What’s Next Washington (WNW) is an organization of formerly incarcerated people and activists who work to help rehabilitate people with conviction histories when their incarceration ends. WNW advocates for and works with employers to change their rules and policies to remove barriers they have in place against hiring and supporting the previously incarcerated, and provides training and toolkits for recruiting, hiring, and retaining previously incarcerated persons. ¹

Background

What’s Next Washington was founded in 2017 by Susan Mason, who was formerly incarcerated, and attorney Roz Solomon. After her incarceration, Mason experienced years of difficulties in getting a job due to background checks and employer policies against hiring former convicts. ²

What’s Next Washington aims to provide organizations with the business rationale for hiring formerly incarcerated persons and help with creating plans for hiring and onboarding them as well as identifying and removing possible regulatory hiring barriers. It does this by providing trainings, tools, and a pipeline for formerly incarcerated job candidates as well as by advising on policy changes. ³

Projects

The Inclusive Recovery Project is funded by JP Morgan Chase and spearheaded by What’s Next Washington and the Prosperity Agenda to hire people with conviction histories into four participating pilot companies and to leverage a toolkit for recruiting, onboarding and retaining them that was developed by What’s Next Washington. ⁴ The Prosperity Agenda is a design firm that helps nonprofits and businesses transform practices and systems to support economic and racial justice. ⁵ It is funded by Northwest Area Foundation, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and JP Morgan Chase. ⁶

Partnering for an Inclusive Workforce is the overall program What’s Next Washington offers to employers that includes consulting services, workshops and webinars, and tools to assist them in recruiting, hiring, and retaining formerly incarcerated talent (FIT). ⁷

In 2020, Clark Construction and Lease Crutcher Lewis, along with six subcontractors, partnered with What’s Next Washington on the Washington State Convention Center addition project to track data on the previously incarcerated, determine if this population can find and retain employment, and identify opportunities to address barriers to employment. The study included 336 employees of which 33 had conviction histories. ⁸

What’s Next Washington offers panel presentations and workshops at businesses, universities, and conventions to address the issues that the previously incarcerated face. ⁹

Memberships

What’s Next Washington is a member of the left-leaning “anti-oppression” coalition Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD). The DFAD is made up of over 250 left-leaning activist groups including United to Protect Democracy, Government Accountability Project, Rock the Vote, Common Cause, Progressive Democrats of America, Center for American Progress, People for the American Way and In Our Own Voice National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda. ¹⁰

Funding

What’s Next Washington reported $199,441 in 2020 revenue, made up entirely of grants and contributions, which have increased each year since 2017. ¹¹ Expenses totaled $131,718. ¹²

Its founding donors were attorney Amy Stephson and philanthropist Evelyne Rozner. Former NFL defensive back, NFL analyst and broadcaster Jordan Babineaux and the Seattle Seahawks helped to promote What’s Next Washington. ¹³

In 2020 the Seattle Seahawks awarded What’s Next Washington with the Seattle Seahawks Players Equality and Justice for all Action Fund grant.

Leadership

Susan Mason is co-founder and executive director of What’s Next Washington and a 2018 JustLeadershipUSA Fellow. Previously she was a political organizer for Civil Survival Project ¹⁴ which provides legal support, leadership development, and policy advocacy training to the formerly incarcerated. ¹⁵ She was incarcerated in federal prison from 2001 to 2003. ¹⁶

Shelley Drake is director of operations and development. She is also a member of the Washington State Voting Rights Restoration Coalition ¹⁷ that supports the restoration of voting rights to those formerly incarcerated. ¹⁸

Roz Solomon is co-founder and board president. Previously she practiced corporate law and administrative law hearing employment and labor cases, then became vice president and a board member of Civil Survival ¹⁹ which provides legal support, leadership development, and policy advocacy training to the formerly incarcerated. ²⁰

1. ^[1] “Susan Mason speaks about the impact of collateral consequences for people with a conviction history.” JLUSA. January 5, 2023. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://jlusa.org/2023/01/05/susan-mason-speaks-about-the-impact-of-collateral-consequences-for-people-with-a-conviction-history/?fbclid=IwAR27T3VrY8w3SExbEZE4fxPO3KxdLvMrd967OlGBUZFZ-a3weydiQs07uns
2. “When Does My Sentence End?” What’s Next Washington – Media. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.whatsnextwashington.org/media/#SueStory
3. “Partnering for an Inclusive Workforce.” What’s Next Washington. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.whatsnextwashington.org/partnering-for-an-inclusive-workforce/
4. Aaron Allen. “Local Partnership Promotes Diversity, Equity And Employment Of People With Conviction Histories.” The Seattle Medium. May 12, 2021. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://seattlemedium.com/local-partnership-promotes-diversity-equity-and-employment-of-people-with-conviction-histories/?fbclid=IwAR21d1ohYCiaEfkz50DnkmMbHjdY6T0mpR58XHiBkTDLeZZGvpWZCcRKeLk
5. “Community-Centered Design.” The Prosperity Agenda. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://theprosperityagenda.org/design/
6. “Funding Partners.” The Prosperity Agenda. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://theprosperityagenda.org/
7. “2020 Year End Newsletter.” What’s Next Washington – About Us. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.whatsnextwashington.org/2020-year-end-newsletter/
8. “Performance of Craft Workers With and Without Conviction Histories.” What’s Next Washington – PIWP. Accessed March 3, 2023. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11_AJwryXVnKJsggDQmSYKgFjlrwAOCoP/view
9. ^[1] “The Stigma We Carry.” What’s Next Washington. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.whatsnextwashington.org/the-stigma-we-carry/
10. “Our Members.” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/
11. What’s Next Washington. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ – Part III). 2020.
12. What’s Next Washington. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ – Part I). 2020.
13. “2020 Year End Newsletter.” What’s Next Washington – About Us. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.whatsnextwashington.org/2020-year-end-newsletter/
14. LinkedIn – Susan Mason. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-mason-0072401/
15. “Our Work.” Civil Survival – Who We Are. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://civilsurvival.org/our-work/
16. “February 2021: What’s Next Washington & Hiring FIT (Formerly Incarcerated Talent).” Mt. Baker Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://mtbakershrm.shrm.org/events/2021/02/february-2021-what-s-next-washington-hiring-fit-formerly
17. “About Us.” What’s Next Washington. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.whatsnextwashington.org/about-us/
18. Free the Vote Washington home page. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.freethevotewa.org/
19.  LinkedIn – Roslyn Solomon. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/roslyn-solomon-08026226/
20. “Our Work.” Civil Survival – Who We Are. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://civilsurvival.org/our-work/