Second Chances, Sound Leadership: Larry Miller and Ken Oliver on Building the Justice & Upward Mobility Project
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Ken Oliver of JUMP join Laurel Donnellan to explore redemption, fair-chance hiring, and how leaders can expand opportunity for people impacted by the justice system.
What does it take to build a meaningful career—and a full life—after the justice system has written you off?
In this episode, Compassionate Leaders Circle Founder and CEO Laurel Donnellan speaks with Larry Miller, Founder of the Justice & Upward Mobility Project (JUMP) and Chairman of the Jordan Brand Advisory Board, and Ken Oliver, JUMP’s President and CEO. Together, they explore second-chance employment, workforce development, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the power of seeing talent where others see a record.
Prefer to watch? Watch the full video conversation on the Compassionate Leaders Circle YouTube channel.
Larry and Ken share the personal experiences behind JUMP’s mission to expand education, employment, and economic mobility for people impacted by the justice system. JUMP works with leaders across business, sports, entertainment, government, and communities to create opportunity, shift harmful narratives, and build more inclusive hiring systems. Its goals include creating one million jobs and reducing recidivism by 50% in JUMP Cities by 2040.
They also discuss why second-chance hiring is not charity—it is a talent strategy; how skills and education can change life outcomes; and what compassionate leadership looks like when it becomes an organization’s operating system, not simply a value statement.
In this episode, you’ll explore:
Why talent is everywhere, even when opportunity is not
How employers can make second-chance hiring part of a stronger talent strategy
The connection between marketable skills, education, economic mobility, and reduced recidivism
How JUMP uses workforce development, policy, media, and local coalition-building to drive systemic change
Why entrepreneurship training must offer real pathways—not just inspiration
What leaders can learn from choosing curiosity, trust, and potential over judgment
This is a conversation about redemption, belonging, economic mobility, and the leadership required to create a wider path to opportunity.
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Learn More
- JUMP: jumpproject.org
- Larry's memoir: JUMP, co-authored with Laila Lacy
- Second Chance Business Coalition: secondchancebusinesscoalition.org