In less than one year, 21-year-old Avery Johnson has been promoted from intern to full-time employee at Brown Advisory—a success story made possible by his hard work and by the network of city leaders and private sector employers supporting the youngest members of Baltimore’s workforce through BLocal and other initiatives.
In June 2016, Johnson, a graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, became a data analyst intern at ABS Capital Partners, a growth equity firm in Baltimore, through the city’s Hire One Youth campaign, which encourages
private-sector employers to hire at least one 16- to 21-year-old for a summer or year-round position.
ABS Capital was so pleased with Johnson’s work that his internship was extended into the fall. Then his supervisors reached out to fellow BLocal partner Brown Advisory in December 2016. The investment firm created a position for Johnson, and he now works full time as a data control associate. He provides support using various computer applications to manage sensitive client data and to contribute to the behind-the-scenes work involved in on-boarding new employees.
“I absolutely see that there’s great opportunities to be had working at Brown,” Johnson says. “I’ve been very happy with how work is going. It’s great that it’s a local company and that they put so much effort into hiring local
people, and that they were able to see that I can do the work.”
