Working in community at the “Bank on 100 Million: Future Ready Now” event, Aventiv focuses on role of technology in successful reentry

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Aventiv Technologies, a leader in developing technology solutions to empower rehabilitative justice, is the presenting sponsor of an April 12-13 Reentry Hackathon in Washington, D.C. The company is sponsoring a series of hackathons led by justice-impacted experts and advocates, including Aventiv Advisory Board Chairwoman Teresa Hodge, President and CEO of Mission: Launch, in partnership with What’s Next Washington, and R3 Score. The event at the Walter Washington D.C. Convention Center is focused on bringing together a range of stakeholders – public, private, and non-profit – to innovate reentry employment solutions for the 1-in-2 working-aged adults who will have an arrest or conviction record by 2030.

“It’s important for Aventiv to be working in, listening to, and learning from justice-impacted communities as we iterate on the growing role of technology to accelerate solutions for reentry. We believe that the work of successful reentry begins at the date of entry, not the day of release, and we want to help drive innovation in this space,” said Margita Thompson, Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer at Aventiv Technologies. “Second Chance Month is an important inflection point to hear new ideas, and this hackathon series is critical to creating a coalition of ‘solutionaries’ engaged in public-private collaboration to make reentry more successful for more people.”

The Hackathon coincides with Aventiv’s independent Advisory Board quarterly meeting, held in Washington, D.C. A little more than a year ago, Aventiv officially announced the formation of the advisory board to help fulfill its multi-year commitments to transformation.

Members of the advisory board include formerly incarcerated individuals, business leaders, policy experts, and criminal justice reform advocates. They provide strategic advice on transforming Aventiv’s business model and engagement with consumers, justice-impacted families, customers, and state and federal policymakers. The Board has focused on fortifying tablet technology to empower consumers and their communities and building a “Justice Sandbox,” where formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs create content for the Aventiv platform. These are two of the areas where the Board has accelerated Aventiv’s enterprise transformation with meaningful impact for consumers, customers, and community stakeholders.

Aventiv is represented at the Hackathon by CEO Dave Abel, Chief Product Officer Alex Yeo, Senior Vice President for Product Jessica Lust, and Board members Teresa Hodge, Lloyd Trotter, and CK Hoffler.

In addition to Mission: Launch and Aventiv, the Hackathon’s featured speakers and facilitators include:

  • U.S. Department of Labor Rapid Collaborative Working Groups led by the Women’s Bureau. The U.S. Department of Labor is joining the hackathon to hear from directly impacted people and experts on pathways to employment for people living with criminal records.
  • The Washington, D.C. Department of Employment Services will convene discussions focused on expanding access to skilled professional jobs that could lead to homeownership, as well as modernizing employer engagement and cross-agency partnerships to expand opportunities for D.C. residents with arrest or conviction histories.
  • Aventiv and R3 Score are preparing for the release of R3Up, which will provide everyone using Aventiv tablets in correctional facilities access to a job score app designed for their unique needs.

Washington, D.C. is the second city in just six months to host this Hackathon series. Seattle, WA, and Phoenix, AZ are on the 2023 roadmap for future convenings in jurisdictions seeking to bring these conversations and best practices to life.  The fourth location is still being decided.

For more information about media opportunities at the hackathon and future hackathons, please contact Jade Trombetta, Jade.Trombetta@aventiv.com