Cal Lutheran event features Homeboy CEO
T.O. resident making nonprofit more self-sufficient
Thomas Vozzo became the CEO of Homeboy Industries, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive gang intervention program, in 2012.
(AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – Feb. 11, 2015) A former business executive who became the first CEO of Homeboy Industries will discuss his efforts to make the nonprofit more self-sufficient at California Lutheran University’s Corporate Leaders Breakfast in Agoura Hills on Tuesday, March 3.
Thomas Vozzo of Thousand Oaks will discuss “Leading a Successful Nonprofit” from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Sheraton Agoura Hills. Breakfast and networking will begin at 7:30 a.m.
The speaker became the CEO of Homeboy Industries, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive gang intervention program, in 2012. The Los Angeles organization provides support services and job training to former gang members and ex-cons and puts them to work in its enterprises, which include cafes, a bakery and a silkscreen and embroidery business.
Vozzo had retired in 2011 as the executive vice president of Aramark and president of Aramark Uniform and Career Apparel Group after a long career spearheading successful transitions in the service, retail and distribution industries. He volunteered part time for Homeboy Industries for a couple of months before Greg Boyle, the priest who had founded the organization and run it since 1988, asked him to take the helm.
Since then, Vozzo has applied his business expertise to increasing revenues from Homeboy Industries’ enterprises in order to decrease the organization’s reliance on donations and government funding. While he has cut back on hiring trainees to help balance the budget, he has focused more on cutting other costs and on expanding profitable labor-intensive enterprises so that the program can still help as many people as possible.
Vozzo is a member of the advisory board for The Salvation Army–Southern California Division and has served on executive committees of several industry-related boards. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in mathematical science/engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
The Corporate Leaders Breakfast Series brings members of the business and civic communities together to share ideas and hear from prominent leaders in the region. The 2014-2015 series will conclude with a panel discussion on “The Future of Online Business” May 5 on Cal Lutheran’ Thousand Oaks campus.
The Sheraton is located at 30100 Agoura Road. Reservations are requested by Feb. 27. To RSVP, contact Sharon Nelson at smnelso@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3150. For more information, go to CalLutheran.edu/clb.