Meet Wendy Royston, Operations Manager 

Bonafide would not be the thriving community it is today without the tireless and dedicated work of Wendy Royston, our incredible Operations Manager. Wendy has been involved in Bonafide since its inception, when she and its founder David Cowan worked many long, late nights to clear the hurdles required to become an independent nonprofit. All the while, she has been driven by a deep belief in Bonafide’s mission and in the power of community. Read on to get to know Wendy! 

What was your background before you came to work for Bonafide? 

I worked for a public school system in North Carolina for almost 20 years as a data person– I did a lot of state reports that determined our funding. When I moved to California in 2019 I worked at the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Then when COVID came they shut that office down. 

What drew you to Bonafide’s mission? Why is this work important to you? 

I knew I wanted to stay in nonprofits, and when I was sent this job it seemed very interesting. I felt like it was a needed resource in the community so I applied. 

I grew up in a police officer’s family—my father, brothers, and many of the men in my family all work in police departments. So I’ve seen both sides of the system and I know that there’s not always good happening on the law enforcement side. I was always the one growing up who said, “What about this? Is this part fair?” So I was drawn to this field. 

What’s something you are especially proud of when you look at how Bonafide has evolved over the years? 

I’m proud of the number of drivers we’ve been able to hire, the number of full time staff, and how we’ve grown in 4 years. In the first year or so it was just me and David, and it was rough—a lot of long nights with paperwork for the state. The fact that we’ve grown so much and our name is starting to get out into the community now is great. 

Tell us a time when you learned something new or surprising from someone in the Bonafide community. 

I was somewhat shocked to learn how little people are given when they’re released. I thought, you’re not only not helping them, you’re setting them up to fail. 

For example, for the longest time they gave everyone a $200 check, but they had no ID so and no way to cash it. So now they’re homeless with no access to money, but they have to be in a transition home within 24 hours or it’s a parole violation. That was shocking to learn. 

Do you have a favorite experience or memory with the Bonafide community? 

My favorite memory was when we got the last piece of mail that said you’re good to go–you’re officially a nonprofit. We’d been doing so much work at night and picking people up at the gates during the day. (We had a sponsor, so we could do pickups while we did all the other work to establish ourselves as independent.) 

I just remember him calling me and telling me that he’d gotten it in the mail and we were just so excited. 

Bonafide is all about community. What does community look like for you?

My son is very active in the LGBTQ community, and I do a lot of things with him on that front—he’s a nonprofit consultant. Where we were from in North Carolina there was just no community support for him growing up, so it’s important to me to be part of that now. I’ve attended a lot of fundraisers and volunteered for things that he was a part of. 

When you look to Bonafide’s future, what are you excited to see happen next? 

I think one of the most exciting things is the expansion of Critical Adventures. I think expanding that is going to be a huge continuing help, helping people get their IDs and use public transportation – and the fun parts, like going to a ball game or the beach. I think that’s where Bonafide is a little different. It’s not like we pick you up and drop you off and we’re done with you. We stay there for you. It’s going to be great to see that offering grow.