Neighbor News
Fortune Society Extends Contract for Long-Serving President & CEO
Under JoAnne Page's Leadership Fortune has become a national model in services and advocacy for justice-involved individuals
The Fortune Society Board of Directors has extended its contract with long-serving President and CEO JoAnne Page until December 31, 2023. Ms. Page has held this post for 32 years.
Fortune’s mission is support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration through advocacy as well as a holistic and integrated model of comprehensive services including discharge planning, licensed outpatient substance use and mental health treatment, benefits enrollment and access, alternatives to incarceration, HIV/AIDS case management, health services, career development and job retention, education, family services, supportive housing, and lifetime access to aftercare.
In making the announcement Board Chair Dennis Kozlowski said, “Throughout JoAnne’s tenure as President and CEO, The Fortune Society has expanded its programs and services exponentially – not just in number but in creativity and effectiveness. Her leadership was particularly evident during the pandemic as Fortune seamlessly adapted its programming to continue to meet the needs of our clients. With JoAnne at the helm, Fortune will continue to be a model for criminal justice and reentry leaders from around the world.”
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Over her 32-year career at Fortune, Ms. Page is credited with creating and cultivating many of the organization’s signature programs including housing initiatives, substance abuse treatment, career development programs, family services, and health and mental health programs.
Under Ms. Page’s leadership, Fortune reacted nimbly to the COVID-19 pandemic – converting most client programs to virtual operations. Through technology, Fortune is able to deliver critical services and crisis interventions to participants, anytime and anywhere.
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Significantly, as more and more people were being released from Rikers Island due to the pandemic, Ms. Page recognized the need to expand Fortune’s housing to meet the urgent needs of this vulnerable population. In April 2020, Fortune opened a new supportive housing development in East Harlem called Freedom House for homeless individuals who would otherwise have been incarcerated.
Ms. Page expressed her gratitude to the Board for their continuing confidence in her vision and ability to lead Fortune as it meets the needs of more than 9,000 justice-involved people every year.
