Beverly Parenti’s Path to Cofounding The Last Mile

Beverly Parenti’s journey to becoming the cofounder of The Last Mile is an inspiring story that reflects her resilience, determination, and desire to give back. As the first-generation daughter of Holocaust survivors, Beverly’s life has been profoundly shaped by her father’s experiences during World War II. Her father’s story of survival became a guiding light in her life, instilling in her the values of resourcefulness, resilience, and relentless perseverance. These values, imparted by her father, helped Beverly not only overcome challenges in her entrepreneurial journey but also led her to co-found The Last Mile, a transformative prison education program.

“I always wanted people to judge me for the quality of my work. You know, very much in line with our Last Mile mission and theory. But I learned three R’s from my father: to be resourceful, resilient, and relentless.”

Her Father’s Story: A Legacy of Resourcefulness and Hope

Beverly’s father was a young teenager living in Vienna when the Nazis invaded Austria. Despite living in a nice part of the city, far from the ghettos, the terror of war hit close to home. One day, Nazi agents came to their door and took Beverly’s grandfather away. At just 15 years old, her father was left feeling helpless, but he soon realized that he needed to flee for his own safety.

With remarkable foresight for someone so young, he prepared a Nazi youth outfit, which he used to escape detection during his escape. His resourcefulness and quick thinking helped him cross the border to the Netherlands safely. “He said that if you look like you belong and act like you belong, you belong,” Beverly recalled. Dressed in his disguise, he traveled through occupied territories without being questioned, a testament to his courage and ingenuity.

Once in the Netherlands, he found work on a farm despite never having set foot on one before. His ultimate goal was to reach the United States, where he had relatives. A wealthy man in the village provided him with money for passage to America. Tragically, Beverly later learned that this man had been killed by the Nazis for helping Jews. Despite this, her father remained determined to pay forward the kindness he had received. This drive to give back became central to Beverly’s life as well.

Reflecting on her father’s life, Beverly shared that his commitment to repaying the generosity shown to him fueled her own passion for service.

“My father told me that he was so determined to pay forward the kindness of that man that when we started The Last Mile, he felt like his mission was accomplished.” 

A Journey from Entrepreneur to Social Impact Leader

Beverly’s entrepreneurial spirit began at an early age. After graduating college at just 19 years old, she embarked on a year of travel to discover herself before moving to California to pursue her career. Beverly’s early work in sales and marketing eventually led her into the tech industry during the rise of the internet, a leap that would change the course of her career. She became involved in a groundbreaking online payment company, First Virtual Holdings, which later influenced the development of today’s online payment systems like PayPal.

Despite the successes of her career, it was in 2010 when her husband, Chris Redlitz, invited her to San Quentin State Prison that her life took on a new meaning. Chris had gone to the prison to speak with incarcerated men about business and entrepreneurship. Beverly was initially skeptical when Chris proposed starting a technology incubator inside the prison, thinking it was just another one of his “crazy ideas.” However, after visiting the prison herself, she saw the potential to make a real impact.

Together, Beverly and Chris founded The Last Mile, an organization focused on providing education, job training, and hope to incarcerated individuals. Beverly’s business acumen and commitment to changing lives have helped transform The Last Mile into a national program, offering coding and technology training across several states.

Carrying Her Father’s Legacy Forward

For Beverly, The Last Mile is a way to carry forward the legacy of kindness and opportunity that saved her father’s life. Her father’s story continues to inspire her work every day, as she strives to provide others with the chance for a second life, just as her father had when he reached the United States. “To help him accomplish his dream… that just means the world to me,” Beverly shared. In helping others, Beverly feels she has come full circle in honoring her father’s legacy.

Beverly Parenti’s path to cofounding The Last Mile is a powerful example of how personal history and a commitment to making a difference can lead to profound change. Beverly has embodied resilience, resourcefulness, and a relentless drive to create opportunities for those who need it most; through The Last Mile, she is helping formerly incarcerated individuals transform their lives for the better.

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