Director of The Jericho Program

Bonnie Ariano currently serves as the Director of The Jericho Program, which is a non-profit ex-offender re-entry program under the auspices of Episcopal Community Services of Maryland. In this capacity, Ms. Ariano supervises a staff of nine, which include three Case Managers, two Job Developers, a Recruitment Specialist and a Training and Mentoring Coordinator and is responsible for monitoring the Federal Prisoner Re-entry Initiative grant which supports the Jericho program model of job readiness training, skills assessment and job placement. It is a true second chance for most of the participants and they continue to receive assistance and support throughout their year of enrollment. Ms. Ariano began in this position in May 2007, bringing with her over 32 years of experience in the human service field, 25 of which were in the non-profit sector.

Ms. Ariano began her career providing outreach and case management services to at-risk youth, both in the community and in a residential facility adapting her interventions to include an immediate crisis response and mediation services, resource development and educational advocacy for these children and their families.

Ms. Ariano was one of the three founding staff employees with Turnaround, Inc., and served as its Executive Director for 17 years. During Ms. Ariano's tenure, Turnaround, Inc., which assists victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, grew to a staff of 24, 16 of whom were clinical staff offering individual and group therapy and 24 hour availability for hospital emergency room companions and a hotline serving Baltimore City and County. Her advocacy efforts on behalf of victims resulted in the creation of the Baltimore County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, whose members included judges, police, attorneys and representatives from community organizations. Within its first year of existence, the Council was able to secure funding and support to create the first in Maryland, Spousal Abuse Unit of the Baltimore County Police Department. Also through this Council, Ms. Ariano was instrumental in the design and passage of the Marriage Licensing Fee legislation that would be a standard across the country and would allow for the permanent availability of funding for domestic violence programming.

Ms. Ariano most recently served as the Deputy Director of the Mayor's Office of Children, Youth and Families in Baltimore City, and held that position for 7 years. In that capacity, Ms. Ariano provided technical assistance, capacity-building and funding assistance to community and faith-based organizations serving children and families in high-crime neighborhoods in the city. She also served as the liaison between local government, service providers and faith institutions and in a development capacity, writing and submitting grants to the State and Federal government. As a result, over $6 million was awarded to fund programming through the Mayor's Office.

Ms. Ariano also served as the Director of the Baltimore City Commission for Women when that Commission was re-organized and housed in the Mayor's Office. In this role, she spearheaded the resurrection of the Annual Baltimore City Child Care Conference, providing opportunities for coursework and credentialing for over 1100 area child care providers.

Throughout her career, Ms. Ariano has served as an advocate for populations that are often neglected and underrepresented: children, women, victims and ex-offenders. She has testified in Annapolis before House and Senate subcommittees on bills protecting and supporting basic human rights, including the right to maintain a quality of life that is only available if you are free from fear, self-sustaining economically and allowed the opportunity to participate in decision-making that impacts you and your family, such as the restoration of felon voting rights.

Ms. Ariano continues to serve on the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board, the Missing and Exploited Children's Association of Maryland, the Youth Works Advisory Council, the Baltimore City Gang Reduction Initiative, and the Mayor's Office of Employment Development Re-entry Steering Committee.