Our Founder

Leonora Walker was once formerly incarcerated but has been set free and delivered for over 8 years from imprisonment and addiction. It was through her years of overcoming so many prison system barriers, personal healing through education, and her strong faith in God that Leonora believed that her past didn’t need to dictate her future in a negative way. Leonora realized that her lived experiences can help many people overcome hopelessness through compassion and her expertise in supporting justice involved people. 

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Leonora is a nationally recognized Designated Peer Support Specialist, working with agencies such as the San Antonio Council of Alcohol and Awareness and Center for Healthcare Services.  Through those organizations she worked with men and women struggling with homelessness, mental health issues, addiction and reentry after incarceration. She was also Vice President of the San Antonio Chapter for the National Society of Leadership and Success and holds a degree in Human Services: Addiction Studies, from San Antonio College.

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For the past five years Leonora has served as a member of the Bexar County Reentry Board, appointed by Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert.  Leonora also is an appointee to Precinct 4’s Bexar County Child Welfare Board. She has five years of experience as a high impact volunteer in prisons throughout the southern region of Texas and taught at the Lockhart Correctional Facility for two years. 

Leonora has been a panelist for the San Antonio Regional College & Career Consortium as well as a keynote speaker at Haven for Hope, Judson High School and many faith-based conferences and events. Leonora also is a media personality through her podcast called FREEDIZIM 101 and through KROV FM radio.  She has been privileged to interview many activists as well as elected county and city officials, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

Leonora is now the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a holistic educational 501c3 nonprofit called FREED Texas, formed in 2019 at Geekdom.  FREED stands for Finish Recidivism through Education, Employment and Divinity.   Leonora has established many strong partnerships to serve the formerly incarcerated, including Bexar County, Alamo Colleges, Project Quest, Broadway Bank, UTSA and Trinity University.  Due to the impact of Leonora’s work, FREED Texas has received funding from Bexar County for the second consecutive year.

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