How do we train and upscale workers for the 21st Century? And how can an entire pipeline of 7 million formerly incarcerated workers, seeking to be productive in society, “skill-up”. contribute, and fill roles competitively in the labor market, connect with willing and welcoming company?

Stanley Richards, Executive Vice President at The Fortune Society, a non-profit organization based in New York City, NY with a mission to support successful reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarceration, joins Vikrum Aiyer at the 2018 Concordia Annual Summit in New York City.

Richards serves at The Fortune Society, a $35 million non-profit organization based in New York City, with a mission to support successful reentry from jail and prison and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities. Mr. Richards is second in charge and is involved in all aspects of the agency including the development and implementation of programs – discharge planning, education, workforce development, HIV/AIDS services, supportive housing, family services, substance use disorder treatment and mental health services, alternatives to incarceration and access to health care. Mr. Richards is a formerly incarcerated man of color and has over 30 years of experience in the criminal justice field. Mr. Richards has developed the expertise and extensive knowledge of programs, services, policies, and systems that impact the lives of people involved in the criminal justice system and reenter society. Mr. Richards was honored by the Obama Administration as a “Champion of Change” for his commitment to helping formerly incarcerated individuals reenter successfully into society.

Mr. Richards was also a member of Governor Cuomo’s Ending the Epidemic Task Force which produced New York State’s Blueprint to End the AIDS Epidemic. Mr. Richards was a key participant in the NYC Discharge Planning Collaboration launched in 2004 by NYC Dept. of Corrections (DOC) and NYC Dept. of Homeless Services (DHS) that led to the launch of the Rikers Island Discharge Enhancement (RIDE) program. Mr. Richards graduated from Medaille College. He is certified as a Counseling Aide by the NYS Department of Labor. Mr. Richards was a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow in their Developing Leadership Program to Reduce Substance Use and completed Columbia University’s Institute for Non-Profit, School of Business Management, Executive Management Program. Mr. Richards is a member of the Board of Directors of JobsFirstNYC, an intermediary with a mission to reduce the number of out-of-school and out-of-work young people in NYC He also serves on the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Juvenile Justice Oversight Board and the Vera Institute of Justice National Leadership Group: Pathways from Prison to Post-Secondary Education; as well as the Vera Institutional Review Board. Mr. Richards also serves on Community Board (7) in the Bronx.

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