As more Richmond Promise Scholars complete their postsecondary education and prepare to enter the workforce, providing pathways to career-track employment has never been more important.

To help RP Scholars prepare to take that next step, Richmond Promise is excited to announce the addition of Career Services Manager Irvin Hunter to the RP team. In this newly created role, Hunter will work closely with RP alumni to connect them with employment opportunities, internships and other access points to the workforce.

“We are thrilled to welcome Irvin to the Richmond Promise team as we continue our effort to expand the work we do on behalf of RP Scholars,” said executive director Christopher Whitmore. “Our Scholars have shared with us that career development is one of the most important services we can provide as they pursue a postsecondary degree. Irvin’s experience in career development, especially in communities similar to Richmond, is going to be a tremendous benefit to Scholars as they work towards building a long-term career.”

As part of the Richmond Promise team, Hunter will work to further develop RP’s new career accelerator program, RP Leads. He will also oversee the creation of a new Richmond Promise Alumni Association that will aim to connect former RP Scholars to networking opportunities.

A native of Oakland, Hunter attended Fremont High and participated in UC Berkeley’s Upward Bound program before pursuing a degree in Health Science from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He began working in the field of career development in San Francisco in 2017, serving as a career coach with a focus on bolstering unemployment rates in underserved communities such as Hunter’s Point, Fillmore, and Sunnydale. His work centered on assisting formerly incarcerated youth, first-time parents, and residents of public housing.

Hunter went on to join a charter school where he worked for four years on fostering partnerships and collaborations that facilitated career exploration experiences for students and equipped them with valuable skills and insights for future endeavors.