Level up for Fair Chance Employment: Confronting Criminal Record Bias
1 out of 3 Americans of working age have a criminal record in some form, and the associated barriers to employment and other collateral consequences are experienced disproportionately in Black and Latinx communities. SHRM's Getting Talent Back to Work campaign recognizes the power of the Human Resources profession to leverage the vast under-tapped talent pool among 'Second Chance' or 'Fair Chance' hires, yet research shows that there is still a long way to go.
Learning Objectives:
- Nonpartisan data points on racial disparities in the criminal legal system
- Awareness of media messaging that creates a false binary between 'criminal' and 'non-criminal' populations
- Knowledge of best practices in building Fair Chance inclusive cultures through each stage of the employee life cycle Fair Chance Etiquette: Concrete 'Do' and 'Don't' Tips from Fair Chance Employees
- Opportunity to strategize on action steps applicable to the unique context of your business, industry, and region
Elizabeth Speck, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Speck is the Founder and Principal of MindOpen Learning Strategies, a training, consulting, and coaching firm that helps people and organizations learn new ways to work in order to achieve social justice goals. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Development from Fielding Graduate University and an M.A. in Drama Therapy from New York University. She uses her unique background to create transformative adult learning experiences that lead to measurable business results and social impact. Prior to founding MindOpen, Elizabeth most recently led large-scale organizational and systemic change efforts as Chief Learning Officer for the Workforce Professionals Training Institute in New York City, and Senior Training Director for Safe Horizon, the nation's largest victim assistance organization. Elizabeth's doctoral research studied the workforce entry and career advancement experiences of formerly incarcerated professionals.
Tarik Greene
Tarik Greene is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of M.A.D.E. Transitional Services where he oversees development of transitional services programs and strategic initiatives and partnerships. Tarik worked as the Offender Workforce Development Specialist (OWDS) and Assistant Disability Program Navigator at Rockland County’s One Stop Resource and Employment agency.
Tarik’s extensive experience includes working with people who self-disclose diagnosis related to disabilities, and/or with people who are eligible for re-entry services. His responsibilities have included conducting intake and assessments of potential clients, assisting with the development of re-employment training plans, providing quality employment referrals and successfully placing people in employment programs.
Tarik is passionate about creating an interactive and enjoyable business environment, which supports meeting the needs of business partners, colleagues, and clients while ensuring that clients are held accountable for personal self-improvement and professional self-development. Tarik successfully engineered and implemented the Ready, Set, Work! A program
at Rockland County’s One Stop agency and the Rockland County Correctional Center. He was also Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Liaison in Rockland County, to the Work for Success Statewide Program.in 2015
Under his leadership, Tarik has undertaken several initiatives, including:
Created and implemented Rockland County’s first Second Chance Job Fair focused on hiring formerly incarcerated individuals
Training Department of Labor & Workforce One staff to certify as offender employment specialists
Creating viable community partnerships with agencies such as ACCES-VR, Division of Criminal Justice Services, National Institute of Corrections, Office of the Mayor in Nyack NY, STAQ College, and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office.
Serving as a contributing member of the Rockland Employment Network
Serving as a board member of the Rockland County Executives ATI Advisory Board
Serving as a critical member of the Rockland County Judicial Committee for Youth, designed to provide first-time youth offenders with alternatives to incarceration.