Dear friend,

I’m excited to spotlight one of RBIJ’s remarkable Advisory Council Members — Paul Cowley — whose life and career exemplifies what RBIJ is all about: the power of second chances and the role of the business community in advancing economic inclusion and opportunity for all.

As Paul shares in his recent op-ed, Outdated Laws Are Holding Back Our Workforce, published in Business News Wales:  

"I know how powerful a second chance can be. After I got out of prison, I finally found work as a truck driver and not long after, an opportunity came that would really transform my life: an army recruiter decided to look past my criminal conviction and let me enlist. 

Having the door opened for me changed my whole trajectory. It set me on the path to a successful career, public service and ultimately business leadership."

Today, as the Director of Rehabilitation at Iceland Foods, Paul has helped this major U.K. grocery chain hire 350 people with records. He champions Fair Chance Hiring not just as the right thing to do, but as a smart business strategy, and uses his platform to inspire other businesses to do the same. 

Read more about Paul’s story, his advocacy, and how the U.K. Ministry of Justice can reform the criminal records system — which has remained largely the same since Paul was a youth and had his encounter with the justice system.  

We are proud to partner with business leaders like Paul and create opportunities to explore the value of Fair Chance Hiring in the U.K. and the U.S. like last week’s roundtable hosted by Alvarez & Marsal in London. (Read more about that below!)

If you’re a U.K. business leader who would like to get involved in Fair Chance Hiring or criminal records reform, fill out this form — we’d love to connect.  

Let's make justice our business, 

Maha Jweied

CEO

POLICY & ADVOCACY UPDATES

The Business Case for Clean Slate and Driver's License Reform in Massachusetts

Maggie O'Donnell, Director of Policy & Advocacy, presenting the business case for Clean Slate at a legislative briefing for the MA Criminal Justice Reform Caucus.

Clean Slate Massachusetts is making progress! Business leaders, justice advocates, and state legislators gathered at a legislative briefing for the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus to share the business and economic case for Clean Slate Massachusetts. RBIJ’s Policy & Advocacy Director Maggie O’Donnell presented alongside Jay Ash, President & CEO of Massachusetts Competitive Partnership and Jon Feinman, Executive Director and Founder of InnerCity Weightlifting. The state’s Joint Judiciary Committee also issued a favorable report for the legislation. 

RBIJ is joining efforts to end debt-based driver’s license suspensions in Massachusetts. If you are a business based in or have operations in MA, reach out to policy@rbij.org for advocacy opportunities for either of these policy efforts. 

Calling Business Leaders in Rhode Island — Join Our Clean Slate Efforts

We’re expanding our Clean Slate work to Rhode Island this year. If you’re a business based in or have operations in Rhode Island, please reach out to policy@rbij.org to help advance clean slate. 

RBIJ at CSI’s 2025 Convening 

Maggie O'Donnell, Director of Policy & Advocacy, with Morgan Southers, Senior Manager of Policy & Advocacy, at the 2025 Clean Slate Convening. 

Our Policy & Advocacy team had the pleasure of attending The Clean Slate Initiative’s 2025 Convening in Chicago last month. Morgan Southers, Senior Manager of Policy & Advocacy, shared strategies for engaging supporters on digital platforms and Maggie O’Donnell, Director of Policy & Advocacy, reflected on how best to leverage the business community when building a new Clean Slate campaign.  RBIJ is excited to continue partnering with the Clean Slate community to advance automated record sealing policies nationwide.

INCLUSIVE HIRING UPDATES

Business Leaders Share Strategies for Breaking Down Employment Barriers in the U.K.  

Left to right: Speakers Jeff Korzenik from Fifth Third Bank, Phil Beckett from Alvarez & Marsal, and Paul Cowley from Iceland Foods. 

Business leaders and legal executives gathered at Alvarez & Marsal in London for a RBIJ roundtable discussion exploring the parallels in Fair Chance Hiring in the U.K. and the U.S. Moderated by Phil Beckett, Managing Director of Alvarez & Marsal, attendees heard from Paul Cowley, Director of Rehabilitation at Iceland Foods, and Jeff Korzenik, Chief Economist at Fifth Third Bank, on the impact of labor shortages in both countries and the competitive advantage that Fair Chance Hiring offers to meet those gaps. Our gratitude to Phil, RBIJ Advisory Council Member Jenelle Beavers, and the entire team at Alvarez & Marsal for generously hosting the event!  

EHI Employer Partners Training Series 

Last month, the Delaware Equitable Hiring Initiative employer partners attended “Leveling the Field: Fair Hiring & Skills Based Selection,” a virtual workshop which explored how organizations can shift from traditional hiring methods to models that prioritized skills, lived experience, and potential. We look forward to continuing to work with our employer partners in their efforts to advance inclusive hiring in Wilmington! 

RBIJ Welcomes Summer Interns 

RBIJ is excited to welcome two remarkable summer interns this year! Kate Halabi is a rising junior and Pelosi Scholar at Georgetown University and joins the Policy & Advocacy team, and Oumye Toure is a rising junior and a summer fellow with the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College and joins the Communications team. We are grateful to have their support at RBIJ for the summer!  

Our #BizVsDP Campaign is Growing — Follow Along on LinkedIn and Instagram

Earlier this year, we reached an exciting milestone: more than 500 executives have now signed the Business Leaders’ Declaration Against the Death Penalty. To support the commitment and leadership of the business community in speaking out against the death penalty, we launched new, dedicated social media channels for the #BizVsDP campaign. Please follow along on our new LinkedIn and Instagram accounts!  

RBIJ is an independent nonprofit organization. Support from donations helps fund our work to improve the criminal justice system.