Quan Huynh

About Quan Huynh

Quan Huynh has been described as a mighty warrior, a magician, and a mountain of goodness. He is the bestselling author of Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life Sentence, a memoir that explores how true freedom is found not in circumstance, but in mindset and personal transformation.Today, Quan serves as the Executive Director of Defy Ventures Southern California, leading initiatives that provide career readiness, entrepreneurship training, and personal development for people impacted by the justice system. A graduate of Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program in Nonprofit Leadership, Quan brings a unique blend of lived experience and executive expertise to his work—helping to shift perceptions about talent, leadership, and second chances.In recent years, Quan has also integrated artificial intelligence into his leadership. He has built custom GPT tools to streamline grant writing, donor communication, newsletters, volunteer training, and even coaching for justice-impacted participants—expanding Defy’s reach and efficiency while keeping its heart-centered storytelling intact.Following his release after serving 22 years in correctional institutions, Quan launched his first company, Jade Janitors, Inc, within six months, and went on to be recognized with the Peace Fellowship Award from the Alternatives to Violence Project. He is also certified through Loyola Law School as a Forensic Gang Expert.Quan’s insights on leadership, transformation, and opportunity have been featured in Entrepreneur, PBS NewsHour, Talks at Google, TEDx, and numerous other national platforms. His life’s work stands as a testament to the power of human potential—and the extraordinary outcomes that happen when it’s fully unleashed.

Experience

1. Executive Director, Southern California

   Defy Ventures

   Mar 2022 — Present · Los Angeles, CA, US

   Oversee regional operations, serving 500+ justice-impacted individuals annually.Built strategic partnerships with government agencies, philanthropy, and corporate funders Piloted AI-assisted workshop development and communications to improve participant retention and volunteer training.Integrated GPT-driven tools into core workflows (grant writing, donor communications, newsletters, volunteer training, and job readiness coaching), increasing responsiveness and scalability while preserving personalized, heart-centered storytelling.

Education

• California State University, Fullerton

  Management Information Systems, General

  1998 — 1999

• University of La Verne

  Associate of Arts - AA, Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies

  1995 — 1996

• Harvard Business School

  Strategic Perspectives in Non Profit Leadership

• Loyola Law School, Los Angeles

  Independent Forensic Gang Expert