FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Claire Gross, Sr. Manager of Public Relations
cgross@ceoworks.org | (646) 370-8292
New York, NY–September 10, 2026 –Simone Price today announced her acceptance to The Obama Foundation’s Leaders program, joining more than 150 changemakers from around the world in the 2026-2027 class. Following a competitive selection process, Simone will be one of 50 Leaders participating in the Leaders USA program, where they will receive training in values-based leadership development to strengthen their skills and scale their work across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
“I am honored to join this impressive cohort of leaders and advocates from across the country,” said Simone Price, Director of Organizing at the Center for Employment Opportunities. “I’ve dedicated my career to ensuring that justice-impacted people’s voices are heard and represented in places of power. Recognition of this integral work from the Obama Foundation is an exciting opportunity to build a more inclusive economy where everyone, no matter their criminal record, can build a future for themselves and their families.
Simone Price joined the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) as the Director of Organizing in October of 2021. In her role she oversees a program designed to center the voices of formerly incarcerated people in CEO’s policy priorities at the local and federal level. As a justice-impacted person, Simone is passionate about advocating for the elimination of collateral consequences stemming from criminal legal system involvement, especially barriers to economic opportunity and civic engagement.
Simone has brought hundreds of justice-impacted people face to face with city and state officials, to testify in front of legislators, and to speak at rallies and protests. She has helped them turn their stories into mechanisms for positive change. Simone has organized campaigns across the country and successfully passed meaningful legislation in California, New York, and Colorado.
Now in its fourth year, The Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program is guided by the leadership values of President and Mrs. Obama. The program draws on the Foundation’s Hope to Action curriculum to support Leaders in embracing diverse perspectives, harnessing collective power, and driving tangible progress toward a more just and sustainable world. The Leaders USA Program has a particular focus on strengthening democratic culture, and the 50 Leaders come from 29 states and territories and work across a broad range of focus areas, including democracy and civic engagement, public safety, artificial intelligence, public health, rural and economic opportunity, and arts and culture.
The Obama Foundation Leaders program is designed to inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States to change their respective communities and the world. To learn more, visit obama.org/leaders.
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About the Center for Employment Opportunities
The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to people recently released from incarceration. CEO currently operates in 30 cities in 12 states and is dedicated to ensuring justice-impacted people have opportunities to achieve socioeconomic mobility. For more information, visit ceoworks.org.