Building Consensus: Aligning Prison Education, Employment, and Economic Growth in Virginia 

Save the date for Building Consensus: Aligning Prison Education, Employment, and Economic Growth in Virginia, a half-day convening celebrating the second anniversary of Pell grant reauthorization for college programs in jails and prisons. This cross-sector gathering will bring together Virginia leaders from business, economic development, higher education, government, corrections, non-profit and faith communities to explore how college programs in prisons can advance Virginia’s talent expansion strategy, while meaningfully addressing projected long-term workforce shortages. Featuring keynote speaker Jeff Korzenik, author of Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community, the event aims to spark dialogue, drive partnerships and educate and energize participants about a new opportunity for responsive workforce strategy that taps into all of Virginia’s talent. 

Stay tuned for more details! 

About Jeff Korzenik 

Jeff Korzenik is the Chief Economist for one of the nation's largest commercial banks. For more than 30 years, Jeff has been known in the investment management industry for the clarity and originality he brings to complex challenges. A regular guest on CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg TV, his insights into the economy, markets, manufacturing, and the workforce are frequently cited in the financial and business press. 

Jeff is the author of the groundbreaking book on the business case and best practices for hiring people with criminal records, published by HarperCollins Leadership in April 2021. Jeff’s writings on economics and public policy have been published in Barron’s, Forbes, the Chicago Tribune, and other periodicals. He has testified on Capitol Hill as an expert witness on the use of commodity indexes by pensions and other institutional investors. A leading expert on private sector models and the re-employment of people with criminal records, Jeff is a sought-after public speaker; he has presented at the Detroit Economic Club, the Executives Club of Chicago, for Los Angeles County’s Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, and at national conferences of the American Bankers Association, the AICPA, SHRM and for numerous other organizations and universities around the country. With over fifty speaking engagements each year, Jeff is noted for his ability to distill complex topics to common sense and approachable arguments. Jeff is a graduate of Princeton University, with an A.B. in Economics and a Certificate of Proficiency in Near Eastern Studies.