David Halbert
Outreach Manager
The Educational Justice Institute
Education
Northeastern University
M.P.A., Public Administration
2016Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
B.A., English, Communications
2003Podcasts
43:26615: What the Outreach Manager Does at MIT’s Educational Justice Institute With David Halbert, EJI [Main T4C Episode]
David Halbert is the Outreach Manager at The Educational Justice Institute (EJI) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The mission of EJI is to bring about positive policy reform to correctional institutions through the introduction of education and education-based technology into prisons and jails. Before working at EJI, David held..
07:22Career Path
Interview Highlights
“A lot of people do not have a connection to the criminal justice system, to corrections in particular. And because of that, it can make it a little bit difficult, in terms of one, to soliciting support for the work that we’re trying to do, but also just an awareness. So a big part of my day is thinking about who and how we can engage others who are outside of our natural orbit to bring them into the fold and to let them know that this work is taking place, that it’s important, that there is a place for them in supporting it.”
Best Career Advice
“Cherish and maximize every moment you have.”
Career Challenge
“I’ll go back to that first city council that I worked for, a gentleman by the name Sam Yoon, who is one of the kindest and most decent people that I’ve ever met in public service, quite frankly. And he ran for mayor and he ran against the gentleman who would end up becoming the longest-serving mayor in the city of Boston’s history … And so we were running an uphill battle, to say the least, through the entirety of that campaign. And as a city hall staffer, I was working nine to five at city hall, meeting my obligations as a public employee, and then basically five until the next day at nine, helping working in the campaign … So you’re working hard. And at the end of all of that, he lost … It was challenging, but … in that loss, I took a lot out of it. I feel like you learn so much more about yourself through loss of almost any type, professional or otherwise. And so, while I was on a campaign that did not win, I’ve never for a single moment regretted supporting Sam, being a part of that movement that we tried to build and carry forth … and that foundation … has really made me feel so much more grounded in what it is I believe and why I believe it and why I fight for it, every day and every time I go out.”
Skills
Community Outreach, Political Campaigns, Government
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