Gerri NewellGerri is a mother,  grandmother, mediator and comedian. In addition, she is a Stephen’s Minister at church and strives to help those in need. At the young age of 7, Gerri moved to Spokane where she has lived ever since.

After having a felony conviction, Gerri realized that those with a conviction are suffering collateral impacts including the stigma associated with the label. Gerri believes life is about relationships and the experiences we enjoy with others on this journey called life. Her best advice to others is to STOP (Savor The Opportunity to Pause). 

When Gerri isn’t building community you can find her writing, cycling, hiking, spending time with her children and grandchildren, photography, and reading.

What you can look forward to in Gerri’s Talk:

  • Understanding that there is a much larger portion of our society with a felony conviction than you realize, and that the majority are non-violent crimes.
  • To see the human, not the label.
  • For anyone with a conviction to know they are not alone, that they don’t need to hide from their past. -On a larger scale, our society needs  to stop referring to individuals as “a felon” as if their mistake defines the entirety of their humanity.

Fun Fact: Gerri owned a food concession trailer called Crack of Dawn – Breakfast Almost All Day Long.