From the ESF Director,
Dr. Thomas Davison

Do you believe in second chances?

Do you believe in redemption?

If you do, then I would like to share a very personal story with you. This is a true story about my life. It is extremely difficult for me to share some of these details, but it is for my incarcerated students.

About six years ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Some of the symptoms can be visually upsetting for students. As a result, I quit my job. I was the Chair for the School of Business at a fancy college in central Ohio. I had built the program myself from scratch. It was very successful, but now I was viewed as a deterrent because of my disability. I was hurt because a program I had worked so hard to build no longer wanted me around. After not teaching for three months, I was going stir crazy. So, I applied for a job that nobody wanted. A career with lousy pay, no recognition, and no support. The job was teaching inside two all-male State Prisons. These incarcerated students were so appreciative. My Parkinson’s’ symptoms did not matter to them. It would not have mattered to them if I had three eyes and a pair of horns. They were just grateful that someone was willing to come inside and teach them, period!

I am teaching entrepreneur-focused business coursework as an adjunct instructor for MTC (Marion Technical College). I teach face-to-face inside two prison facilities in Marion, Ohio, including NCC (North Central Corrections), a prison run by a private company, and MCI (Marion Correctional Institute), a state-run prison facility. This job has moved me so profoundly. The personal observations and interactions I have experienced with my incarcerated students motivated me to start an Ohio Not-For-Profit (NFP) business named Entrepreneurial Services for Felons (ESF). The purpose of ESF is to continue and complete the training that began while these felons were incarcerated. The goal of ESF is to eliminate recidivism one felon at a time by helping them to start their own small businesses. Each of these businesses will hire more felons and help reduce recidivism even more.

When I first started teaching inside the State Prisons, the only thing I had written that was published was my doctoral dissertation. After my experiences on the ‘inside,’ I felt compelled to write poetry and short stories about prison life. I have been fortunate to have been published over fifty times. Since my incarcerated students were the source of my newfound writing passion. I decided it was only fair to donate the writing profits to them. I filed a Trust promising 100% of the writing profits from the business would be donated to ESF. After forming the NFP, ESF, I created a Sole Proprietorship called Dr. Thomas Davison, author.

Thank you for your interest and support of ESF.