Building Consensus: Aligning Prison Education, Employment and Economic Growth in Virginia
July 17, 2025 | 8 am - 2 pm | Brightpoint Community College, Chester Campus
On July 17, more than 100 educators, employers, formerly incarcerated individuals, policymakers and advocates gathered at Brightpoint Community College for Building Consensus: Aligning Prison Education, Employment and Economic Growth in Virginia. Hosted by the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison, the inaugural half-day conference commemorated the second anniversary of Pell Grant reinstatement for incarcerated learners and explored strategies to expand Virginia’s talent pool through education in correctional facilities.
This cross-sector gathering brought 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, this conference was successful in sparking dialogue, driving partnerships and educating and energizing participants about a new opportunity for responsive workforce strategy that taps into all of Virginia’s talent. See the full list of programming and recaps below.
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.
Programming and Session Details
Keynote recap: Jeff Korzenik, Commercial Economist and Author: “Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community”
Panel: Building a Responsive Talent Pool for Economic Competitiveness recap, featuring Korzenik, Elizabeth Shatswell, ITHAKA-JSTOR, Anthony Gomez, leading telecommunications company and moderated by Alison Kroboth, Resilience Education.
By the Numbers: Where Virginia Is and Where We’re Headed Recap, featuring Felicia Ganther, PhD, Vice-Chancellor, Virginia Community College System and Chadwick Dotson, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections
Pell Grant Tutorials Recap, featuring Sheila Meiman, Prison Ed Specialist, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and John Donnelly, PhD, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Education in a Highly Regulated Context: Higher Education & Corrections Group Discussion takeaways featuring Dr. Rodney Berry, Superintendent of Education for the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC); David Robinson, Chief Deputy Director at VADOC; LaShetta Wilder, Director of Education for the Mississippi Department of Corrections; and Dr. Eric Barna, representing the Virginia Consensus. Rejoined by Meiman and Donnelly and moderated by Sincere Allah, REFORM Alliance.