About John Rakis and Associates
John Rakis began his career in 1974 as a mental health
counselor in the New York City correctional system. In 1980, New York City's
Correction Department appointed Mr. Rakis as the agency’s first Suicide
Prevention Coordinator. Mr. Rakis later served as the Correction Department's
Director of Health Services Management from 1983 to 1984 and as the Deputy
Executive Director of the New York City Board of Correction, a city-run
"watchdog" agency, from 1984 to 1988. While at the Board of Correction,
he was involved with the implementation of the Mental Health Minimum Standards
for New York City Correctional Facilities, the first of their kind in the
nation.
In 1988, Mr. Rakis left New York City government to pursue
full-time study at Harvard University where he received a Masters in Public
Administration.
From 1989 to 2000, Mr. Rakis served as the executive director
of the South Forty Corporation, a New York City-based non-profit organization
that provided training and job placement services to offenders. In January
of 2001, the South Forty Corporation merged with the Osborne Association
and Mr. Rakis served as the Associate Executive Director of the combined
agencies until March 2002 when he left to become a full-time consultant
to government and nonprofit agencies.
In his role as a consultant, Mr. Rakis has served as a
trainer for the National Institute of Correction’s Transition and Offender
Workforce Development Division, providing instruction to correction, probation,
parole, community and faith-based organizations throughout the United States.
He has also developed and produced instructional videos and software for
the National Institute of Corrections and the National Career Development
Association.