The Petey Greene Program Names Josh Kraft Chief Executive Officer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRINCETON, N.J. — September 22, 2026— The Petey Greene Program (PGP) today announced that Josh Kraft has been named its next Chief Executive Officer. Kraft brings more than three decades of nonprofit leadership, community building, and fundraising expertise to an organization that trains volunteers to provide educational support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners.
Kraft spent most of his career in Boston-area youth development. In 1993 he built an award-winning youth program from the ground up, starting in the basement of a public housing community in Chelsea, Massachusetts with two staff, 75 young people, and a $75,000 budget. Over the next fifteen years he oversaw its growth into a premier 44,000-square-foot facility serving more than 1,000 youth. In 2008 Kraft became President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, a position he held for twelve years, leading the organization through a recession and rebuilding a robust program during his tenure. By 2020, the organization's annual budget had grown from $14.8 million to $26.5 million, its clubs from seven to eleven, and the number of youth it served from 8,000 to 14,000. He led the five-year "Opening Doors" campaign, which raised $132 million for endowment, capital projects, and new programming.
Kraft later served as President of the Kraft Family Philanthropies, overseeing giving across the Kraft Family Foundation, the New England Patriots Foundation, the Kraft Center for Community Health, and the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism. In 2025 he ran for Mayor of Boston.
Much of his work has centered on educational justice, an issue at the heart of PGP's mission. At the Patriots Foundation he had a pivotal role in launching Operation Exit, a program supporting people leaving the prison system, and he has served on boards focused on reentry, job training, education, and housing.
While Kraft is known for his transformative nonprofit leadership, his credentials as a hands-on advocate for people impacted by the criminal legal system run deep. Most notably, he recently completed a major statewide initiative that placed him at the forefront of reentry policy and community engagement in Massachusetts.
At the direct request of Governor Maura Healey, Kraft collaborated with Andrew Peck, the longtime Massachusetts Undersecretary of Corrections, to tackle one of the most fragmented parts of our justice system: the reentry pipeline. Together, they traveled across the state on a comprehensive listening tour to engage directly with system-involved individuals, county sheriffs, probation officers, and grassroots community organizers. Guided by these conversations, they designed a unified statewide framework for prisoner reentry, focusing on bridging gaps between state correctional facilities, community-based service providers, and local employers.
Kraft credits his family with shaping his approach to public service and community building. "I learned from my parents at a young age the importance of creating access to opportunities for everyone,” said Kraft. “No matter who you are or where you come from, everyone deserves a chance to succeed.”
Announcing the appointment, Peter Gates, President of the Board of Trustees, highlighted Kraft’s track record and alignment with the organization’s mission:
“Josh brings a unique combination of proven executive leadership, successful fundraising expertise, and hands-on experience in reentry work," said Peter Gates, President of the Board of Trustees. "He is an approachable, collaborative leader with a genuine passion for our mission. The Board is unanimous in our confidence that Josh will help us strengthen our foundation, expand our capacity, and achieve our strategic goals for the future."
Kraft succeeds Jeffrey Abramowitz, who stepped down in August. The Board extends its gratitude to Trustee Dr. Amy Lopez for her service as Interim CEO. Kraft will officially assume his role on October 5, 2026, with Dr. Lopez remaining as a senior advisor during his transition.
Kraft holds a master's degree in education and social policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor's degree in history from Williams College.
About the Petey Greene Program
The Petey Greene Program (PGP) is the largest provider of tutoring, educational support services, as well as college and career readiness programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people in the US. Since its founding in 2008, the PGP has tutored more than 23,000 students and has made over 9,900 individual volunteer placements at more than 140 carceral and reentry sites.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Catherine Halley
(347) 526-5023
challey@peteygreene.org
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