a campaign manager, social worker, and public health contractor. Jackie is dedicated to improving public health and wellness in her community and sees the work of Next Level as a critical step to building a healthier New Haven.
