Dennis Gaddy – Founder and Executive Director
Since the inception of CSI in 2004, Dennis Gaddy has been the driving force behind policy change and innovative reentry initiatives not just here in Wake County, but across the state of North Carolina. He began his mission before reentry was a consideration in the public perspective and its impacts on our economy, the public assistance system, and the collective impacts on our communities were evaluated. He initiated the first real legislative policy changes regarding reentry with Representative Garland Pierce and Senator David Guice, he worked with County Commissioners Jessica Holmes and James West to support the “Ban The Box” initiative that first removed background checks prior to qualification consideration in the employment application process for Wake County, and is the revered community leader of choice in field of social justice and reentry reform initiatives.
Dennis graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and the Campbell University School of Law and built a 20 year career in sales. However, due to some poor decisions and choices, he found himself in the NC Department of Corrections for five years and eight months. With strong support networks of family and friends, Dennis took the valuable and positive insights from the past and brought to fruition the Community Success Initiative (CSI) in 2004. Helping others be their best became his personal mission and, for this last 20 years, he has dedicated his career to coaching, training, and consulting to support people, regardless of their field of endeavor or socio-economic status, reach their personal success goals and transform their lives. He designed and teaches a 15-Step leadership course on “How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.” The engaging curriculum takes clients on a journey of personal growth and development.
Along with his duties at CSI, Dennis serves as the Criminal Justice Chair for the North Carolina NAACP, on the NC Governor Cooper’s Statewide Reentry Collaborative, and as a member of the North Carolina Committee for Racial and Ethnic Disparities (NC-CRED). He was recognized with the Goodman Award (Jim Goodman- President, Capital Broadcasting/WRAL Television) for exceptional Leadership by Leadership Triangle.
