The 2026 MCRC Roundtable Symposium opened with keynote speaker Sheila Bruno of Wife After Prison, who spoke to the psychological and emotional toll of incarceration. Dan Rubin and Taylor Pickett-Stokes followed with a session on employment background checks, walking attendees through their rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and practical strategies for disputing inaccurate information. The symposium closed with a discussion led by Seyi Ola on credit education and the resources available to help returning citizens rebuild their financial standing. 

May 2026,  MCRC had the opportunity to partner with the Office of the Mercer County Executive injunction with Mercer County One-Stop Career Center, NJ Department of Labor and  NJ Courts to host a county-wide Career & Resource Fair in CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ. 

This fair attracted over 90 vendors, constituting an array of employers and community partners, who helped many job searchers including those who are justice-impacted connect with job opportunities and resources like expungement, social services etc. Through this fair, over 400 participants were impacted on May 12th. 

The MCRC Community Reentry Roundtable Meeting on April 22nd, 2026 celebrated Second Chance Month and focused on fair chance hiring. Key points included the importance of understanding federal, state, and local guidelines, such as New Jersey's ban-the-box law. Panelists (Melissa Riccio, Fred Amicucci, Rehana Lerandeau & Matt Negron) shared their experiences and strategies, emphasizing the need for employers to create inclusive hiring practices. Melissa Riccio from the Center for Employment Opportunities highlighted their work in transitional job opportunities. Fred Amicucci discussed the benefits of self-background checks. Matt Negron and Rehana Lerandeau stressed the importance of employer development and robust hiring practices to mitigate risks and support justice-impacted individuals. 

This is the first symposium hosted by MCRC on June 13th, 2025. The purpose of this event is for those passionate about working to serve returning citizens. Through shared stories, expert panels, team activities and motivational speakers, over 40 reentry organizations where empowered to continue to ignite passion and vision to fuel the transformation justice impacted individuals. 

Twice this year,  MCRC had the opportunity to partner with the Office of the Mercer County Executive injunction with Mercer County One-Stop Career Center, NJ Department of Labor and  NJ Courts to host a county-wide Career & Resource Fair in CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ. 

This fair attracted over 100 vendors, constituting an array of employers and community partners, who helped many job searchers including those who are justice-impacted connect with job opportunities and resources like expungement. Through these two fairs, over 600 participants where impacted on May 7th and October 15th.