Jeffrey Abramowitz
| Jeffrey Abramowitz | |
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Nonprofit executive, reentry advocate, former attorney |
| Known for | Chief Executive Officer of the Petey Greene Program; reentry and workforce-development advocacy in Pennsylvania |
| Education | Juris Doctor (J.D.) |
| Website | https://www.jeffrey-abramowitz.com/ |
Jeffrey Abramowitz is an American nonprofit executive and reentry advocate who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Petey Greene Program, an organization that supports education for people who are incarcerated or returning home from incarceration.[1] A former trial attorney who practiced civil litigation in the Philadelphia area for more than two decades, Abramowitz built a second career in education and workforce development following his own journey through the criminal justice system, and he has worked across Pennsylvania on reentry policy, adult education, and employment services for people with barriers to work.[2][3]
Legal career
Before his work in the reentry field, Abramowitz practiced law in the Philadelphia area, working in civil litigation for more than twenty years.[2] He held a Juris Doctor degree and worked as a trial lawyer based in Center City, Philadelphia.[3][4]
A path into education
Abramowitz has described a difficult chapter in his life, which he characterizes as the result of "poor choices in life and his professional career," as a turning point that led him toward education and service.[4] During a period away from his legal practice he turned to teaching: he read widely, led GED and adult basic education classes for others, learned new vocational skills, and served as a neutral mediator.[3][1] The teaching work he did in that period became the foundation of his later career; helping others work toward their high-school equivalency credentials sparked an interest in adult education that he carried forward.[1]
Reentry and workforce-development career
Abramowitz built a career focused on reentry and workforce development. He was hired as Director of Student Services and Workforce Development at the Community Learning Center, a Philadelphia organization that serves undereducated and unemployed adults, where he assisted people returning from incarceration in obtaining resources and skills to re-enter society.[3][2] He also founded the National Workforce Opportunity Network, which he has described as a fully integrated workforce development and career-placement agency serving individuals with barriers to gainful employment.[2]
Abramowitz later joined JEVS Human Services, a Philadelphia social-services agency, where he held several positions, including Program Director of the Looking Forward Philadelphia Reentry Program, Executive Director of Reentry Services, and Executive Director of Justice Partnerships.[1] Through this work he became active in reentry policy and lectured nationally on workforce development, adult education, reentry, and criminal justice.[1]
The Petey Greene Program
Abramowitz became Chief Executive Officer of the Petey Greene Program effective December 1, 2022.[1] The Petey Greene Program is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by Charlie Puttkammer and named after Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene (1931–1984), a Washington, D.C. broadcaster, community organizer, and advocate who had himself been incarcerated.[5] The program supports the educational goals of currently and formerly incarcerated students, primarily through volunteer tutoring, while educating its volunteers and the public about the criminal-justice system.[1][5] By the time of Abramowitz's appointment the organization operated across several states and regions, including Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C.[6]
Advocacy and public service
Abramowitz has held a number of appointments and advisory roles in reentry and adult education. He was appointed to the Pennsylvania Reentry Council, where he chairs the Employment Committee, and he serves as chair of the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition.[1][4] He has also served as a subject-matter expert for the U.S. Department of Education and as a moderator for the LINCS Community of Practice on Correctional and Reentry Education, and he was appointed to the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Public Defender's Association Advisory Board.[1]
His board and committee service has included the Coalition on Adult Basic Education, the You Matter Marathon, and the Eastern University Prison Education Project, along with advisory roles connected to workforce development and paralegal and criminal-justice education programs.[4][2] Abramowitz produces and hosts the "Looking Forward" program and has co-hosted and produced podcasts focused on employment and advocacy, and he lectures nationally on workforce development, adult education, reentry, and criminal justice.[1][4]
In 2024, Abramowitz was a speaker at the White Collar Conference, where he appeared on a panel titled "Careers and Reintegrating Into Society."[7]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "Meet PGP's New CEO, Jeffrey Abramowitz!". 'The Petey Greene Program}'. November 7, 2022. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Jeffrey Abramowitz, J.D.". 'JustLeadershipUSA}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bond, Sabrina. "The color of a collar: Jeff Abramowitz's road to reentry". Generocity. March 27, 2017. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "My Story". 'jeffrey-abramowitz.com}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Our History". 'The Petey Greene Program}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ "Our Team". 'The Petey Greene Program}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ "Jeffrey Abramowitz — White Collar Conference". 'White Collar Conference}'. Retrieved 2026-07-23.