About Pivot
Our Mission
The Georgetown Pivot Program’s mission is to break down the barriers that prevent people with past convictions from achieving the career success they deserve.
Our Vision
The Pivot Program envisions a future in which fulfilling careers and professional advancement are within reach for people with past convictions and where all workplaces recognize, encourage, and welcome their contributions and talents.
We advance this vision through three key pillars:
1. Teaching business skills and entrepreneurial thinking
Pivot graduates earn a certificate in business and entrepreneurship through the McDonough School of Business. Over approximately six months, full-time coursework led by Georgetown faculty teach fundamental business skills and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Our approach is based on the premise that a combination of higher education and employment – together with the social, emotional, and intellectual development that takes place in a university environment – will succeed in preparing returning citizens for positions as both entrepreneurial leaders or productive employees.
2. Building the foundations for personal and professional success
Through classes and with individualized support from faculty and staff, Pivot Fellows discover potential vocational paths and develop the skills needed to succeed in both the workplace and as leaders in their communities.
3. Advancing inclusive hiring practices
The Pivot Program works closely with employer partners and the business community to advance hiring practices that are more inclusive of people with past convictions and reduce barriers to employment. Working with employers to hire Fellows as interns or full-time employees, Pivot showcases the professionalism and often untapped talent of people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system.
Partnerships
The Pivot Program represents a collaboration between Georgetown’s Prisons and Justice Initiative and the McDonough School of Business with substantial support from the D.C. Department of Employment Services. Learn more about our institutional partners and employer partners.