March 31, 2025
MEDIA ADVISORY
Tuesday, April 1
RICHMOND, VA – April is Second-Chance Month, which highlights the successes and challenges of individuals returning to society after a period of incarceration.
On Tues. April 1, from 11:30 am-noon, Kenneth Hunter, an organizer with the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison will participate on a panel discussing Virginia’s progress in aligning carceral education and labor market needs at the Second Chance Business Coalition Forum, hosted at the UVA Darden Sands Family Grounds in Arlington, VA. During the day, other speakers include, the chairman of Jordan Brand, Nike, the CEO of AT&T and the Dean and CEO of the UVA Darden School of Business.
The forum will be live-streamed here. An agenda for the event can be found here.
The Second Chance Business Coalition is a national organization of 52 major corporations with a shared public commitment to talent strategies that include hiring individuals with conviction histories. The yearly forum brings together business leaders and employers, academics, policymakers and justice-impacted thought leaders to share insights, success stories and actionable steps for supporting individuals with criminal records, highlighting skills-based hiring, employer-community partnerships and the role of business schools in promoting second-chance employment.
Hunter’s panel, “Hiring Is Local – Exploring Employer Partnerships in Local Ecosystems” centers Virginia as an example of a nationwide challenge—exploring both the progress and remaining gaps in its pursuit of robust pathways from education during incarceration to second chance employment for returning citizens. The discussion is timely, as House Bill 2158 on correctional education, watched closely by reform advocates across the country, remains in debate between the General Assembly and Governor Glenn Youngkin, who offered amendments to the bipartisan General Assembly bill.
Speakers at the 11:30 am panel: Moderated by Ken Oliver, Chief Innovation Officer, The Just Trust
- Chadwick Dotson, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections
- Kenneth Hunter, Organizer, Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison
- Nicole Overley, Commissioner, VAWorks
Speakers on other panels include:
- John Stankey, Chairman and CEO, AT&T Inc.
- Larry Miller, Chairman, Jordan Brand, Nike; Author/Founder of Justice & Upward Mobility Project (JUMP)
- Peter Quigley, President & CEO, Kelly Services
- Tamara Lundgren, Chairman, President and CEO, Radius Recycling
- Tierney Fairchild, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Resilience Education
- Peter Rodriguez, Dean, Jones School of Business, Rice University
- Greg Fairchild, Dean and CEO, University of Virginia Darden School of Business, N. Va
- Marc Johnson, Senior Associate Dean and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, University of Virginia Darden School of Business
- Matt Joyce, Partner, Envoy
Facts on Second Chance Employment:
Data indicate that second chance employment is an effective and timely practice for expanding the Virginia workforce, reducing recidivism and fostering economic competitiveness:
- There is a worker shortage in Virginia. Only 47 workers are available for every 100 job openings. Long-term, worker shortages are tied to birth rate declines.
- About 10,000 individuals enter the Virginia labor market upon release from state prisons each year. Most will stay in Virginia and seek employment as early as possible.
- Second chance hires have a 73% lower turnover rate compared to those without criminal records, conferring retention-related cost savings to employing individuals with records.
- 85% of human resource professionals report that individuals with criminal records perform as well or better than, employees without records, adding bottom-line value to second chance employers.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Terri Erwin, PhD, Director, Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison, an initiative of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy: terri@virginiainterfaithcenter.org,
Roberta Oster, Communcations Director, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy: roster@virginainiatinterfaithcenter.org
# # #