June 20: Opportunity Oregon — a chance for offenders
In a time when many employers struggle to find candidates, Opportunity Oregon has a solution.
Join this thought-provoking program featuring co-founder and Opportunity Oregon Executive Director, Nancy Pance. She’ll discuss the organization’s mission to help individuals find employment after incarceration, in a time when many employers struggle to find candidates. Nancy has personal experience with incarceration and is now a dedicated advocate for reentry initiatives.
Opportunity Oregon is dedicated to finding employment opportunities for individuals involved with the justice system and recognizes the untapped potential within these often overlooked community members. Opportunity Oregon ensures that both employers and individuals in need of a second chance benefit from this initiative through prison outreach, employer education, and business development services.
Speaker
Nancy Pance, Co-founder and Executive Director
Co-Founder and Executive Director Nancy Pance is a justice-involved individual who spent time incarcerated at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Nancy is a dedicated advocate for reentry initiatives, has invaluable lived experience as a formerly incarcerated individual, enabling her to establish genuine connections with the prison population.
Through seminars and workshops held within prisons, Nancy leverages her personal journey to inspire and guide inmates. Her strategic partnerships with the Oregon Department of Corrections, Oregon Corrections Enterprise, WorkSource Oregon, and numerous other collaborators underscore her commitment to providing comprehensive advocacy for individuals within the justice system. With nine years of business ownership experience as a gym owner, Nancy brings a wealth of expertise in marketing, networking, and people skills. Her engagement with businesses across Oregon has significantly expanded fair chance hiring opportunities for justice-involved individuals. Acting as a bridge between employers and employees, Nancy excels at matchmaking based on trades, skills, education, and experience. Her continuous engagement with prison work centers ensures a dynamic exchange of information between the incarcerated and the community. She holds an Associates of Applied Science degree in Business Administration with a specialization in accounting from Central Oregon Community College.
About Opportunity Oregon
Employers have an ongoing struggle in hiring and keeping good employees. Meanwhile, 70 million Americans have a criminal record, with many struggling to find employment because of it. Those with felony records struggle the most and are 3 to 5 times more likely to be unemployed. Opportunity Oregon brings together these two groups, removing barriers that can prevent them from helping each other. Opportunity Oregon works with companies to show the benefits of hiring from this neglected segment of society, and then we select the best candidates, prepare them for reintegration, and match them to jobs. Success in bringing them together is success for all: the employer, the employee, and society as a whole.
Vision:
Employers and justice-involved individuals are united in breaking the cycle of recidivism. All formerly incarcerated find quality and sustainable careers.
Values:
- Partnership: Collaborating with community partners to achieve our shared mission.
- Perseverance: Pursuing new opportunities even in the face of adversity.
- Integrity: Always doing what is ethically right.
- Inclusion: Including those who have historically been excluded and ensuring that all identity groups have the same rights, opportunities, and access regardless of their background or circumstance.
- Transparency: Sharing information openly and honestly, both internally and externally.