Teresa Hodge, who previously helped imprisoned entrepreneurs, formerly a jailed businesswoman, has been named as the chair of the corporate advisory board of Aventive Technologies.
She will lead an influential, newly formed 11-member board for the Dallas-based company. Aventive calls itself a multimillion-dollar firm that promotes rehabilitation justice. It helps former prisoners gain access to occupations, job training and educational resources to effectively build their skills to re-enter society.
Hodge is the president and CEO of Mission:Launch, a Baltimore-based nonprofit that works with financial institutions to help former inmates acquire start-up capital to start businesses. She is also the CEO of alternative background check firm R3 Score. In June 2021, she was named in Forbes’ inaugural list of more than 50 female business executives and activists. A nationally recognized re-admission advocate, Hodge was featured in black enterprise Piece.
There are some heavy hitters on the advisory board. These include the former president of the National Bar Association, the top executive of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and a former leader of the Federal Communications Commission. These include former GE and IBM executives, senior US Department of Labor officials, community activists and public policy experts. Check out members here.
The advisory board will work with incarcerated individuals, their loved ones, community leaders, government agencies and reform advocates. Their efforts are aimed at helping Aventive improve the lives of those affected by the criminal justice system.
Hodge explained his role in a statement.
“I have committed myself to reduce the harm caused by prison to individuals and their families, especially children. The fact is that our prison system makes re-entry incredibly difficult. I am pleased to play an influential role in helping justice-connected families use their space within facilities to improve outcomes and strengthen the foundation for systemic change. Once part of the problem, Aventive is now part of the solution.”
Adventive CEO’s statement Dave Abel I“We have made an ambitious transformation to make investment work for all those whose lives are affected by the criminal justice system,” he said. “These changes were long overdue. We are now investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a broad array of technology products and services that support communication and education, re-entry and rehabilitation. We are very fortunate to have mentors in our boardroom. It’s a nice group.”
