Meet the Team
Founder & CEO
Meghan has been a leader in the workforce development and reentry community for over 16 years which led to her founding H.I.R.E. in 2020 in response to the overwhelming need for service linkages and employment in Orange County for system impacted people.
She has been recognized as one of Orange County's top Women of Year by the OC Business Journal and an OC Visionary by the LA Times.
Medlin is known for her dedication to the Orange County community, specializing in recidivism reduction, workforce development, and poverty eradication. She has been an integral part of various initiatives such as Prop 47, AB109, Stepping Up, Ban the Box, and the Continuum of Care board. She currently represents the community on the Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council and Orange County Community Corrections Partnership.
Meghan is also an active member of the FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association and InfraGard Los Angeles.
She has a BS in Chemistry from the University of Redlands, a certificate in Gang Prevention and Intervention from Coastline Community College and a Master of Advance Study in Criminology, Law & Society from UC Irvine.
Intern
Jocelyn Figueroa is a current senior at UC Irvine majoring in Criminology, Law & Society with a minor in Political Science. She is interested in entering the legal field after graduation and is passionate about criminal justice and social reform which is why she is excited about interning with H.I.R.E. In addition to her studies, Jocelyn works part time in the Dean of Social Ecology's office at UC Irvine. She also has experience as a Legal Intern for the Public Defender Office, Teaching Assistant at UCI Academy of Law and Research Assistant for UCI. Jocelyn began her internship in January 2023. She is bilingual in Spanish and English.
Programs Manager
Samantha (Sam) Harris joins us in a contract role as our Programs Manager. Sam has a wealth of experience working 12+ years at Hope Builders, most recently as their Director of Programs and as an Account Executive in staffing and recruiting prior to that. Sam has a MA in Education from Ashford University and a passion for helping people turn their lives around.
Intern
Lynh Tran is a bilingual English/ Vietnamese senior at UC Irvine and has been interning with H.I.R.E. since the spring of 2022. She has experience working as a Youth Program Leader for her church and as a Community Service Leader for the City of Costa Mesa Parks & Recreation. Lynh has an interest in juvenile justice and helping incarcerated individuals, especially youth, who have had unfair experiences and aiding however she can. Lynh got connected with H.I.R.E. through one of her Criminology courses and has been interning ever since! She also has experience working with UCI's Prison Pandemic project, reading and redacting letters from incarcerated individuals in California state prisons, and with a professor-ran project on campus related to system impacted youth and the types of treatments plans they are assigned. to.
Volunteer Coordinator
Nicole Woodworth has worked in the nonprofit space for over 6 years specializing in volunteer management and fostering philanthropic partnerships. She is passionate about uplifting the stories and experiences of formerly incarcerated adults and youth, as well as connecting justice-involved individuals with career opportunities.
Nicole is a volunteer serving as H.I.R.E.'s Volunteer Coordinator and is excited to support the volunteer program and efforts at H.I.R.E.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Nicole for more information.
