Next Chapter partners with Evolution to provide professional coaching

Slack’s Next Chapter program is committed to expanding opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals to find skilled, meaningful employment. Since its inception in 2018, the program has continued to expand, with a large roster of talented alumni working in engineering roles in the technology industry and beyond. This past year, Next Chapter welcomed 21 new apprentices and reached a significant milestone, with 11 participating companies —a testament to the program’s transformative impact.

Building on this success, after a two-year collaboration, Next Chapter and the professional coaching firm Evolution have formally partnered to offer deepened support for the program’s apprentices and participating companies. All apprentices now have the opportunity to be paired with an expert coach whom they meet with regularly throughout their apprenticeship for personalized support grounded in each apprentice’s unique skills, experiences and professional goals. This partnership is an example of the depth and breadth of resources that Next Chapter provides to help apprentices succeed in the corporate workplace.?

Evolution has a long history of providing leadership coaching, culture development and team alignment programs at Slack. In 2019, Next Chapter and Evolution piloted professional coaching for the program’s first cohort of apprentices. Since then, the partnership has grown to support all apprentices and their participating companies.

A commitment to support and development

“The core of Next Chapter’s mission is to build pathways for formerly incarcerated individuals to thrive in tech and beyond, as we help to transform businesses into more inclusive, equitable workplaces,” says Natrina Gandana, Senior Program Manager of Slack for Good. “Establishing relationships with a variety of mentors is fundamental to the success of our apprentices. Our work with Evolution adds a powerful dimension to this mentorship network, providing apprentices with a team of coaches who can help support their development not just as engineers, but as leaders within their businesses and communities.”??

“Evolution has been an excellent partner and a valuable resource to our senior executives, supporting their growth as effective, empathetic leaders,” says Stewart Butterfield, CEO and co-founder of Slack. “I’m thrilled that all Next Chapter apprentices—who have proven themselves as talented, committed engineers—can access Evolution coaching to support their ongoing professional and personal development during the program.”

“Evolution’s work with Next Chapter apprentices is no different from the work we do with CEOs, founders or executives,” says Evolution Principal Managing Partner Janet Logothetti. “All leaders deserve support to grow as individuals, build important relationships and skills, and reach their potential for impact both in organizations and the world at large.”

“People think that when you go to prison, your life is over, or that the most you can have as a formerly incarcerated person is a small life,” says Stuart McCalla, Managing Partner at Evolution. “What we see in our partnership with Next Chapter is a powerful contradiction to that message—powerful people are coming out of this program, and they’re becoming great leaders. They’ve blossomed because they’re treated like the amazing people they are, just like any other people in the technology space and in the world.”?

McCalla sees the partnership as a reflection of the broader community’s strong support for Next Chapter apprentices, noting that for each cohort, the number of Evolution coaches volunteering their time pro bono has outpaced the number of participating apprentices. “Evolution is getting so much richness from this work, both in supporting Next Chapter and in coaching the apprentices,” he says. “We’re getting as much as we give.”

Kenyatta Leal, Executive Director of Next Chapter, says that the secret of the program’s success is the many layers of support it provides to apprentices, including professional coaching: “The reality is that many previously incarcerated people do not have that key support, and it’s instrumental in their development. Coaching helps individuals overcome mental blocks in making the paradigm shift from an incarcerated setting to a corporate setting. Many experience impostor syndrome. Coaching provides them with the opportunity to sit with that feeling, examine it, see where it comes from, and ultimately, not let it stop them from getting to where they want to go. Our apprentices wouldn’t be where they are today without Evolution.”

Leal, who spent nearly 19 years incarcerated within the California prison system, believes that working with a coach has been foundational to both his professional and personal growth. “Personally, coaching has helped me elevate my self-awareness; to think in different ways that haven’t always been comfortable but are very productive,” he says. “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’re getting. There are areas of my life I want to grow and develop, and coaching helps me go deep in those places. Self-awareness isn’t 360 degrees; without that help identifying blind spots in my life, I wasn’t going to grow.”

A partnership for growth amid transition?

Cultural change at participating organizations is an essential part of the Next Chapter program and a crucial ingredient in its success. Evolution’s work with leaders and organizations is grounded in the conviction that culture change begins with fundamental shifts in belief systems.

Leal says he sees beliefs begin to shift when apprentices first join their organizations: “In the beginning, there can be fear that fuels stereotypes and stigmas, and contributes to non-inclusive environments. But soon, people see the deep awareness and value our apprentices bring to the table, as they bring everything they’ve learned in this process to the workplace. They’re contributing to something bigger than themselves, and that helps to deepen the connection in this work.”?

“We have teams reach out to us and talk about the kind of connection they have with these folks,” he says. “It’s amazing to learn from the lived experience of the people and organizations in the program. It’s fostering bigger-picture connection—not just ‘in the office,’ so to speak, but broader systemic impact. That’s what makes this work, all combined, so special.”

We welcome you

To learn more about how your company can help create career pathways for formerly incarcerated individuals, read Next Chapter’s blueprint for action or reach out to Slack for Good at [email protected]. Next Chapter is an independent social venture hosted at Slack, with Tides Center as the fiscal sponsor.

For more information on Evolution, you can engage with the team by reaching out here .