Who We Are
The Founders
Our founders — Major Bunton, Rafael Quiroz, and Sithy Bin — know the criminal justice system from the inside. Between them, they spent nearly six decades incarcerated, watching the same patterns repeat over and over. Youth entering the system. Adults cycling back in. Communities losing generation after generation to a pipeline that seemed impossible to escape.
They also know what it feels like to want to change and have nowhere to turn. To be released with no real preparation. To face a world that had written them off before they even got a chance. They saw firsthand how most programs miss the point; they treat the symptoms without understanding the cause and offer help without truly knowing what people need.
When our founders built Made New Foundation from the ground up, they did it because they understood something others didn't: why people end up in the system and what it actually takes to get out and stay out. Not from textbooks or studies, but from lived experience, from making hard choices themselves, and from fighting their way back.
That perspective shapes everything we do. We design programs that address the real issues: the socioeconomic issues that make crime feel necessary, the lack of genuine support during reentry, and the absence of anyone who believes in your potential.
Made New Foundation is our life’s purpose. We're fighting injustice we witnessed with our own eyes, and we're doing it with everything we have because we know transformation is possible. We are the proof.
“I’ve Been Made New”
Made New Foundation Leadership
Made New Foundation Leadership
Rafael Quiroz▀▄▀▄
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Rafael’s work is rooted in both professional experience and personal transformation. After overcoming his own past, he committed his life to serving others who are fighting for a second chance. His mission is to help individuals coming home from incarceration gain access to real support, career pathways, mentorship, life skills, and community connections that lead to long-term stability. He deeply believes in taking 100% responsibility for your life. He teaches that while people may not control everything that happened to them, they are responsible for how they respond, how they grow, and what they build from this point forward. This belief shapes his approach to reentry, leadership, and personal transformation.
Rafael has built and led businesses in transportation, logistics, sales, training, and workforce development. Through his experience scaling companies, managing teams, and creating job opportunities, he brings a practical, business-minded approach to reentry work. He believes people do not need pity. They need structure, opportunity, accountability, and someone willing to believe in what they can become.
Through The Made New Foundation, Rafael focuses on workforce development, case management, peer support, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and community-based services. His passion is helping people move from survival to stability, from shame to purpose, and from past mistakes into a renewed life. Rafael is also a husband, father, business leader, and man of faith. His leadership is guided by redemption, responsibility, and the belief that no life is too broken to be made new.
▀▄▀▄Major Bunton
Co-Founder, Director of Programming
Major Bunton is a community leader, entrepreneur, and advocate whose life story is a testament to the power of transformation and resilience. A proud native of Inglewood, Los Angeles, Major brings an authentic, lived perspective to everything he does. Released from prison in 2018, he made an unwavering commitment to giving back to his community and dedicating his life to helping others discover their own path toward growth and success. That commitment has only deepened with time, as he continues to pour his energy into uplifting the individuals and communities that need it most.
Major currently serves on the boards of Dream Live Hope, Whole Systems Learning, Creative Acts, and The Actors Gang, where he contributes his voice, experience, and leadership to organizations driving meaningful change. He is also the founder and owner of Major Workout, a fitness business rooted in the belief that physical health and personal discipline are foundational to overall wellbeing.
Whether in the boardroom, the gym, or the community, Major shows up with purpose, passion, and an unshakable belief in the potential of every person he encounters. His journey from incarceration to impact is not just his story — it is a powerful reminder that second chances, when embraced with intention, can change lives.
Sithy Bin▀▄▀▄
Co-Founder, Director of Community Engagement
Reverend Sithy Bin is an ordained minister and public speaker who is deeply committed to loving God and serving people. With a passion for uplifting justice-impacted and marginalized communities, he is on a mission to empower individuals through reentry transformation, faith, and personal development.
With a background in counseling and coaching, Sithy is the founder of Sithy In Session LLC, where he has helped countless individuals manage stress, build emotional intelligence, and overcome life’s challenges. In addition, alongside his wife, Rose Solorio, he co-founded Life Sentence in Christ Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to bringing hope, healing, and restoration through Jesus Christ.
Through his work with Made New Foundation, Sithy also explores innovative approaches such as virtual reality (VR) to create immersive scenarios that support individuals navigating high-risk situations. As a speaker, he shares his powerful testimony and practical insights to inspire transformation, resilience, and purpose in diverse audiences.
He is always seeking opportunities to build partnerships, expand impact, and uplift those who have been overlooked—helping them reclaim their lives and walk in renewed purpose.
▀▄▀▄Shannon Royster
Director of Administration
Shannon Royster serves as the Director of Administration for Made New Foundation, bringing more than three decades of dedicated service to youth, families, and underserved communities. With a degree in Behavioral Science and over 30 years of leadership in teen ministry, Shannon has built a career rooted in compassion, mentorship, and transformative support. Before joining Made New Foundation, Shannon spent 20 years in the medical field and later expanded her impact as an administrator for homeless services, where she supported some of the most vulnerable populations with dignity and care. Her deep love for the community—and her unwavering belief in second chances—has guided every chapter of her professional journey.
At Made New Foundation, Shannon not only leads administrative operations with excellence, but also serves as a Teaching Artist in both the youth program and inside correctional facilities. Her work bridges healing, creativity, and emotional development, empowering individuals to grow, rebuild, and reimagine their futures.
Shannon’s commitment is simple yet powerful: to uplift, to restore, and to create pathways for growth for every person she encounters. Her life’s work reflects her belief that transformation is possible for all.
Our Team
Made New operates through the dedication of a multidisciplinary team: curriculum creators who design our programs, facilitators who deliver them with care, researchers who ensure they're evidence-based, communications professionals, and tech experts who bring VR experiences to life. Each team member, from diverse backgrounds and experiences, plays a vital role in turning our mission into reality every single day.
