Meet Rasa’s Passionate Team of Expungement Experts

Before launching Rasa, Noella was a public defender and worked on criminal justice reform. 

Some of her proudest accomplishments were starting a program to divert people from jail and into treatment programs, and starting the state’s sober living program, which continues to provide safe housing options for people struggling with substance abuse. 

In 2019, Noella led the campaign to pass Utah’s Clean Slate Law, which automatically clears the misdemeanor records of over 450,000 Utahns. Noella also founded a nonprofit, Clean Slate Utah, to raise awareness of the legislation, and then went on to help other states across the country pass their clean slate laws. 

While the legislation helped many people clear their records, Noella saw two gaps in the new law that created the need for Rasa. First, the legislation has no direct notification requirement, meaning the government will spend a lot of time and money automatically clearing records, but will not directly inform individuals that their records have been automatically cleared. Second, not all records are eligible for automatic clearance. So, people with felony records or misdemeanor records that do not qualify for automatic clearance will still need to go through the court-based process to get their records expunged. 

Noella founded Rasa and developed the Rasa web app to make sure that people could learn whether their record was cleared by Utah’s Clean Slate Law, and if they have records that are not eligible for automatic clearance, provide an easy and affordable pathway to get through the expungement process.  

Noella’s advice for people considering record expungement:

Get started now. Don’t wait until your criminal record blocks you from doing something. Take advantage of the cost savings created by the current expungement fee waivers. Unlock your freedom and create future opportunities for yourself. 

The sooner you clear your record, the sooner your past will stop holding you back.

Hollee has spent most of her legal career representing people who can’t afford an attorney. While she was practicing family law, she felt extremely frustrated when she saw the extra barriers and hardships for people with criminal records. She saw how much a criminal record affected people’s ability to find housing, and a decent job, and their ability to support their family. She felt like people were being punished for years and years after their involvement with the justice system. 

Hollee also saw a big gap between people living in poverty who are provided an attorney by the state, and people who don’t qualify for legal aid, but still can’t afford an attorney. She felt like they deserved representation, too. When Hollee learned that Rasa’s mission is to make expungement simple and affordable, she knew she wanted to be part of the team. 

Hollee’s advice for people considering expunging their records: 

Expungement doesn’t have to be “all or nothing.” There are different strategies we can employ to improve your record. Even if you're not eligible to expunge everything right now, you could try doing reductions, like reducing a felony to a misdemeanor. Or you could expunge older things while you wait for timing eligibility on newer records.

Try not to feel discouraged. It could open a lot of doors to have a felony reduced to a misdemeanor - you wouldn’t have to check the box for Felonies on applications for jobs or apartments, or even for schooling. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can have that second chance.

Mark has so much experience as a software engineer, that he can build just about anything, and he could work for just about any tech company. But he was drawn to Rasa because he wanted to create something that would truly make a positive impact on the world. He wanted to be involved in something unique and innovative, not just in the tech industry, but that would help people in a new and remarkable way. Mark was impressed by the cleverness of Rasa as an affordable solution to criminal record expungement. He also loves that it offers an entire solution, not just a small part of a solution.

Mark’s advice for those who are considering using the Rasa app to find out what is on their criminal record and whether it is eligible for expungement:

You are not alone. If you are working on getting back out into the world and you feel like everything is stacked against you, know that we are here to help. It’s really heartening to see the way our team and our network helps people in their most vulnerable moments.

Oh, and one other thing - do NOT reuse your passwords on the internet!

Chris worked in the criminal justice system for a decade as a case manager for adults and children. Through this work, he saw that the courts were not allowed to help people with tasks like preparing documents and statements. He saw many people try to do their own legal work, and then get stuck without anybody to help them, and often made costly mistakes. These mistakes that impacted many people emotionally, financially, and ultimately led to a losing battle. He also saw that when people try to navigate the system alone, they couldn’t complete the work and never ended up getting anywhere.

Chris joined Rasa because he wants to personally be of service and offer a support system to people who are expunging their records. He is committed to helping people until the work is completed.

Chris’ advice to anybody thinking about hiring Rasa to expunge their records:

You don’t have to do this alone. We’re here for you. The system and the expungement process can seem complicated and overwhelming, but the experts at Rasa know how to navigate it and keep your case on track.

Whatever your background is, there is no judgment here. We’re here to help you move forward. You deserve a second chance, and we want to help make it happen.

I can’t wait to hear about the doors that open when your records are expunged!

Amy has seen first-hand how the criminal justice system tends to punish people long after they’ve served their sentence. Amy herself is a woman in long-term recovery, and has spent much of her career helping others recover from substance abuse, including being a member of Utah’s Opioid Task Force. She is on a mission to make it easier, not more difficult, for people in recovery to put their lives back together. She sees criminal record expungement as a vital part of this process, not just for the perceptible benefits, but for the emotional freedom of being liberated from the system.

Amy’s advice for people considering expunging their criminal record:

Record expungement has the power to unlock your future. 

To employers or landlords, it’s a box you check on a job application or a housing form. 

For you, it represents closure to the long journey to get free from your past. It is the final end to your involvement with the justice system. 

For your family, it means you can support them better and be a role model for your children. 

It’s heartbreaking to see how limiting a record can be, but how sincerely beautiful life can be with a record-free future.

Growing up as a minority in a small town, Brina saw many other minority youth get caught up in the justice system. She saw her own friends and family fall behind bars for petty crimes, and she felt helpless until she discovered that education and extracurricular activities could prevent her peers and family from getting into trouble. 

In her junior year of high school, Brina became a member of the first cultural club called ‘Latinos In Action,’ which gave her many resources to pursue higher education. She decided to be the first in her family to go to college, where she studied criminal justice and Spanish. 

During her bachelor’s program, Brina started heavily researching Latinx communities and the education system. She presented her research at Utah State University to other students, and at the Utah State Capitol to legislators. Brina believed getting involved in policy could help make a change. 

While interning at the state capitol, Brina heard about Utah’s clean slate law, and she started following Rasa. Brina whole-heartedly supports simple and affordable record expungement as a good step for criminal justice reform, so she decided to join the Rasa team.

Brina’s advice for someone thinking about hiring Rasa to expunge their record:

Your past does not define you. Everyone deserves a second chance to be great. From personal experience, this can turn into a lengthy and pricey process, but with the right guidance and support that Rasa provides, it can be an easy and inexpensive process!