Strong Voices/Strong Subjects: Celebrating Second Chance Employers

In 2020, Project 180, in partnership with the Boxser Diversity Initiative (BDI), presented the Strong Voices lecture series, themed “Celebrating Second Chance Employers.” This annual spring series, now in its seventh season, explored the impact of prisoner reentry on the community, with a special focus on employers who provide opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals. All luncheons were held from 11 AM to 1:00 PM, with networking from 11 to 11:30 AM, and tickets priced at $35, which included lunch.

The series began on February 7 at Pier 22 in Bradenton, where Karima Habity of CareerSource Suncoast moderated a panel of second chance employers and employees. Panelists included Calvin Bryant of Calvin Bryant Construction, Al Alsina and AJ Donatelli of DHRUV Management, and Michael J. Gonzalez of PeopleReady. The discussion examined the advantages and challenges of employing citizens reentering society after incarceration.

On March 6, the series continued at Michael’s On East in Sarasota with Felix Massey of the Society for Human Resource Management delivering a framing presentation for the 2020 season. Massey addressed prohibitions and barriers to second chance employment, incentives for hiring, best practices, the effects of the current job market, and a forecast for the future. The event was introduced by the Honorable Kimberly C. Bonner, Chief Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.

Two additional events originally scheduled for April and May were postponed due to venue scheduling changes. On April 3, the Honorable Charles E. Williams, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Judge, had been slated to moderate a panel featuring Adam Sulimirski and a staff member from Cruise Car International; Chris Harris and a staff member from All Glass Windows and Doors; and Steve Lagasse of Lagasse Pool and Design, discussing the benefits and challenges of hiring formerly incarcerated citizens. On May 8, Dave Dahl—the formerly incarcerated co-owner and namesake of Dave’s Killer Bread Company—was scheduled to share his journey from prison to national acclaim as a leading advocate and example of Second Chance employment. His appearance was to be introduced by the Honorable Ed Brodsky, State Attorney of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. Both events were rescheduled for later in the year: the panel with local Second Chance employers for October and Dave Dahl’s talk for November.

Since its inception in 2014, Strong Voices has brought national, regional, and local experts to Sarasota and Bradenton to discuss the barriers and opportunities surrounding prisoner reentry. Past themes have included

• Barriers to Successful Reentry (2014)

• The Implications of Disadvantage for Crime and Punishment (2015)

• Addiction, Reentry and Recidivism (2016)

• The Prison Experience (2017)

• The Effects of Incarceration and Reentry on the Family (2018)

• Models for the Future at Work Today: Successful Strategies in Incarceration and Reentry (2019)

  
  

Over seven years, the series has drawn more than 1,800 attendees and featured speakers from state and local governments, as well as over 20 institutions, nonprofits, and universities—including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the University of South Florida, the Urban Institute, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and Rockefeller University.

To date, Strong Voices remained the nation’s only annual lecture series dedicated entirely to prisoner reentry, fulfilling Project 180’s mission to bring this critical issue out of the halls of justice and into the public conversation.