Concordance

10/05/2026

This fall, three Concordance Centers will host graduation ceremonies celebrating dozens of graduates across our locations. Behind each graduate is a story of hard work, personal growth, and commitment. 🎓

Participation in our program is voluntary. We provide support, resources, and encouragement along the way, but our participants make the choice to keep showing up and working toward their goals.

That work includes taking steps toward healing, building a foundation for stability, and completing Career Readiness Training as they pursue employment or further their education. It takes perseverance and the courage to keep moving forward through challenges.

As we celebrate our graduates, we’re proud of all they have accomplished and excited for what lies ahead. We can’t wait to recognize this milestone with them and the people who have supported them along the way. 💚

10/01/2026

Five years after his first visit, we were happy to welcome Senator Brian Williams back to our St. Louis Center! It was a great opportunity to reconnect and share how Concordance has grown to serve more people returning home from prison.

Senator Williams has been an advocate for people returning home from prison, including playing an integral role in passing Missouri’s Clean Slate law. We appreciate his work to help people move beyond their past and find meaningful employment, something we work toward alongside our participants every day.

When more people have opportunities to work and build stability, the benefits extend to their families, our workforce, and our communities.

Thank you, Senator Williams, for spending time with us and continuing to believe in our mission and the people we serve!

Thank you to CEO Susan Stith and the entire Concordance team for the warm welcome.
When someone comes home from prison without a job, stable housing, or a support system, they're being set up to fail.

Concordance changes that equation by providing mental health care, life skills, and job training, and the results speak for themselves: fewer people returning to prison.

Our work to pass Clean Slate expungement builds on that foundation. By clearing the path to employment, we're helping more people get hired and building a stronger workforce across our region and beyond.

That's how we break the cycle and build communities that are safe, stable, and affordable for everyone.

09/28/2026

🎉 Join us in celebrating Henry Allen and Deenna Smith, our Q1 and Q2 FOCUS Award winners!

Our FOCUS Award recognizes team members who put Concordance’s values into action through their work and dedication to our mission. FOCUS stands for:

FIDELITY to our program and participant outcomes
OPERATIONAL discipline
COLLABORATION and collective accountability
URGENCY with purpose
SUSTAINABLE impact

These values guide how we support participants and work together, so that we can serve our communities for years to come.

Thank you, Henry and Deenna, for the care and commitment you bring to our participants and your fellow team members every day!

09/22/2026

AI is changing the way we work, learn, and function, and our participants deserve the opportunity to grow alongside it.

World Wide Technology and Lenovo partnered with Concordance to bring a two-part, hands-on AI literacy workshop to participants at our St. Louis Center. Led by WWT’s Shanice Brown, participants learned how AI works, how to protect their personal information, and how to write prompts for real-life needs like employment and housing.

The workshop began with participants organizing their own ideas on paper before bringing AI into the process, reinforcing the lesson to think first, then use AI as a tool.

Thank you to World Wide Technology and Lenovo for helping our participants expand their digital knowledge of AI!

🔗Learn more about the day here: https://concordance.org/2026/09/when-partnership-meets-purpose-how-lenovo-wwt-and-concordance-are-expanding-ai-access-in-st-louis/

09/21/2026

🎓 It is officially graduation season here at Concordance!

We’re kicking off the celebrations this weekend with our Richmond, Virginia Center, followed by graduations at our other centers in the coming weeks. We invite you to join us as we honor our graduating participants and celebrate this important milestone with the Concordance community.

Although we follow the philosophy of "once a participant, always a participant", and participants can continue to receive guidance and mentorship after graduation, graduation marks a participant’s transition from regularly scheduled programming into an employment or education pathway. Reaching this milestone requires tremendous commitment, from completing Career Readiness Training and building a foundation for long-term success to navigating the healing process and mental health journey after incarceration.

Incarceration can profoundly affect a person’s life. The determination it takes to return home, overcome barriers, and begin building a new future is something to celebrate.

Follow along over the next few weeks as we celebrate this pivotal moment achieved by participants across our centers. Congratulations to all our graduates! 🎉

09/14/2026

We are proud to celebrate Concordance Board Member Richard “Rich” McClure, who was recently featured by the St. Louis American for his lifelong commitment to learning and education!

Rich will receive the Champion in Education Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 39th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala. Throughout his career in public service, the corporate sector, and nonprofit and educational organizations, he has remained a dedicated advocate for expanding access to quality education.

Rich has served on the Concordance Board of Directors since our founding in 2016 and currently serves on the Board’s Executive Committee. We are grateful for his longstanding commitment to our mission and the expertise and insight he brings to Concordance.

Congratulations, Rich, on this well-deserved recognition! 👏

🔗 Read more about Rich’s lifelong commitment to education:

Richard “Rich” McClure has spent a lifetime learning to appreciate the value of learning — not just for young people, but for himself as well. From his childhood in Springfield, Missouri, through 20 years in public service and a long corporate career to his later work with nonprofit and educat...

09/11/2026

Congratulations to our newest Career Readiness Training (CRT) graduates at our St. Louis Center! 🎉

Throughout CRT, participants develop essential workplace skills. Our Career Coaches help participants with exploring career paths, resume building, preparing for interviews, and even shopping for interview clothes in our Concordance Boutique.

Graduation from CRT marks an exciting milestone in each participant's journey and reflects the hard work and focus it takes to take the next step toward employment.

We're proud to celebrate our participants in this moment and can't wait to see what they achieve next! 👏

09/10/2026

September is Su***de Prevention Month, and today, on World Su***de Prevention Day, we’re reminded of the importance of checking in, listening without judgment, and taking signs of struggle seriously.

According to Prison Policy Initiative, Mental health conditions are far more common among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people than in the general population, and access to treatment often falls short.

Successful re-entry is about more than finding a job or securing housing. It also means having the support needed to navigate challenges (like financial instability, housing insecurity, and social isolation), rebuild relationships, and care for your mental health.

On Su***de Prevention Day, we’re reminded how important it is to check in with one another. A simple conversation can remind someone they are not alone.

If you or someone you know needs support, call, text or chat 988 to reach the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24/7.

08/31/2026

The United States spends billions of dollars each year on incarceration, and when people return to prison, those costs continue to grow.

If we equip people with the tools to succeed after release, this will reduce the long-term cost of incarceration. Through our holistic re-entry model, we’ve achieved just this.

According to a study done by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, Concordance participants were 50% less likely to return to prison within the first six months after release compared to individuals receiving standard parole supervision.

Because when individuals succeed after incarceration, everyone benefits.

🔗Read the full study findings here: https://concordance.org/norc-study/

08/28/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our very own Devin Grimes on becoming Peer Support Certified!

This achievement is an incredible reflection of Devin's professional growth. Peer Support Specialists play an essential role at Concordance, providing mentorship and guidance, and using lived experience to support our participants. This certification reflects Devin's Fidelity to our program and participant outcomes.

Congratulations, Devin! Thank you for all that you do for Concordance! 👏