Vision-to-Value: Moving the Justice-Impacted Workforce from Individual Talent to Business Partnership
Citizens returning from incarceration are often welcomed into nonprofit, public service, and mission-driven organizations across New York to begin their careers, yet they are rarely equipped to navigate the business realities that shape advancement, influence, and decision-making, especially early in their careers. Their insight is present, but the pathway to influence is limited. Most returning citizens are not prepared to understand how organizations function, how value is created, or how to contribute strategically beyond assigned tasks. As a result, career progress is slow despite significant insight, resilience, and lived experience that could otherwise strengthen teams and outcomes.
Additionally, returning citizens often bring strong entrepreneurial drive and a desire to build something of their own, but correctional supervision rules (parole) and the need for steady income require them to focus on employment rather than on launching a business. Meanwhile, the institutions that employ them face limited resources, burnout, and growing complexity while this talent remains underutilized.
In this Bundles Community Scholars Lecture, Ray Tebout explores Vision-to-Value, a learning approach that bridges that divide by providing clear, practical tools that build entrepreneurial thinking while people are working. Through intrapreneurship, project management, and strategic coaching, participants learn how to navigate organizations, communicate effectively with decision-makers, plan and deliver work, and turn ideas into projects that leaders notice and support. The session defines intrapreneurship as “owning your job like a business”—taking initiative, solving problems, and improving processes from within. It demonstrates how project management strengthens creativity, teamwork, and conflict resolution skills, helping system-impacted employees become effective intrapreneurs who contribute tangible value and lead change inside their organizations.