Cincy State “Vision to Venture” program assisted River City Correctional Center

Residents at River City Correctional Center completed a seven-week program in entrepreneurship skills, “Vision to Venture,” in Fall Semester 2025. 

The program was created by Lesli Rice, Program Chair for Cincinnati State’s Marketing Management associate degree.

“Vision to Venture” culminated with 19 River City residents presenting original business pitches that blended their product concepts with personal brand stories. Residents shared how their experiences and goals shaped their ideas, while also envisioning their future as business owners and contributors to their communities.

“’Vision to Venture’ is about more than starting a business,” said Rice. “It’s about helping participants see themselves as capable problem-solvers and opportunity creators.”

The River City Correctional Center’s mission is to reduce recidivism (returning to prison) by “fostering changes in thinking and teaching both responsible decision-making and life skills to enable the residents to become productive members of society.”

Cincinnati State’s ongoing partnership with River City is a reflection of the College’s mission to expand access to career-focused education and workforce pathways for learners across the region. By combining entrepreneurship with personal storytelling, “Vision to Venture” gave participants a platform to develop and share their plans for the future.

Cincinnati State past programs with River City included a 9-week logistics training program, organized through the College’s Workforce Development Center, that led to jobs in warehouse/logistics facilities after the students were released from the correctional center, and a 10-week class in fundamentals of computer programming.

For more information about “Vision to Venture,” contact Lesli Rice (lesli.rice@cincinnatistate.edu).