Kingston, NY – Allison “Ali” Patsos, LCSW, is GCSEN’s latest SVRI Fellow. Ali learned of GCSEN through a referral by a GCSEN FastTrack Veteran Venture participant and seeks to adapt our curriculum for her clients served by the Hudson Valley’s Ulster County Jail.
GCSEN’s Social Venture Research Institute is designed to scale its world-class programs through a Certification of Administrators, Faculty and Business Leaders who wish to join with GCSEN to accelerate the impact of 4P Social Entrepreneurship: People, Planet, Profit and Place.
GCSEN provides these leaders with globally recognized innovative programming and curriculum (with pricing discounts), activation coaching strategies and tactics, best practice, research and impact networking with other Fellows, paired with lifetime support, along with professional and fellowship references across its ever-growing global network of Fellows and Alumni social venture learners and leaders (1,700 graduates) in 14 countries and 14 US States.
Ali is a proven powerhouse for positive change! As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with years of experience in behavioral health, crisis intervention, clinical leadership, trauma-informed care, and systems-focused program development, Ali is a Community Corrections Specialist for Ulster County, New York, and is also enrolled in a DCJ (Doctorate of Criminal Justice) program at Keiser University. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Ali also has her own clinic where she counsels and coaching individuals in life transition, and is always grateful for her blessed family!
During the candidate process, we came to understand Ali’s own journey to Get To WOW! It now is very hard to believe that Ali’s high school guidance counselor told her “not to bother even applying to college” as Ali works towards the completion of her Doctoral Program. Ali muses on the high likelihood that her miserable guidance counselor at the time is probably still miserable! And she knows that the best success is to prove those people wrong.
It makes sense, therefore, that Ali has come to love her work with people who have been labeled – such as people who are impacted by the justice system. “I want to create situations that are reciprocal, so when individuals are coming back to the community from incarceration, they are seen as an asset- positive community members- that also have something to offer, and I want to help them to highlight those abilities.”
Her work emphasizes “accountability without shame, empowerment without avoidance, and growth rooted in both structure and humanity.” She says, “Throughout my career, I have worked alongside individuals navigating trauma, addiction, incarceration, grief, identity loss, and major life transitions. I am deeply passionate about helping people reconnect with their values, rebuild self-worth, strengthen emotional regulation, and create sustainable change and as a GCSEN SVRI Fellow I have access to vital tools and priceless coaching from Professor Cas and Team GCSEN to make an impact. I am especially interested in building initiatives that improve reentry outcomes, strengthen family systems, increase dignity within correctional environments, and help people reclaim identity, voice, and purpose after adversity.”
Getting to this point hasn’t been easy- Ali has encountered many hurdles in business and life, the biggest being the accidental overdose and death of her husband in 2022.
“I don't think I'll ever overcome that, but I have used it to inspire me to create ideas to improve infrastructure and create innovative and evidence-informed curriculum. It has also added to the passion I feel for helping and supporting people to overcome their own hurdles and obstacles.”
GCSEN founder and president, Professor Cas/Mike Caslin, met Ali through pure happenstance and word of mouth referral from a US Veteran: “I found his pamphlet and contacted him about bringing services to the incarcerated individuals that I work with, but through our multiple conversations, I realized that I was in a place filled with high-potential Social Entrepreneurs!
I’m so inspired and excited that we’ve decided to work together. And for me to become an SVRI Fellow is a high honor. I’m so excited that I will now be able to empower my participants with GCSEN 4P Impact. And also for me, this is pivotal, since I will be starting my own Social Venture- to support returning citizens upon their release from incarceration. Now that I have about ten Social Venture ideas in multiple stages– Mike is helping me to assess their feasibility to determine where to start!”
The impact that Mike is having on her life is profound. “Mike pushes me, inspires me, motivates me and challenges me. He calls me out and reigns me in and he also makes sure I know that he believes in me and sees my potential… Additionally, Mike is incredibly sincere and authentic and it's obvious that he believes everything he is teaching. He is actually doing it, which is super inspiring.”
GCSEN is so impressed with Ali’s energy and dedication, and are proud to welcome her as an SVRI Fellow! Congratulations, Ali Patsos! We can’t wait to see what you do next!
If you’d like to help more people like Ali bring 4P Social Entrepreneurship to their communities, you can donate here to keep the momentum going!
