Richard Bronson launched 70 Million Jobs, a national for-profit employment platform for the formerly incarcerated, named for the 70 million Americans — including himself — who have a criminal record. Once a partner at Stratton Oakmont — the same firm featured in The Wolf of Wall Street — and later the founder of his own investment firm, Bronson was sent to federal prison after breaking several securities laws in his pursuit of money and success. “I paid dearly for that,” he says humbly. “I lost family, friends, all my possessions and ultimately my freedom.” After his release, Bronson was homeless and destitute — and it was then that he discovered his calling. “I wanted to devote my life to helping my brothers and sisters in and out of prison, helping them access resources so they’d be more likely to have a safe and productive life.”
Although Bronson found a job working at a nonprofit for people reentering society after doing time, he worried that it wasn’t aggressive enough for real change. “Seventy-five percent of people after release will return to jail or prison. It destroys lives and families, decimates communities. There had to be a better way.” He left the nonprofit.
Enter 70 Million Jobs. “We’re able to work with the largest employers in the country … we have stunning success helping people land jobs,” says Bronson, who is also CEO. 70 Million Jobs has helped thousands of deserving people find employment, and generally, the companies who hire them are very pleased with their performance. “My people work hard,” he explains. “Eighty percent [of surveyed hiring managers] report the quality of hiring someone with a record is as good as, if not better than, hiring someone without.”
Bronson sees his work as a lifeline for the formerly incarcerated. “When people of this population get a job, they almost never get in trouble again. If they don’t get a job, they almost always end up back in prison. It’s that binary.” He adds, “I lost my parents at a young age … With the belief they’re still watching over me, I’d love them to feel proud of their son.”
2023 DE&I Influencers List