Brian Poe

Infobox Person
name = Brian Christopher Poe


caption =
birth_date = November 20, 1969
birth_place = Maysville, Kentucky
alma_mater = Transylvania University
occupation = Chief Executive Officer of EAS Technologies, LLC
website = http://www.clearmyrecord.com

Brian Christopher Poe (born November 20, 1969) is an American businessman most commonly known for his pioneering of second chance opportunities for American citizens with a criminal record. Serving as Founder and CEO of EAS Technologies (www.clearmyrecord.com), the first and largest online expungement and clemency service, he is directly responsible for helping thousands of people attempting to clear their name off criminal record databases. Recognizing employment placement as the number one need for those with a record, Poe founded the free nationwide job placement organization Hard2Hire, a nonprofit organization (www.hard2hire.org), which matches ex-offenders with felony and misdemeanor friendly employers. Among the most widely recognized expungement and clemency experts in the world, he is a passionate advocate of reducing recidivism via employment opportunities. He is the author or co-author of several articles on this subject. His book "A Guide to Expungements and Pardons" is widely used as a key reference source.

Early Life

Poe was born in Maysville, Kentucky and was reared in Lexington, Kentucky. Poe graduated from Lafayette High School and attended Transylvania University. Prior to attending college Poe enlisted in the United States Navy and served during the first Gulf War. He was named Sailor of the Year of Civil Engineering and Sailor of the quarter of COMNAVBASE Norfolk, VA. He had aspirations of attending the Naval Academy but was denied due to active duty injuries, after four years of service he was medically processed out of the military with an honorable discharge and recognized as a war time .

Career with Ex-Offenders

Not long after his military discharge, a young and naive Poe found himself in trouble with law when a girlfriend recruited his help in trying to cover up a previous theft from her place of employment. She was eventually caught and Poe was slapped with an aiding and abetting charge. Although this was his only offense, Poe soon realized the complications that come with a criminal record as it was obvious that any item on a criminal record would reduce employment opportunities drastically. Much to the dismay and disappointment of some future business partners Poe entered into business agreements with he did not disclose this prior charge. Instead, Poe alleged that his interest in clearing ciminal records was the result of his attempt to help a former employee clear a record.

Poe had few options other than becoming self employed. He proved worthy of the task and found success. All the while, Poe maintained a desire to clear his name and became very interested in the field of expungement and clemency. Upon realizing that more than 70 million Americans have a criminal record, he wanted to do more than just help himself. He knew there were other good people who had made mistakes and paid their dues and that a criminal record was, in effect, a life sentence. Through extensive research he soon realized that all states provide some type of relief from a criminal record. He also discovered that not only does every state have a different form of relief, but the process and form of relief could vary county by county, within the same state.

Poe spent many years traveling and researching the subject; he spoke to experts and court administrators from Maine to Alaska, and developed an easy-to-use guide to assist people with the process specific to their court jurisdiction.

After posting "The Guide to Expungements and Pardons" online, many non-profit and legal aid organizations, as well as hundreds of individuals, began contacting Poe for assistance. The surge of requests brought along the birth of EAS Technologies and the website http://www.clearmyrecord.com. Poe hired attorneys and software developers to automate the process for each and every county in the United States. Over ten thousand clients have approached EAS Technologies for assistance, far exceeding any other expungement service or law firm. EAS is also the only online expungement service provider to have federal pardons approved by the President of the United States. (EAS does not accept applicants with extremely violent records, crimes against children, or acts of sexual violence.)

Poe soon realized expunging a record or receiving a pardon was not the final step to fully clearing a criminal record. The courts and the Governor’s offices that grant these approvals do not contact or update the hundreds of commercial and governmental databases that buy and sell criminal records. Thus, even though an individual had a record expunged, it was still publicly available. He became very concerned about these online databases utilized by employers and landlords. Poe realized that much of this data is incorrect or not updated after receipt of an approved order of expungement or pardon (the courts simply cannot contact and ensure that hundreds of databases retain quality data). Poe is also spear heading an effort to enact a Fair Criminal Record Reporting Act on the federal level to ensure citizens rights are protected from the errors and lack of records updating of criminal record data. Currently no oversight agency exists to monitor these database companies.

Through processing thousands of expungement requests it was obvious to Poe that citizens simply had to clear their names to obtain quality employment. To address this need Poe established the nonprofit organization Hard2Hire (www.hard2hire.org). Employers are provided access to a wealth of talent and are also assisted by Hard2Hire in obtaining grants and bonds for the hiring of ex-offenders. Hard2Hire is a free service for job seekers and employers.

Previous Career

Upon leaving the military Poe started a small construction company to help pay for college and his newborn son. He offered laborers and subcontractors to large builders for residential and commercial projects. The success of this company led to Poe being named one of the Top 30 Young Entrepreneurs in the South.

Poe took on investment partners and the company evolved into a general contracting firm designing and building residential developments, hotels, restaurants and commercial structures. Poe eventually sold out to his partners who moved the operation to Indiana.

An avid sports fan, Poe visited many recruiting combines for future collegiate athletes, to try and get them to attend UK. He began writing about prospects online and soon developed a large following. It was not long before Poe was approached by a large sports internet firm to launch his own website and message boards (bigbluenation.com). Poe was instrumental in the evolution of recruit reporting, being the first to showcase high school and junior high highlights of prospective recruits. Popularity of the website eventually led to radio shows with Clear Channel on weeknights, pre- and post game reports and Sunday morning call in shows. Poe also produced a weekly collegiate and high school highlight television show contracted through ESPN2, Fox Sports South, and local CBS affiliates. Poe then established an apparel manufacturing division and assisted in the opening of retail outlets. While networking with collegiate and prep coaching staffs and other recruiting gurus, Poe developed a close relationship with the football coaching staff at the University of Kentucky. The athletics department was concerned Poe utilized this close relationship to assist the staff in recruiting via his media operations or that the NCAA might see potential violations (the program was on probation at the time). These concerns led to sanctions that crippled the company.

Despite other offers, Poe totally divorced himself from the world of sports and dove deeper into his research of record clearing and providing people a means to a second chance on life.

Other Work and Activities

CEO, Founder of Deleo LLC, parent company of EAS Technologies, LLC and other technology based companies.

Founder of Hard2Hire; a nonprofit nationwide employment matching service for employers and ex-offenders.

Founded a children’s organization “kids helping kids” in Lexington, Kentucky. He built a baseball field and provided teams for children who could not afford recreational league fees.

Primary Sponsor of the 2003 KHSAA State Baseball Championship Games

Nominated as a Top 40 Under 40 U.S. CEO by Enterpreneaur Magazine

Top 30 Young Entrepreneurs in the South by Historian Magazine

Trustee of the KY State Chamber of Commerce

Bronze Level Trustee of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce

Associate Member of the American Bar Association

Affiliated Supporter of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association

KY Hispanic Association

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

National Urban League

Ex-Offender Programs across the country

American Cancer Society

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America