Mission: Launch Confirms Diverse List of Speakers and Sessions for Upcoming Community Hackathon Scheduled for October 11th - 12th in Phoenix, Arizona

Previously incarcerated individuals, corrections leaders, business owners, philanthropic groups, educators, and more gather to break down systemic barriers impeding successful reentry to stimulate positive local economic impact

PHOENIX, Oct. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mission: Launch, led by national criminal justice advocate, Teresa Hodge, announced the speaker line-up and fireside chat sessions for the upcoming community "Bank On 100 Million (Bo100M) Hackathon" in Phoenix. The Hackathon, which aims to 'hack' workforce development solutions to break down systemic barriers to fair and second chance hiring, takes place on October 11^th and 12^th, 2023, at Arizona State University's (ASU) Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions campus. 

Arizona's capital, Phoenix, is one of the country's most diverse cities, making it an ideal host location for the third "Bank On 100 Million (Bo100M) Hackathon" social justice convening that joins subject matter experts who are, or were, justice-impacted and cross-sector leaders to help reduce the significant disadvantages current and previously incarcerated individuals face securing employment and business capital, directly impacting recidivism and economic growth. 

With more than 1.5M Arizonans living in prisons or jails, the state has the fifth highest incarceration rate nationwide. It also has the country's fifth highest Black imprisonment rate and highest Hispanic imprisonment rate in the country. While Hispanics represent nearly a quarter of the U.S. prison population, more than 700,000 Latinos call Phoenix home and the ratio of Latinos to Whites who are incarcerated in Arizona is 7:1.

"Culture and diversity issues play a significant role in incarceration and by bringing together cross-sector leaders who reflect different backgrounds and experiences, the Hackathon gives us an opportunity to shape the future differently," said Hodge. "Prison Policy Data tells us that Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations are overrepresented in Arizona's prison population, intensifying the need to focus on reentry and community-based solutions that best serve these individuals by focusing on policy and solutions that oppose racial or ethnic discrimination."

The two-day event is free thanks to partnerships with the Arizona Career Development Center and Aventiv Technologies. Mission: Launch is proud to feature a diverse set of fireside chat sessions and panelists that include:

Scheduled fireside chats

• The Realities of Our Reentry
• Quantifying the Collateral Consequences - Impacts on Families & Communities
• How Might Innovative and Modern Approaches to Corrections Enable Better Reentry
• A Model of Success - Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to Drive Real Change
• Why Targeted Lending to Entrepreneurs with Records Matters
• Pathways to Include Constituents Living with Records in a Thriving Economy

Scheduled panelists

• Teresa Hodge, President and CEO, Mission: Launch, Inc.
• Laurin Leonard, President and CEO, R3 Score Technologies, Inc.
• Andre Whittington, Executive Director, Growth Partners Arizona 
• Colin Diaz, President and CEO, Tempe Chamber of Commerce
• Eric Stewart, Assistant Director-Education, Program and Community Reentry, ADCRR
• Garrett Deetz, CEO of Divergent Recovery
• Kevin Wright, PhD, Director of the Center for Correctional Solutions and Associate Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University
• Mukhtar Najeeullah, Community Leader
• Rick Raemisch, Retired Executive Director, Colorado Department of Corrections and Aventiv Advisory Board Member
• Saad Soliman, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs and Criminal Justice, Patient Sortal
• Khalil Rushdan, justice impacted individual, serving as an advisor to the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections
• Kim Thomas, justice impacted individual, who is working as an Engagement Coordinator with Arouet
• Valerie Ochoa, justice impacted individual, now employed in IT
• Michael Langley, Racial Equity Advisor, DreamSpring
• Ashley Kelly, Vice President, Sr. Business Consultant, JP Morgan Chase
• Oye Waddell, Founder and CEO, Hustle PHX 
• Shamia Lodge, Director of Community Engagement, Aventiv Technologies, Inc. 
• Dr. Velma Trayham, CEO, Thinkzilla and Founder, Millionaire Mastermind Academy

For more information and to register for the Hackathon, visit the event registration page here.

About Mission: Launch
Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Mission: Launch (M:L) supports individuals living with records and amplifies the voices of families impacted by mass incarceration. The company's mission is to shorten the time it takes a person to reach economic stability after coming in contact with the criminal legal system. For over a decade, M:L has established itself as a leading criminal justice organization known for building bridges across communities through convenings, coalition building, and incubating innovation, with its signature convening being criminal justice reentry-focused hackathons. M:L is the founding member of the Bank on 100 Million Coalition, a platform for solutions-orientated leaders dedicated to ecosystem change that clears pathways to possibilities for citizens living with arrest or conviction records in their local communities and state.

About Arizona State University Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions
The Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions is one of the 24 independent school units of Arizona State University (ASU). It is located at ASU's Downtown Phoenix Campus in Arizona, and is a highly ranked, comprehensive college of public service. The four schools and over 20 research centers advance relevant educational programs and evidence-based solutions to address some of the world's most challenging social issues.

About Aventiv Technologies
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Aventiv Technologies serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement, and corrections agencies and over 1.1 million incarcerated individuals across North America. Aventiv is committed to serving and connecting by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services to make our world safer. For more information, please visit Aventiv.com or join us on LinkedIn. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies serving customers worldwide.

About Arizona Career Development Center (ACDC)
ACDC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that aims to provide basic nationally accredited education, technical and life skills, and apprenticeship programming, with high-impact employment placement services that begin with local Arizona construction firms to meet Arizona's building needs.

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SOURCE Mission: Launch