Bold, Brave and Transformed: The Journey from Incarceration to Employment
One in three people have a criminal record. This alarming statistic shows that criminal convictions are more common than we think, yet this skilled talent pool continues to be locked out of employment and thus experience limited opportunities for economic mobility. By skipping over this diverse and skilled set of candidates, employers are missing out on qualified talent that is sure to help any company meet their business goals. Indeed, the #1 job site in the world, will moderate this engaging panel where you will hear directly from experts that have harnessed lessons from their own journeys - journeys that include overcoming the stigma of past criminal convictions and employing those that have been marginalized for decades from the workforce. This panel will highlight the transferable skills learned in non-traditional places of employment like prison, and will demonstrate why it is imperative that you consider hiring from this talent pool. Join us for this panel as we celebrate Second Chance month and elevate the hundreds of thousands of people with past convictions that have become successful members of the workforce.
Learning Objectives:
- Hiring with Conviction: Understand what it means to be a fair chance employer and how inclusive hiring practices can foster safety, security and growth for all your employees not just individuals with past convictions.
- Fair Chance Hiring In Practice: Learn practical steps to transform your hiring and employment practices to hire and retain more talent.
- Person Centered Approach: Understand how employers can take a person-centered approach in thinking through a potential candidate's past criminal convictions.
- Hear from individuals who have a criminal conviction and how it has affected their employment journey. Skills Based Hiring: Learn how to assess candidates based on skills to hire applicants who are the best match for your job, including people with past convictions. Identify applicable hard and soft skills that were obtained through non-traditional experiences.
Dr. Genevieve Rimer
With nearly two decades of professional and lived experience in the reentry field, Dr. Genevieve Rimer leads the Center for Employment Opportunities’ Inclusive Hiring team. As a keynote speaker and reentry workforce expert, she has trained over 30,000 workforce professionals and human resource experts. Dr. Rimer's customized curriculum, featured on platforms like LinkedIn Learning, reflects her commitment to advancing inclusive and fair employment practices. Holding a doctorate in social work from the University of Southern California, she integrates academic rigor with personal experience to drive positive change and empower professionals in the workforce ecosystem.
Amelia Nickerson
Amelia Nickerson joined First Step Staffing in January 2018 and was appointed as CEO in May 2020. Amelia has more than fifteen years of experience as a fundraiser, volunteer, and board member for nonprofits across the Southeast. She previously served as the Vice President of Development and Community Relations at First Step, managing fundraising and community relations for all of First Step’s current markets, as well as assisting with recent expansion opportunities.
Amelia serves on the Worksource Fulton Board and is Chair of Strategic Partnerships Committee. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta Exchange for Workforce Development and Partners for HOME. She is a member of YPO, and she and her daughter are members of the National Charity League. Originally from Savannah, Amelia currently lives in Roswell, GA with her husband, Sean, and three children.
Vincent Bragg
In 2011, Vincent Bragg was sentenced to 121 months for running a multi-million dollar drug empire. During his time inside he realized that there was a rich source of untapped creativity behind bars and set about recruiting a network of diverse creative talent that now makes up ConCreates. Vincent believes that one mistake shouldn’t define a life and is on a mission to reverse the stigma associated with a criminal past.
Elisabeth Voigt
Elisabeth leads the ESG Programs & Partnerships Americas team at Indeed, collaborating with service providers, advocates, researchers, and employers to advance Indeed's commitment to help 30 million job seekers who face bias and barriers get hired by 2030. Before joining Indeed, Elisabeth spent 15+ years as a social justice advocate and advisor, serving as Policy Director of Manufactured Housing Action, consultant to national foundations, and Senior Staff Attorney at Public Advocates Inc. She also served in government at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama Administration and as a law clerk on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.