The lecture series that explores the impact of prisoner reentry upon the community.
Please note the two remaining lectures are being rescheduled to October (panel discussion with local Second Chance employers) and November (Dave Dahl, namesake and founder of Dave’s Killer Bread). Thanks for your patience as we negotiate with the venue.
In partnership with The Boxser Diversity Initiative, Project 180 presents the 2020 Strong Voices lecture series, “Celebrating Second Chance Employers.”
All luncheons are from 11:00 to 1:00 with networking from 11:00 to 11:30. Tickets are $35 for each event and include lunch.
Bradenton Luncheon
February 7, Pier 22, Bradenton: Karima Habity of CareerSource Suncoast, moderates a panel of Second Chance employers and employees to examine the pros and cons of employing formerly incarcerated citizens. Panelists:
- Calvin Bryant, Calvin Bryant Construction
- Al Alsina and AJ Donatelli, DHRUV Management
- Michael J. Gonzalez, PeopleReady
Sarasota Luncheon Series
March 6, Michael’s On East, Sarasota: Felix Massey, Society for Human Resource Management, frames the 2020 series by addressing Second Chance employment prohibitions and barriers, incentives for hiring, best employment practices, the effects of the current job market, and a forecast for the future. Introduction by The Honorable Kimberly C. Bonner, Chief Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit·
TO BE RESCHEDULED: April 3, Michael’s On East, Sarasota: The Honorable Charles E. Williams, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Judge, moderates a panel of Second Chance employers and employees to explore the benefits and challenges of employing formerly incarcerated citizens. The panel:
- Adam Sulimirski and staff member, Cruise Car International
- Chris Harris and staff member, All Glass Windows & Doors
- Steve Lagasse, Lagasse Pool & Design
TO BE RESCHEDULED: May 8, Michael’s On East, Sarasota: Dave Dahl. From incarcerated citizen to iconic figure, Dave became co-owner/operator and namesake of Dave’s Killer Bread Company in Portland, OR where he became nationally known and acclaimed as a Second Chance employer. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear from a reentry legend. Introduction by The Honorable Ed Brodsky, State Attorney of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit
Strong Voices is held in Spring each year and features national, regional and local experts. Over the past six years, the series has explored
- 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)
In 2013, Project 180’s national media audit reflected that prisoner reentry was not a topic of public discourse. In order to bring the issue of prisoner reentry out of the halls of justice and into the public domain, Project 180 began an annual lecture series that enters its seventh season in 2020.
Since its inception, the series has drawn over 1,800 attendees and featured speakers from state and local governments and over 20 institutions, nonprofits, and universities including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, University of South Florida, the Urban Institute, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and The Rockefeller University.
To our knowledge, Strong Voices is the nation’s only annual lecture series dedicated entirely to prisoner reentry.