The Last Mile CoFounder: Chris Redlitz
Chris Redlitz cofounded The Last Mile, one of the most successful prisoner reentry programs in the United States. Chris isn’t a traditional prison reformer. He and his wife, Beverly Parenti, are venture capitalists from the San Francisco Bay area. They provide funding and other resources to growing technology companies. While visiting the famous San Quentin state prison in California, the men he met inspired him. Some were serving life sentences. In their stories, Chris and Beverly saw hope. They recognized that anyone had the capacity to change. They wanted “to be the change they wanted to see in the world” by helping those people in prison prepare for success, in prison and beyond.
They volunteered to lead The Last Mile, a program that would teach business and computer skills to prisoners. Since founding the program in 2011, they’ve mentored and taught hundreds of people in prison. Those people now earn high incomes in the technology sector and they help influence perceptions of other people in prison.
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