Michael Ulibarri

From prison yards to boardrooms, I’ve lived the full arc of transformation — and now I help others write their own.

I’m the Executive Director of Access to Excellence, a nonprofit dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline by equipping youth with tools for leadership, entrepreneurship, personal development, and civic engagement.

As CEO of Purpose Driven Partners, I consult with institutions, government agencies, and grassroots organizations to design programs that center lived experience, create economic opportunity, and build real community power.

After spending nearly two decades incarcerated, I now sit at tables I was once locked out of — and I bring others with me. I serve on the Board of NeighborWorks Salt Lake, advise the Utah Black Chamber’s Small Business Committee, and teach community program development at the Westside Leadership Institute.

I collaborate with initiatives like Defy Ventures, and UBCC BCEO Entrepreneur Programs to help returning citizens and system-impacted youth build businesses, shift mindsets, and reclaim their futures.

Every move I make is about bridging gaps: between lived experience and leadership, reentry and innovation, survival and sustainability. My work isn’t just about programs — it’s about purpose, legacy, and disrupting systems that weren’t built for us.