The Power of Social Enterprises to Reduce Recidivism

Social Entrepreneur. Systems Disruptor. Fair Chance Advocate. Economic Justice Leader. Community Rebuilder. 

Brenda M. Palms is a nationally recognized social innovator and strategist in the movement for equitable employment. As the founding President and CEO of the North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) and the visionary behind Sweet Beginnings, LLC, she has spent the past 25 years transforming lives and communities through economic opportunity. Her work has not only built pathways to employment for individuals impacted by the criminal legal system—it has also shaped national conversations around inclusive hiring, influencing both public policy and corporate practices across the country. Brenda’s leadership challenges systemic barriers and champions fair chances, proving that economic justice is both achievable and essential.

Teresa Córdova is Director of UIC’s Great Cities Institute (GCI), whose mission is to link its academic resources with a range of partners to address urban issues by providing research, policy analysis and program development. She is also Professor of Urban Planning and Policy in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA). Professor Córdova received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986. Throughout her career, Teresa has engaged with communities in and outside the university and is an expert in community/university partnerships and methodologies of engaged research. In addition to strategies for community and economic development, her work focuses on global/local dynamics and the impacts of global economic restructuring on local communities. Dr. Córdova has published extensively, including academic peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, edited books, professional reports, and short essays.

Rashawn Ray is vice president and executive director of the AIR Opportunity Fund, a 10-year, $225M initiative focused on addressing persistent disparities in education, workforce development, public safety, and community health. The Fund partners with communities and organizations to create evidence-informed, locally driven solutions that expand opportunity and improve lives. 

In addition to his leadership at AIR, Dr. Ray is a professor at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His research explores the causes of racial and social inequities, particularly in criminal justice reform, health policy, and wealth disparities. As the founding executive director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR), he developed a virtual reality training program for law enforcement and led implicit bias training for thousands of police officers, military personnel, and corporate leaders. 

Dr. Ray’s extensive academic contributions include three books and over 50 articles and book chapters published in top journals such as the American Journal of Sociology, Science Advances, Social Science Research, and Du Bois Review. His work has been supported by major institutions, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Ford Foundation. Dr. Ray was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and served on the National Advisory Committee for the RWJF Health Policy Research Scholars Program. He also served as co-editor of Contexts Magazine: Sociology for the Public, which attracted over one million website views annually. 

Beyond academia, Dr. Ray is a sought-after expert who regularly testifies before federal and state lawmakers, offering critical insights that inform policies on racial equity, public safety and policing, and criminal justice. He has written extensively for The Washington Post, The New York Times, and POLITICO, and is featured regularly as a trusted expert commentator on major networks such as CNN, Fox, MSNBC, BBC, CBS, and NPR. Through his media contributions and public speaking, Dr. Ray’s work continues to reach diverse audiences, shaping public discourse on some of the most pressing social challenges of our time. 

His expertise extends to several high-impact advisory roles, including: 

· The National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board Subcommittee on Law Enforcement, where he advises the U.S. President on law enforcement and AI; 

· The Maryland Governor’s Task Force on Bias in Property Valuation, where he focuses on reducing bias in property assessments; 

· The Legacy Renovation Scholars Committee, National Civil Rights Museum, where he supports initiatives to preserve African American history and 

· The Meta Global Policy Council, where he provides strategic advice on global policy issues. 

Dr. Ray’s contributions to sociology and public policy have earned him numerous awards, including: 

· The Andrew Carnegie Fellowship; 

· The AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science; 

· The Public Understanding of Sociology Award, American Sociological Association; 

· The Morris Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Sociological Achievement, awarded by the D.C. Sociological Society; and 

· The Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Indiana University.

Maria Kim is the CEO of Redefine Alliance, a national venture catalyst backing social enterprises that create economic mobility for people overcoming tough barriers to employment. Prior to Redefine, Maria served as CEO of Cara Collective, helping people experiencing homelessness and poverty get back to hope, jobs, and opportunity. 

Maria serves on the board of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the advisory boards of CASE Center of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Procure Impact, First Women’s Bank, and the Leadership Society Initiative. Her previous service includes the US Small Business Association’s Investment Capital Advisory Committee and the California Office of the Small Business Advocate Entrepreneurship and Economic Mobility Task Force. 

She is a 2008 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, a 2012 American Marshall Memorial Fellow, a 2018 Vital Voices Global Ambassador, and a 2020 Presidential Leadership Scholar. 

She received her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, from which she was honored in 2022 with the Distinguished Alumni Award.

First and foremost Damion is a dedicated father and husband. When he’s not doing that, he is a corporate responsibility executive at JPMorgan Chase leading the firm’s public engagement strategies across a fourteen-state region. He Joined JPMorgan Chase in 2008, and over the past 16 years has held leadership roles in philanthropy, community engagement and development, and public affairs. He currently leads a team of philanthropists and community and economic development professionals dedicated to investing resources, building partnerships, and informing our business on how to create products and services that best serve all our customers and communities. 

Prior to his time with JPMorgan Chase, Damion held similar roles in the private and public sectors with The Boeing Company Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, Britain’s House of Commons. Outside of work and family he's active as a civic leader with one goal in mind, to make the City of Chicago and state of Illinois a better place to live. He is 2014 Edgar Fellow, and a proud 2018 Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellow. He was also humbled to be named to Crain’s Chicago list of who’s who in Community Development. Damion has served on boards and steering committees of several prominent organizations including Civic Federation of Chicago, Leadership Greater Chicago, Neighborhood Housing Services, Forefront, Asset Funders Network and Social Responsibility Chicago. 

Damion holds B.A degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from Bradley University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.