John Calhoun writes: “After graduating from Brown, I attended the Episcopal Divinity School. While obtaining my bachelor of divinity degree in Cambridge, I found myself deeply involved in anti-Vietnam War and civil rights protests in Cambridge, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington. I taught in Philadelphia for a year then journeyed to Boston, where I joined the War on Poverty. I worked with kids in the Neighborhood Youth Corps, helped to coordinate recruitment for the Job Corps, and ran the Summer Work and Recreation Program for the City of Boston. I worked with prisoners through a private consulting firm, then started my own firm, Justice Resource Institute, which pioneered pretrial diversion and restorative justice programs. For my “RJ” work I received a major award from the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1974, Gov. Michael Dukakis appointed me to serve as the State’s Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services. DYS’s success prompted the Massachusetts Legislature to award me its Certificate of Commendation for ʻOutstanding Work on Behalf of the Commonwealth.’ The success of the ʻMassachusetts Experiment’ came to the attention of officials in the Carter White House, who invited me to serve as the U.S. Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, a position giving me jurisdiction over such programs as Head Start, foster care, domestic violence, and family support initiatives. For 20 years I served as president of the National Crime Prevention Council. I’ve written and published Hope Matters: The Untold Story of How Faith Works in America; Through the Hourglass: Poems of Life and Love; and Policy Walking: Lighting Paths to Safer Communities, Stronger Families, and Thriving Youth. Following my 20 years at the National Crime Prevention Council, I joined the National League of Cities as a consultant, first helping to set up, then directing, the California Cities Violence Prevention Network. I continue to consult on occasion for the National League of Cities in addition to keeping up a fairly busy public speaking schedule.”
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Class of 1962