Alisa Malone looks to make a difference via her latest high-level role.
In the fall, she started as CEO of Memphis-based nonprofit Persevere. The organization assists those impacted by the justice system with the skills required for jobs in the technology industry.
“Persevere is a nonprofit that teaches justice-involved and impacted individuals to code behind prison bars and in the community,” Malone said. “However, Persevere is not just a technology education company, we provide wrap-around services such as employment and employment assistance.”
Ideal fit with Persevere
Malone has the background to be an ideal fit for Persevere. Before coming to the organization, Malone served in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in the areas of health care, social services, workforce development, and the justice system.
Most recently, Malone was the director of operations for reintegration and community engagement for Virginia-based ViaPath Technologies. She worked remotely in Nashville for ViaPath. Her career stops have included spending two years as deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, as well as multiple operations director roles at various organizations.
Malone — who holds a master of public service management from Cumberland University and two undergraduate degrees from Auburn University — said she had originally prepared to have a career in the medical field, but her faith led her on a new path.
“I am driven by work that positively impacts the lives of individuals who have been marginalized, forgotten, left out, overlooked, counted out, or otherwise not afforded the opportunities and resources necessary to live the American dream,” she said.
Impacting the community
Persevere was founded in 2012 by Sean Hosman, who was once incarcerated. He used what he observed from being incarcerated and educated himself on the justice system.
Hoseman became an advocate for justice-involved and impacted individuals. Subsequently, he dedicated himself to doing work to achieve racial equality in corrections, help end mass incarceration, and disrupt cycles of poverty.
The organization has three West Tennessee facilities, including the Mark Luttrell Transition Center in Memphis, to conduct its programming. In August 2019, Persevere opened its first men's transition home for individuals coming out of incarceration who were in its program. The organization now has three transitional homes in Memphis. It also has the Persevere Community Resource Center in Memphis that allows graduates and early release individuals to get hands-on experience working with senior and junior software developers.
With a growing number of organizations in recent years driven by social justice reform as well as dealing with the intense struggle to find talent, companies are participating in formal programs to help those who have been incarcerated re-enter the workforce. Persevere works with several major partners where former inmates and graduates from the nonprofit’s program have gone on to work, such as Indeed, Forbes, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Malone noted Persevere graduates are obtaining employment in positions such as technology instructor; quality assurance tester; front-end developer; back-end developer; full stack developer; data analyst; sales and business development; case manager; transition home manager; and some have become entrepreneurs.
“With the implementation of our programs, we have impacted over 350 families in and around the Memphis area in just the last two years,” Malone said. “On average, the lowest-paid Persevere grad earns $45,000 and the highest-paid grad earns $120,000. These jobs are full-time and provide an income, which allows our graduates and their families to thrive as well as have a positive impact on the economy and workforce in Memphis.”
Looking ahead
As the nonprofit's new CEO, Malone said her plan is to continue to scale Persevere’s work and significantly increase its footprint across Shelby County. She is also passionate about changing the narrative in the tech industry.
A Deutsche Bank research report — “America’s Racial Gap and Big Tech’s Closing Window” — highlighted the exponential growth of the digital economy, which could leave large chunks of minority groups with little or no access to tech jobs.
The report showed that 76% of Black workers and 62% of Hispanic workers could get shut out or be underprepared for 86% of jobs in the U.S. by 2045, if the digital racial gap is not addressed.
“The ultimate goal is to defy [those] devastating [findings],” Malone said. "Instead, Persevere will be an organization that assists employers in filling technology positions while addressing the digital racial gap, helping to end poverty, and empowering people to chart a course to live the lives they envision for themselves and their families.”
