From Prison to the Oval Office - Glenn Martin

Could robbing a jewelry store set you on the path to being one of the biggest names in criminal justice reform? You may have seen Glenn as a media guest on NPR, MSNBC, Fox News, or CSPAN. Glenn Martin has had two decades creating impactful change in the arena of criminal justice reform. Growing up as the son of a Police Chief, Glenn took a different path with the wrong crowd that eventually had him serving a 6 year prison sentence. He got out and hit the ground running. He began his career with the New York Legal Action Center. Glenn went on to found and direct a handful of national organizations in the non-profit sector...raising over $43 million in just four years. He coined the phrase, "People closest to the problem are the closest to the solution but farthest from the power and resources." Glenn founded JustLeadershipUSA to tackle that problem. He began educating and training leaders of their communities how to have a strong voice and create policy change. His leadership has been recognized with multiple honors, including the 2016 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. In 2015, Glenn was invited to the White House Oval Office to have a meeting with the President about criminal justice reform. That visit has an interesting story. Glenn now is the founder of GEM trainers that teaches non-profits how to be more effective with their goals and messaging. Additionally, he owns and operates GEM Real Estate that owns over 90 properties nationwide. This is an inspiring story of how to take action even if you only know 60% of what you need to because you will figure out the other 40% once you are running toward your goal. Glenn Martin proves second chances are real.