Scott Alan Mason

Most “About Me” pages highlight achievements and accolades. That’s not what this is. This is the real story—the one that shaped my voice, my work, and my purpose.

I was born and raised just outside Detroit, Michigan, in an environment where toughness was a necessity and survival came before comfort. My mother was the constant in my life, raising me as a semi-single parent while working full-time, earning her undergraduate degree, and eventually attending law school. She believed in education and pushed me toward it, but many of life’s hardest lessons I learned on my own—and often the hard way.

By 21, I was deeply entangled in addiction. Drugs and alcohol controlled my life and pulled me into a destructive cycle that led to psychiatric hospitalization, more than 25 arrests—including two involving SWAT—and 36 felony convictions. Much of my twenties were spent in and out of prison, where gang involvement and repeated incarceration became my reality.

Then, in a prison church service, everything changed.

At a moment when I was filled with anger, hopelessness, and the belief that my life was beyond repair, I experienced something entirely different—peace. Not the kind that comes from escaping circumstances, but the kind that changes a person from the inside out. That night marked the beginning of a second chance and a new direction.

Since then, I have dedicated my life to helping others find the same freedom. I have worked alongside state and federal agencies in central Ohio to address substance abuse and recovery. In 2011, I co-founded a nonprofit organization that operates sober living homes, drug-awareness programs, and a teen center focused on prevention and mentorship.

My work has also included mentoring educators across schools in Ohio and Indiana, supporting them as they guide and influence young people. In 2013, I became the Chaplain and Outreach Officer for a police department in central Ohio, and in 2016, I stepped into the role of full-time chaplain at the Multi-County Correctional Center. I have also consulted with criminal courts, probation and parole departments, narcotics units, and gang task forces.

At the heart of everything I do is one mission: to help people break free from addiction, criminal behavior, and hopelessness. I have spoken at high schools, universities, and hospital boards across the country, sharing my story and a simple truth—change is possible, and no one is beyond redemption.

This is my story.

This is my work.

And it’s about building something better—together.