On Thursday, October 2nd, nearly 60 workforce professionals, business leaders, and advocates for justice-impacted individuals came together to explore how to better support second chance employers. This MAX Academy was held in partnership with Project Restart, Common Good Atlanta, Fair Chance Advisory, the Georgia Justice Project, and the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). The Academy began with a primer on second chance hiring featuring insights from Tiffany Kirk, Director of Common Good Atlanta, John Dearing III, Founder of Fair Chance Advisory, and Brenda Smeeton, Legal Director with the Georgia Justice Project.
Following the primer, global talent acquisition executive Shundra Lee, Principal of Living Labs LLC, led a session on the ins and outs of second chance hiring drawing from her decades of experience with larger employers that proactively hire individuals impacted by the justice system. Lee asked the following question: “What if your next top performer is someone who simply needs an opportunity to shine?” She made the business case for how second chance hiring not only changes lives but can elevate our organizations.
One of the most compelling moments of the day came when Dearing facilitated a simulation of the reentry experience which brought home how difficult it can be to get one’s life back together after incarceration. From finding housing and reporting to probation to looking for work, the exercise illustrated how those released from prison find themselves with limited time and resources to get everything done.
MAX Academy participants had an opportunity to also hear directly from employers, including CEO which serves as the employer on record for justice-impacted individuals. Representing CEO, Antwahn Mangum, Program Manager, and Vinita Musapeta, Manager of Inclusive Hiring reviewed the CEO model and provided some quick tips on fair chance hiring. This session was followed by an employers roundtable co-led by Kirk and Dearing featuring insights from Ken Cloud, Founder of KBC Transport Training, Christopher O’Neill, Client Delivery Manager with Adecco USA, and Virgil Welch, Senior Water and Wastewater Specialist, with The Water Tower. Dearing asked each business leader to speak about the myths and stigmas associated with second chance hiring. Following the roundtable, Kirk and Dearing rounded out the Academy with a discussion on key takeaways and a call to action.
ABOUT THE MAX ACADEMY
Launched in 2014, the mission of MAX is to advance economic resilience in the Atlanta region by strengthening connections, collaborations, and practices among workforce developers and organizations engaged in workforce development.
The MAX Academy offers professional development and capacity building training workshops to help workforce development professionals develop new skills, learn best practices, and engage in peer-to-peer learning.