The Founders

Ms. Alves is an accomplished Admin Specialist, certified coach, and mentor. Her career in administration began as a Program Support Assistant (PSA) in Education for the Department of Veteran Affairs, where she devoted 18 years of service, taking on diverse roles.

In her early years, Ms. Alves became a PMDB Instructor, training employees in workplace violence prevention concepts and creating instructional materials. Her ambition and commitment to continuous improvement impressed her Director, who approved her enrollment in the VA Leadership program. Through this program, she successfully created and implemented an in-service orientation for new hires and later coordinated the revamped New Employee Orientation program.

Additionally, Ms. Alves served as an alternative instructor for the School At Work program, supporting comprehensive education and career planning for lower-paid employees. She mentored and assisted numerous staff members in obtaining higher-paying jobs and developing essential workplace skills.

Ms. Alves' leadership extended to her roles as the Chair for the Women's Special Emphasis Program, coordinating events surrounding the annual observances for women Veterans. She also served as the secretary for the EEO and Diversity committee and as a Narcotics Inspector for the agency.

Renowned as "The Wiz" within the agency, Ms. Alves garnered recognition for her ability to provide education and training to a diverse population, identify areas for improvement, and offer constructive feedback. Her open-door policy fostered a welcoming environment for staff and colleagues seeking guidance and support.

One of her greatest accomplishments was being recognized by the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs for her outstanding contributions to the programs she supported for veterans and caregivers.

After dedicating many years to serving veterans, Patrice pursued her passion for helping others by streamlining local businesses and providing admin support to several radio stations. She subsequently became a cleared DJ on two college bds radio stations; one at Northeastern University (104.9FM WRBB Boston) and (3) at Nichols College (97.5FM WNRC), where she used her platform to highlight independent artist, provide resources and education. Her show The Indie Report on WRBB became the most talked about independent artist radio show.

The Charma is now approaching 10 years on college radio. By the grace of God she landed her own  morning show, "Music and Motivation," which airs every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on 104.9FM WRBB Boston, highlighting spiritual awareness, entrepreneurship, health and wellness, and life after prison.

Mr. Curry is a former prisoner who transformed into an entrepreneur.

In 2008, during court proceedings, Mr. Curry learned through his attorney that he was being enhanced under the CAREER CRIMINAL statute. To be enhanced as a career criminal, the defendant must have at least two prior felony convictions for either a drug crime, a crime of violence, or a combination of the two.

Mr. Curry had a crime of violence conviction and a federal drug conviction. He had previously spent 9 years in federal and state prisons for drug and violent crime convictions. With the career criminal enhancement, Mr. Curry no longer faced 77 to 96 months; he now faced 188 to 262 months. Imagine knowing you will be serving the next 15.8 years or 21.10 years in a federal prison for an ounce of crack cocaine. Weeks later, he learned from his attorney that another enhancement was looming, and he could potentially be enhanced again under 21 U.S.C. § 851.

To trigger these enhanced penalties, a prosecutor must file an information providing notice of which prior convictions support the enhanced penalties. The "851" enhancement is one of the most severe penalties the federal government has in its arsenal.

What makes the 851 enhancement so feared is that it doubles the sentence. In Mr. Curry's situation, that enhancement would have put him in the category of 360 months (30 years) to life.

Just the thought of the 851 enhancement being a possible death sentence forced him to take a Nolo Contendere plea.

A Nolo Contendere plea is rare in federal criminal cases. In a Nolo Contendere plea, the defendant does not admit factual guilt but accepts the punishment on the premise that the government's evidence is strong enough for a conviction.

Mr. Curry was sentenced to 188 months. That's when the process of his commitment to change for the better began. He spent a lot of time writing and focusing on his growth. He used his writing as a stress reliever and a way to block out the monotony of prison life. While he was going on his 12th year of incarceration, he was released under the "First Step Act." Shortly after his release, he enrolled in "Project Entrepreneur" at Boston College.

Project Entrepreneur is a legal/business bootcamp for entrepreneurs who were formerly incarcerated.

He graduated from Project Entrepreneur in the fall of 2019, and along with co-founder Ms. Alves, he started the Life After Prison organization.