Yusef Andre Wiley

Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Yusef-Andre Wiley was drawn into gang life at 13, arrested as a juvenile and again as an adult, and sentenced to life in prison in 1991. While in solitary confinement, reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, he embraced Islam and took the name Yusef. Faith, education, and accountability became the foundation of a new life, and after more than two decades of incarceration, he came home in 2012 determined to help others make the same turn.

He went on to found Timelist Group, Inc., growing it from a self-help rehabilitation program inside California prisons into a multi-million-dollar nonprofit providing housing, reentry, workforce development, and violence prevention services across California.

Today, Yusef works as an executive coach, consultant, and advisor through YW Consultants. He helps nonprofit leaders, government agencies, and organizations strengthen leadership, build sustainable programs, and design systems that give people a real chance to succeed. A keynote speaker and member of the John Maxwell Team, he speaks on second chances, leadership, justice reform, Post-Incarceration Syndrome, and leading with purpose in the age of AI. He is also the creator of ChiefDesk AI, an AI-powered chief of staff for nonprofit executives and entrepreneurs.

Yusef is the author of If I Knew Then, the story of his transformation, and What I Know Now: A Growth Mindset for Second Chances, Second Acts, and the Age of AI, a practical guide for anyone rebuilding their life or helping others do the same. He holds degrees in Small Business Management and Paralegal Studies and lives in the Antelope Valley with his wife and family.