One of the most successful Black businessmen in the country, who has led Nike’s Jordan Brand from a $200M sneaker company to a $4B global apparel juggernaut, Larry Miller will share the remarkable story of his rise from gangland violence to the pinnacles of international business.
Jump, the book Miller cowrote with his daughter, Laila Lacy, follows journey from the violent streets of West Philly in the 1960s to the highest echelons of American sports and industry. Miller wound up in jail more than once, especially as a teenager. But he immersed himself in the educational opportunities, eventually took advantage of a Pennsylvania state education-release program offered to incarcerated people, and was able to graduate with honors from Temple University.
When revealing his gangland past caused him to lose his first major job opportunity, Miller vowed to keep it a secret. He climbed the corporate ladder with a number of companies such as Kraft Foods, Campbell’s Soup, and Jantzen, until Nike hired him to run its domestic apparel operations. Around the time of Michael Jordan’s basketball retirement, Nike Chairman Phil Knight made Larry Miller president of the newly formed Jordan Brand. In 2007 Paul Allen convinced Miller to jump to the NBA to become president of the Portland Trailblazers, one of the first African-Americans to lead a professional sports team, before returning to Jordan Brand in 2012.
All along, Miller lived two lives: the secret of his violent past haunted him, invading his days with migraines and his sleep with nightmares of getting hauled back to jail. Miller makes a passionate appeal for criminal justice reform and expanded educational opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people across the United States. Drawing on his powerful personal story, Miller provides an aspirational journey for those who need hope.
Larry Miller is the Chairman of the Jordan Brand Advisory Board, a division of Nike Inc. He has garnered international respect for his reputation of being an inspirational leader who understands how to build innovative, cultural and premium businesses in the world of sport and lifestyle establishing the standard for athletic luxury footwear and apparel. In his capacity as President, Miller is responsible for overseeing the operations of the $3 Billion sports performance and lifestyle brand while working closely with Nike Inc. global leadership and Michael Jordan to drive its business objectives globally.
Prior to joining the Jordan Brand in 2012, Miller served as President and Alternate Governor of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. Miller joined the Trailblazers in June 2007 and under his guidance the team make three consecutive trips to the postseason while selling out 159 straight games. During the 2010-11 season, the franchise celebrated an 86% season ticket retention rate, and more than 11,000 full season tickets, placing the organization fifth in the NBA. Under Miller’s leadership, the Trail Blazers became the first American sports franchise to achieve Gold LEED status for an existing arena, earning the 2009 PRISM award.
Before joining Nike, Miller served as President for Jantzen, Inc. He also served as a Manager for Kraft General Foods, Assistant Controller at Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., and held various positions with Campbell Soup, molding his background as one of the most influential corporate leaders in an evolving lifestyle industry.
Miller makes Portland his home, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Self Enhancement Inc. (“SEI”), the Oregon Business Council, Oregon Sports Authority, and is a member of the Portland Mayor’s Economic Development Cabinet. He is a passionate advocate for education and mentorship and was previously involved with the Urban League and Junior Achievement.
Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Temple University in 1982, and a master’s degree in business from LaSalle University in 1985. He graduated from the Urban League Leadership Institute in 1987.
His memoir, JUMP, My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom was published by William Morrow/ Harper Collins in 2022. Co-authored with his daughter Laila Lacy, JUMP details Miller's ascent from the streets of West Philadelphia to some of the highest distinctions of the corporate world.
Laila Lacy is the co-author of the award-winning book JUMP, My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom. A native of Philadelphia, PA, Lacy graduated from Central High School. She earned a degree from Howard University in Washington, DC, where she studied Psychology and Human Communications and has studied at New York’s Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Lacy taught middle school for the New York Board of Education and later served as a business development manager for several mortgage banking firms in California. In addition to collaborating on her father’s memoir, she’s been a tutor, writing coach, school volunteer and written op-eds and product reviews that have been featured in the several online magazines. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.
This plenary will include a discussion on “getting it right” by system leaders and community partners committed to developmentally appropriate practices for emerging adults (ages 18-25) in community corrections. It will introduce the Emerging Adults Justice Framework developed by The Columbia Justice Lab in partnership with emerging adults with lived experience in the justice system, researchers, system leaders, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The plenary will also include a panel discussion on “getting it right” with probation leaders, community partners and emergent adults working in partnership.
Stephen Bishop is associate director for probation and system transformation with the Annie E. Casey Foundation and part of the leadership team of its Juvenile Justice Strategy Group and Center for Systems Innovation. Bishop leads the Foundation’s investments and initiatives with youth justice system and community partners to ensure that young people exposed to the legal system can realize their potential, even when they make mistakes and violate the law in serious ways. Bishop’s portfolio includes leading Casey’s efforts to transform youth probation, end the youth prison model and reduce inappropriate and unnecessary use of secure detention.
Bishop started his career in youth justice as a juvenile probation officer and supervisor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, followed by more than a decade leading statewide training, technical assistance and research programs at the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission. The Pennsylvania governor has appointed him to the state’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee and the PennSERVE Advisory Board. He is the chair of the state’s Juvenile Racial and Ethnic Disparities Committee and a past president of the Pennsylvania Association on Probation, Parole and Corrections. Bishop has a Master of Science in Administration of Justice.
Lael Elizabeth Hiam Chester, JD, is the Director of the Emerging Adult Justice Project at the Columbia University Justice Lab. A graduate of Barnard College and Harvard Law School, she worked as the Albert Martin Sacks Clinical Fellow at the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard and then was an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. For 12 years, she served as Executive Director of Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ), a statewide non-profit dedicated to improving the juvenile justice system.
She then served as a Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, where she focused her research on emerging adults (ages 18 – 25). She has continued this work at Columbia University’s Justice Lab, where she conducts cutting-edge action research projects in collaboration with other researchers, practitioners, policy makers, advocates and people with lived-experience from around the country to increase learning and drive transformative innovations in this new field.
Derrell Frazier is a motivated public speaker and Social Justice Strategist who takes pride and ownership of his community. He championed the needs of the youth in the system, focusing on Advocacy and system innovation.
A Baltimore City native, Derrell has a unique understanding of the challenges our society face and the importance of equity and advocating on their behalf. His passion reflects working to provide people with the tools and resources needed to thrive and identify their gifts and push stakeholders to address the issues affecting them. Derrell intends to develop innovative strategies that will create transformational IMPACT, EMPOWER & SHAPE the next generation of leaders!
Eric began his career working with Emerging Adults in 1999, mentoring young people and helping them build community connections. Between 2002 and 2013, Eric worked in residential group homes, providing programming for immigrant and Deaf/hard of hearing youth. Eric served as the Director of Heartland Aliance’s International Youth Center in Chicago from 2013-2017, and in 2017 became the Chief Programs Officer with the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, ensuring rural communities had access to healthy food. Eric joined Nebraska Probation in 2019 and currently serves as the Adult Field Services Director, overseeing the implementation of EAJP’s innovative practices with 18-25 year olds in Nebraska.
Step into an extraordinary conversation that transcends boundaries and redefines community corrections. Join us as we embark on an empowering journey led by the esteemed Honorable Judge Karen Friedman (ret.), now Director of Criminal Justice Innovation, Development, and Engagement, U.S. Department of Justice. Together with the captivating Quawntay "Bosco" Adams, renowned author of "Chasin' Freedum," we will delve into the heart of community corrections from a deeply personal and transformative perspective.
In this riveting session, we'll confront the obstacles faced by those within the criminal justice system and illuminate the true potential of community supervision. Mr. Adams' lived experience offers a profound understanding of the power of change, while Judge Friedman provides expert insights that inspire groundbreaking approaches in the field.
This is more than a conversation; it's an invitation to reshape the narrative of community corrections. Discover the impact of genuine connections, meaningful interventions, and a collective vision of freedom and rehabilitation. Join us as we break barriers, ignite new perspectives, and pave the way for a brighter future in community corrections.
In February 2022, the Honorable Karen Friedman joined BJA as a political appointee serving as the Director for Criminal Justice Innovation and Development Engagement for the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). After serving 20 years as a Judge in the state of Maryland court system, she brings a wealth of experience and commitment to the criminal justice system and has been a major contributor to BJA’s Corrections, Reentry, and Justice Reform portfolio.
Quawntay “Bosco” Adams grew up in Compton, California, and spent most of his life behind bars. He is now a movie producer and published author who has rewritten his story and strives to inspire change and hope through public speaking and his nonprofit foundations, Chasin’ Freedum Foundation and I-CAN Youth Foundation. His story and evolution exemplifies the change we all work tirelessly to see in ex-offenders.
Written and Directed by
During this plenary session, the presenter will share how using best practices in our field can yield a much higher degree of successful outcomes. During the session, attendees will be able to see the award-winning probation documentary, In a Whole New Way. This industry embraced short film, featured at over 130 festivals worldwide, raises issues and showcases best probation practices. How appropriate – it will take the audience through work done by the New York City Probation Department and one of its highly touted programs to give individuals under supervision a chance for not just a job, but a career. The subject of gainful, meaningful employment is top of mind for community corrections departments across the nation. The audience will have a chance to participate in a robust Q&A period influenced by priorities and strategies to enhance results.
Check out this teaser below!
Embracing a career in corrections is not for the faint of heart. Even the most passionate, committed, and capable professionals can become hardened, cynical, and ultimately burn out. In a field where change is hard and success feels short-lived, hope and passion can be in short supply. So how do we stay focused on the important work that we do, those we serve, and show up resiliently optimistic each day? Join Dr. Alexandra Walker as she shares how to move through our failures by embracing resilient optimism. Learn and connect with others as we learn what it means to fail forward in community corrections.
Dr. Alexandra Walker has more than 20 years of experience in the field of reentry and behavioral health. She offers a diverse background in evidence-based practices, training, program development, implementation science, and treatment modalities. Alex has worked on a myriad of federal, state, and local justice initiatives and research projects. Most recently she transitioned from the Colorado Parole Board as Vice Chair to co-found and run the Alliance for Community and Justice Innovation (ACJI). Having managed implementation efforts large and small across the correctional space, Alex brings a wealth of experience in both community based and institutional corrections. She is well versed in the development, implementation, and measurement of structured decision-making tools and is committed to helping organizations reach fidelity to their highest impact practices and programs. As the Director of Community Relations and Strategy for ACJI, Alex provides tools, strategies, research and evaluation supports for implementation efforts at the state and local level. She also coaches leaders on implementation and staff engagement efforts, and develops practices and resources for specialized populations with organizations across the country.
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Also, special thanks goes to our Corporate Members!
