CEO Statement on Committee Passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022

How the Returning Citizen Stimulus and CEO Help the Formerly Incarcerated

CEO's Director of Social Enterprise Derick Bowers appeared on Roland Martin Unfiltered to discuss the Returning Citizen Stimulus and CEO's program model. (Clip begins at 1:21:43)

Employers Must Rethink How They Treat Talent With Criminal Record

This article was originally published on HR.comImagine what it is like to look for work with a past felony conviction. Every time you are applying for a job, the burden of your conviction weighs on you. You worry about having to explain your conviction to a hiring manager -- a ...

CEO Profile: A Conversation With Chris Watler

This profile was originally published by the Legal Action CenterQ+A with Christopher Watler, Chief External Affairs Officer at CEO Can you describe CEO's work in supporting people directly impacted by the criminal legal system? CEO is the largest provider of transitional job opportunities for people returning to the community from ...

REVOKED: Just When Things Were Getting Better, I Lost My SNAP Benefits

Jefferson was only 17 years old when he left Rikers Island correctional facility. Upon his release, he lived in a homeless shelter with his children, a situation that lasted for nearly six months. Jefferson’s cousin, an independent contractor, would hire him for construction work whenever there were openings on his ...

How $24M in Cash Grants Provided a Lifeline for Returning Citizens During Pandemic

Photo by Elentir via Flickr

Meet Samra Haider, CEO's New President

We are pleased to announce that Samra Haider has been promoted to the newly created position of President at CEO. This promotion is a recognition of the leadership that Samra has displayed for many years, stewarding the organization through two strategic plans and growth into 12 states across the country ...

$24 Million Returning Citizens Stimulus from Center for Employment Opportunities Benefits Thousands Released From Prisons and Jails During COVID-19

I Had Patience, But More Importantly, I Had a Game Plan to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

Ever since he was young, Terrance had always considered himself a business-savvy individual. Hoping to one day open his own customizable t-shirt shop, he set out to educate himself on how to run a small business. While incarcerated in upstate New York, Terrance enrolled in college courses, majoring in Entrepreneurship ...

Inspired by a Commitment to Community and Centering Impacted Voices

“A jail is a lockdown, but prison is a community,” says Charles, citing the work of famed prison reform advocate, penologist, and longtime warden of Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Lewis E. Lawes. Over the 40 years of his incarceration, Sing Sing was just one of the many institutions where Charles ...

The Power of Family

Before his arrest, Kish had been staying with his brother and his brother’s nine children. Living together, they had all grown close to one another. Kish lovingly recalls how one of his youngest nieces kept mistakenly calling him “brother” instead of “uncle”. As he was leaving the house one day ...

Opinion: Key Fixes for New York’s Broken Parole System Await the Governor’s Signature

It wasn’t the eight months of military-style, intense shock incarceration that finally broke me; it was my parole officer. After my incarceration at Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility for non-violent offenders in Brocton, New York, I quickly realized I was living in constant fear of reincarceration. My parole officer had ...

To Boost Hiring, New York Makes Case for a ‘Clean Slate’

For many Americans, criminal records stand as stubborn barriers to employment and housing. Several states are now advancing efforts to automatically seal and expunge those records.

Fair Chance Conversations: The Economics of Inclusive Hiring with Jeff Korzenik

Google Partners with Nonprofits on Skills Training for Formerly Incarcerated People

Google will join New York-based groups The Ladies of Hope Ministries, Center for Employment Opportunities, Defy Ventures and The Fortune Society to help improve job prospects for people with criminal records, a group that's unemployed at 5x the national average.

Benefits of Inclusive Hiring: Watch CEO’s Recent Corporate Roundtable

Draxel Shares the Life-changing Impact of the CEO Program

Charandip’s Journey: From Incarceration to a Union Job

“Without CEO’s training and job search support, I would not have the union job I currently do. Last year, I was living in a shelter and now I have the security of a good job, my own place, and even savings!”

Effectively Reaching Young Adult Job Seekers with Prior Justice Involvement

#MLKDay Series 2021: Ayanna Teesdale

Ayanna TeesdaleDirector of Payroll CEO New York City

#MLKDay Series 2021: Keito Gray

Keito GraySenior Manager, Bronx OperationsCEO New York City

#MLKDay Series 2021: Wallace St. Clair

Wallace St. ClairSenior Site SupervisorCEO New York City

The Positive Mind Radio Show Interview on Mental Health

The Positive Mind Show on 99.5FM in New York City spoke with Christopher Watler, CEO’s Chief External Affairs Officer and Alexandra Poolt, CEO’s Manager of Supportive Services regarding the organization's mental health initiatives.