JRI, a nonprofit provider of trauma-informed care to children and families in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, has appointed Edward M. Powell as executive director of JRI’s STRIVE Boston program. Powell will continue to serve as JRI’s vice president for community engagement.
STRIVE Boston serves chronically unemployed adults of all ages who come from the most underserved communities to help them realize their potential to find and keep jobs that promise sustainable livelihoods and personal growth. STRIVE Boston also operates a job-readiness program, STRIVE FORWARD Juvenile Justice Initiative, to recruit and enroll at-risk young adults, ages 16 to 24, providing them with workforce development training and an array of necessary services that they may not otherwise know about.
“Ed will bring passion, commitment, and an abundance of experience and personal relationships to his new role at STRIVE Boston,” said Andy Pond, president and CEO of JRI. “He is a believer in the abilities of the individuals served by STRIVE Boston and he seeks to nurture success through job training, education, or learning a trade.”
Powell, a resident of Dorchester, joined JRI in 2014, bringing over 20 years of experience in the private and nonprofit sectors in a career spent working to improve the lives of young people through education, employment and violence prevention.
Powell holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Delaware State University and a master’s degree in public administration from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University. He is a 2007 alumnus of the Boston University’s Institute of Nonprofit Management and Leadership program and a 2013 alumnus of The Partnership Inc.’s Next Generation Executive program.
